Rko Radio Pictures Horror Science Fiction And Fantasy Films 1929 1956

Author : Michael R. Pitts
Publisher : McFarland
ISBN 13 : 1476616833
Total Pages : 406 pages
Book Rating : 4.34/5 ( download)

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Download or read book RKO Radio Pictures Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1929-1956 written by Michael R. Pitts and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2015-03-27 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: King Kong and The Thing from Another World are among the most popular horror and science fiction films of all time and both were made by RKO Radio Pictures. Between 1929 and 1956, RKO released more than 140 genre features, including The Most Dangerous Game, The Phantom of Crestwood, Before Dawn, The Monkey's Paw, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, You'll Find Out, The Spiral Staircase, The Enchanted Cottage, It's a Wonderful Life, Captive Women and Killers from Space. RKO is remembered for its series of psychological horror movies produced by Val Lewton, including Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, The Seventh Victim and The Body Snatcher. The studio also produced films in the adventure, comedy, fantasy, mystery and western genres. They released many Walt Disney classics--Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, Pinocchio, Cinderella, Peter Pan--as well as several "Tarzan" features. This volume covers these movies in detail with critical and historical analysis, in-depth plot synopsis and numerous contemporary reviews.

Author : Michael R. Pitts
Publisher : McFarland
ISBN 13 : 0786460474
Total Pages : 406 pages
Book Rating : 4.72/5 ( download)

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Download or read book RKO Radio Pictures Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1929-1956 written by Michael R. Pitts and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2015-04-17 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: King Kong and The Thing from Another World are among the most popular horror and science fiction films of all time and both were made by RKO Radio Pictures. Between 1929 and 1956, RKO released more than 140 genre features, including The Most Dangerous Game, The Phantom of Crestwood, Before Dawn, The Monkey's Paw, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, You'll Find Out, The Spiral Staircase, The Enchanted Cottage, It's a Wonderful Life, Captive Women and Killers from Space. RKO is remembered for its series of psychological horror movies produced by Val Lewton, including Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, The Seventh Victim and The Body Snatcher. The studio also produced films in the adventure, comedy, fantasy, mystery and western genres. They released many Walt Disney classics--Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, Pinocchio, Cinderella, Peter Pan--as well as several "Tarzan" features. This volume covers these movies in detail with critical and historical analysis, in-depth plot synopsis and numerous contemporary reviews.

Author : Michael R. Pitts
Publisher : McFarland
ISBN 13 : 1476676496
Total Pages : 305 pages
Book Rating : 4.94/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Astor Pictures written by Michael R. Pitts and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2019-04-25 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Founded by Robert M. Savini in 1933, Astor Pictures Corporation distributed hundreds of films in its 32 years of operation. The company distributed over 150 first run features in addition to the numerous re-releases for which it became famous. Astor had great success in the fields of horror and western movies and was a pioneer in African-American film productions. While under Savini's management, Astor and its subsidiaries were highly successful, but after his death in 1956 the company was sold, leading to eventual bankruptcy and closure. This volume provides the first in-depth look at Astor Pictures Corporation with thorough coverage of its releases, including diverse titles like La Dolce Vita and Frankenstein's Daughter.

Author : Michael R. Pitts
Publisher : McFarland
ISBN 13 : 1476690677
Total Pages : 257 pages
Book Rating : 4.74/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Nick Lucas written by Michael R. Pitts and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2023-04-03 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For more than seven decades Nick Lucas was an entertainer, beginning as a child street musician and becoming one of the most popular singer-guitarists of all time. He was a popular sideman in bands, and his solo career conquered radio, recordings, vaudeville, Broadway, films, night clubs and television. He is credited with being the first musician to replace the banjo with the guitar in big bands and on records, and with initiating the "intimate style" of singing, making him the first crooner.Nick Lucas' guitar playing contributed significantly to the instrument's popularity, and he influenced generations of players with his instruction books and by having a line of popular guitar picks bearing his name. He was the first guitarist to have a custom-made model, "The Nick Lucas Special." This biography comprehensively covers Nick Lucas' career as he entertained audiences in the United States, England and Australia, becoming a beloved star and influencing popular music to the present day.

Author : Kathy Merlock Jackson
Publisher : McFarland
ISBN 13 : 1476650128
Total Pages : 263 pages
Book Rating : 4.28/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Forgotten Disney written by Kathy Merlock Jackson and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2023-06-19 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work demonstrates that not everything that Disney touched turned to gold. In its first 100 years, the company had major successes that transformed filmmaking and culture, but it also had its share of unfinished projects, unmet expectations, and box-office misses. Some works failed but nevertheless led to other more stunning and lucrative ones; others shed light on periods when the Disney Company was struggling to establish or re-establish its brand. In addition, many Disney properties, popular in their time but lost to modern audiences, emerge as forgotten gems. By exploring the studio's missteps, this book provides a more complex portrayal of the history of the company than one would gain from a simple recounting of its many hits. With essays by writers from across the globe, it also asserts that what endures or is forgotten varies from person to person, place to place, or generation to generation. What one dismisses, someone else recalls with deep fondness as a magical Disney memory.

Author : Elizabeth McCarthy
Publisher : McFarland
ISBN 13 : 1476626537
Total Pages : 259 pages
Book Rating : 4.36/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Lost Souls of Horror and the Gothic written by Elizabeth McCarthy and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2016-10-24 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years horror and gothic themes have penetrated mainstream popular culture in a manner unseen since the horror boom of the 1970s. Primetime television viewers who before might not have shown interest in such late-night fare now happily settle down after dinner to watch zombie or serial killer shows. This collection of 54 biographical essays examines many overlooked and underrated figures who have played a role in the ever expanding world of horror and gothic entertainment. The contributors push the boundaries of how we define these terms, bringing into the discussion such diverse figures as singer-songwriter Tom Waits, occultist Dion Fortune, author Charles Beaumont, historian and bishop Gregory of Tours and video game designer Shinji Mikami.

Author : Hal Erickson
Publisher : McFarland
ISBN 13 : 1476680272
Total Pages : 252 pages
Book Rating : 4.79/5 ( download)

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Download or read book A Van Beuren Production written by Hal Erickson and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2020-10-01 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Prolific American film producer Amedee J. Van Beuren (1879-1938) did not start out in the film industry. After a decade spent in business and advertising, Van Beuren turned his intellect and creativity towards acquiring a foothold in film and began building his empire. He is best known to animation fans for his bizarre cartoons of the 1920s and 1930s, featuring such zanies as Molly Moo Cow, Cubby Bear and Tom and Jerry (not the cat-and-mouse duo). But the majority of the 1,499 films produced by Van Beuren between 1918 and 1937 were live-action short subjects--travelogues, comedies, musicals, sports reels and more. His roster of star performers included Bert Lahr, Shemp Howard, Ethel Waters and (indirectly) Charlie Chaplin. Van Beuren also made several feature films starring legendary big-game hunter Frank Buck, and a 12-episode serial headlining horror icon Lon Chaney, Jr. Capped by a complete list of his films, this engrossing chronicle of Amedee Van Beuren's vast output is the first all-inclusive history of one of moviedom's most successful and least-known filmmakers.

Author : Rob Craig
Publisher : McFarland
ISBN 13 : 1476612439
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.30/5 ( download)

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Download or read book It Came from 1957 written by Rob Craig and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2013-09-21 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: America in the 1950s was a cauldron of contradictions. Advances in technology chafed against a grimly conservative political landscape; the military-industrial complex ceaselessly promoted the "Communist menace"; young marrieds fled crumbling cities for artificial communities known as suburbs; and the corporate cipher known as "The Organization Man" was created, along with stifling images of women. The decade, huddled under the fear of nuclear holocaust, was also dedicated to all things futuristic. Science fiction was in its salad days, in magazines and novels and in motion pictures, trying every trick in the book to lure customers back from television, including reliance on monster movies. All of these forces collided in 1957, when an astounding 57 movies of the science fiction, horror and fantasy variety were shown in the United States--a record unmatched to this day. Reflecting some of the socio-political topics of the day, several are exceptional examples of their genres. This book critically discusses each of the films.

Author : John T. Soister
Publisher : McFarland
ISBN 13 : 9780786435814
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.1X/5 ( download)

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Download or read book American Silent Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Feature Films, 1913-1929 written by John T. Soister and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2012-06-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the Silent Era, when most films dealt with dramatic or comedic takes on the "boy meets girl, boy loses girl" theme, other motion pictures dared to tackle such topics as rejuvenation, revivication, mesmerism, the supernatural and the grotesque. A Daughter of the Gods (1916), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), The Magician (1926) and Seven Footprints to Satan (1929) were among the unusual and startling films containing story elements that went far beyond the realm of "highly unlikely." Using surviving documentation and their combined expertise, the authors catalog and discuss these departures from the norm in this encyclopedic guide to American horror, science fiction and fantasy in the years from 1913 through 1929.

Author : Gail Orwig
Publisher : McFarland
ISBN 13 : 147666840X
Total Pages : 380 pages
Book Rating : 4.06/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Where Monsters Walked written by Gail Orwig and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2018-01-23 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This richly illustrated guide to dozens of California filming locations covers five decades of science fiction, fantasy and horror movies, documenting such familiar places as the house used in Psycho and the Bronson Caves of Robot Monster, along with less well known sites from films like Lost Horizon and Them! Arranged alphabetically by movie title--from Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves to Zotz!--the entries provide many "then" and "now" photos, with directions to the locations.