Released just in time for Oscar season, 1939 commemorates the most amazing year in American movie history, a year that saw the release of some of the best loved classic films and the summit of Hollywoods glamor and cultural achievement. 1939 profiles the making of six of the most significant films of 1939: Gone with the Wind, Stagecoach, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Wizard of Oz, covering each film from the origins of the script to the finished films debut and critical receptions. The story of each film is thoroughly illustrated with authentic production photos that give amazing behind-the-scenes glimpses of old Hollywood at work. Readers will get an exciting glimpse into how some of Hollywoods most renowned talents thought and worked, with vivid portrayals of giants like John Ford and Frank Capra in action on the set. Covering the foibles, passions, inspirations and sometimes disordered personal lives of writers, producers, directors, actors and technicians, 1939 is a masterful portrait of Hollywood at work and play plus a scandalously delightful sourcebook of movieland gossip thats shocking even today. 1939 tells such amazing behind-the-scenes stories as: Which set in The Hound of the Baskervilles was so large and complex that the actors actually got lost inside it. Why the best line in Twains novel does not appear in the film of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Why Shirley Temple was not cast as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Why it was nearly impossible to film in the perfect replica of the U.S. Senate chamber that Frank Capra built for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Plus many more inside stories, production details, and personal revelations about the greatest movie stars of all time. The perfect combination of film history, artistic appreciation, historical insight, and gossip, 1939: The Making of Six Great Films from Hollywoods Greatest Year is a book that no movie fan should miss.
Charles F. Adams is chairman of the Wajim Corporation and president of Adams Enterprises. He spent his work career in international marketing and was president and chief operating officer of D'Arcy, MacManus and Masius, Inc., one of the world's largest advertising agencies. he is also a former owner and general partner of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. Adams is the author of a number of books, including Murder by the Bay' and The Complete Geezer Guidebook' both available from Quill Driver Books.
"1939" is a book worthy of the year. --Mick LaSalle, film critic, San Francisco Chronicle
Adamss thoroughness and energy make this book appealing to both movie lovers and those fascinated by the inner workings of film-making. It has sensational little-known stories, almost like a Hollywood gossip magazine, but the book has the tone and integrity of an engaging, well-researched book, including careful attention to factual accuracy and impartial narration. Adams is both historian and fanatic, giving the book both thoroughness and energy. This book will whet the appetite of movie connoisseurs. Melissa Wuske, ForeWord Reviews
For film buffs, consider this one essential. David Pitt, Booklist
