FORTHCOMING TITLES
THE GREAT CARTOON DIRECTORS
Fully Revised and Expanded Edition
This exhaustively updated and expanded edition profiles the remarkable careers and achievements of legendary cartoon directors Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Friz Freleng, Dave Fleischer, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Ub Iwerks, Chuck Jones, and others from Hollywood’s "golden age of animation. Lavishly illustrated throughout with full-color and black-and-white illustrations, many of them from the directors personal and private collections, each chapter surveys their finest works and takes readers behind the scenes to know these individuals and learn how they not only got the Big Idea but managed to keep their characters fresh and topical and unpredictable, and a joy to generations.
REEL FACTS
DEADLY LIAISONS
Only in Hollywood and in the Movies Could Things
This Unbelievable Happen
As any actor, producer, director, or screenwriter can attest, working in the movie business isnt easy, and have the bumps, the bruises, and mental scars to prove it. Scores of tantalizing tidbits and scintillating stories that really happened to famous film stars and in the movies are meticulously detailed for the first time in one fun, fact-filled volume. REEL FACTS is a fascinating, full-color copiously illustrated treasury offering an inside the Hollywood grapevine look at it all--classic movie star rejections, remarkable movie ideas that misfired (or the greatest movies never made), amazing extremes actors have undertaken in preparing for film roles, unforeseen calamities that disrupted or delayed movies in production, fantastic film foolery perpetrated in popular movies on audiences, notable casting mishaps, the worst screen kissers, and much more.
Taking the Law Into His Hands After His Ex-Wife Is Murdered Isn't Enough...Equaling the Score Is
Luke Beckett is anything but your average Hollywood vice squad detective. A cop who refuses to play the game, he is like some Avenging Angel always quick to judge, and to punish with his rock-hard fists those who don’t see his way. Forced to resign after a prostitute bust goes awry, he accepts a police lieutenant position in that God-forsaken place, Palm Springs, where there is hardly enough action to keep his blood circulating. That all changes when his ex-wife Marcia, since re-married to an aging American tycoon and one of Palm Springs’ wealthiest, most influential residents, is found murdered at a swank party under suspicious circumstances with hardly a clue. Assigned to investigate her murder, this short-tempered, superbly trained former big city cop finds more than he expects
—a secret romance with a lesbian lover and possible mob connections to her untimely death and assassination attempt on his life—in this original hard-boiled mystery.
ONCE A STOOGE, ALWAYS A STOOGE
PEEKABOO: THE STORY OF VERONICA LAKE
THE BOOK OF DUH!
Timeless Remembrances from Hollywood's Favorite Funnyman
For more than six decades, Joe Besser brought gales of laughter to millions—in vaudeville, on Broadway, on radio, in motion pictures, and on television—as a childlike sissy who brandished his foils with a flick of the wrist and such hilarious verbal assaults as “Ooh, you crazy you!” and “Not so f-a-s-t!” Once a Stooge, Always a Stooge tells the whole story. Jam-packed with timeless recollections, Besser vividly recounts it all--the personal ups and downs, the
classic skits and routines that became his hallmark, and behind-the-scenes stories of show business icons who enriched his life and career, including Abbott and Costello, Fred Allen, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Sammy Davis, Jr., Jerry Lewis, Olsen and Johnson, and many others. Previously unpublished anecdotes incorporated throughout, plus hundreds of new, many rare and one-of-a-kind illustrations and extensive appendices of the legendary funnyman’s stage, film, radio and television appearances, round out this charming, thoughtfully written and fully updated and expanded memoir.
Tragic True Tale of Filmdom's Famed "Peekaboo" Girl
Thoroughly revised and expanded, Peekaboo tells the shocking, true story of the sultry blonde bombshell who rocketed to fame and disastrous life offscreen--a dominating mother who poured everything into her daughter's future for the sake of her career, four failed marriages, and a path of self-destruction resulting from mental illness and alcoholism that put her so far out of reach that not even her mother's love could save her in the end. Fully authorized, this power-
ful, revealing and probing biography, featuring exclusive interviews with Lake's mother, friends and co-workers, tells why. Copious new discoveries, revelations, anecdotes, and stories; previously unknown, unproduced and rumored starring feature films and television series projects; undocumented radio and television appearances; and a full accounting of her stage work flesh out what is the most complete record ever written about this fallen star.
Join the Club. It's Okay to Be "Duh!"
“Duh!” moments happen all the time. They can strike at any moment. At any place, at any time of day, when you least expect them. Now one laugh-filled volume brings them all together. . . The Book of Duh! This fun-filled treasury features the funniest, most outrageous “Duhs!” of all. Of course, who are we tell you that. You have lived these (and probably more). If not, join the club. It is okay to be “Duh!”
HOW TO MAKE A MILLION DOLLARS WITH YOUR
VOICE (OR LOSE YOUR TONSILS TRYING)
Parlay Your Voice into a Moneymaking Career
Now back in print, the late legendary entertainer Gary Owens draws upon his four decades in radio, television, film and animation to show you how to break into the voiceover business and carve out a million-dollar niche for yourself with your voice once you get there. Sprinkled with countless priceless anecdotes and
and tips throughout from well-known actors, producers and agents, Owens gives you the inside track on becoming a successful DJ, newscaster, announcer, sportscaster, commercial or cartoon voice, or other type of voice artist. Many never-before illustrations and update appendices listings round out this second volume.
WALK TO FREEDOM
Airman Tells Remarkable Story of Encampment as a POW
June 30, 1944, seven B-24s, members of the United States 460th Bomb Group, were blasted out of the sky by German twin-engine Me-410 fighters. Seven-teen airmen were killed, twenty-four were captured, with many of them badly burned, wounded or beaten to death by Hungarian peasants after parachuting to the ground. One survivor, T/Sgt.
John L. Lenburg, was among the many taken prisoner, never knowing if he would see his homeland again. Here Lenburg vividly recalls his experiences and harrowing missions and tortuous eleven months of captivity in a Nazi concentration camp in this compelling revised, expanded and copiously illustrated biography.
SCARED TO DEATH
Who's Killing Hollywood's Greatest Film Legends
Amid titillating fanfare, Holly-wood's six greatest living icons of the silver screen convene at a red-carpet screening of their classic movies at the first such gathering of a new social club formed by them. Instead, a time of satisfying nostalgia turns into the unexpected: Death. During the screening the first film legend feted, Rex Hampton, after a long
anguished cry, leaps to his feet, his right arm jerking forward, as if he is trying to point to the screen. As his body pitches forward, he crashes face forward on the floor, dead. He becomes the first in a series of macabre murders. Something on the screen, something in those movies, made his heart stop. But what?
LEGENDS OF ANIMATION BIOGRAPHY SERIES AUDIOBOOKS
OTHER AUDIOBOOK EDITIONS
TEX AVERY: Hollywood's Master of Screwball Cartoons (Narrated by Scott O'Neill)
Tex Avery, considered the father of screwball animation, was one of the most influential animators of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Creator of such classic characters as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Droopy, he directed many cartoons for Warner Bros., MGM and Walter Lantz Productions and was nominated for six Academy Awards.
WILLIAM HANNA & JOSEPH BARBERA: The Sultans of Saturday Morning (Narrated by Barry Abrams)
The seven-time Oscar-win-ning team of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera created or produced some of film and television's most beloved cartoon characters, including Tom and Jerry, The Flint-stones, Yogi Bear, Jonny Quest, the Jetsons, and Scooby-Doo. Here is the amazing story of their 50-year partnership as the industry's top producing duo of all-time.
WALTER LANTZ: Made Famous by a Woodpecker (Narrated by Scott Pollak)
Best-known as the creator of the fine-feathered screwball Woody Woodpecker, Walter Lantz was one of Hollywood's most prolific directors and producers of cartoon anima-tion. Beginning his career in the silent picture era, he went on to form his studio, creating and producing his own family of characters, including Andy Pandy, Buzz Buzzard, Chilly Willy, Gabby Gator, Inspector Willoughby, and Wally Walrus.
WALT DISNEY: The Mouse That Roared (Narrated by Al Kessel)
Best known for creating Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney is one of the 20th century's most honored and important icons of animation.This illu-minating biography delves into this multifaceted man's colorful life and career as an animator, producer, director, and screenwriter, explaining the inspiration for his classic creations and revolutionary animation techniques, and much more.
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MATT GROENING: From Spitballs to Springfield (Narrated by Charlie James)
This first-ever biography explores in-depth the early years, life, and career from his struggles as a comic-strip artist to his widespread suc-cess with his unique drawing style and quirky sense of humor. It's all here--from creation of TV's longest-running primetime animated series, The Simpsons, and behind-the-scenes look into his incredible cartoon empire and craft.
JOHN LASSETER: The Whiz Who Made Pixar King (Narrated by Scott Jenson)
A founding member of and the creative force behind Pixar Animation Studios, this Oscar-winning director and animator revolutionized the industry ushering in the age of computer-animation. This comprehensive look at the man and the artist details his early beginnings to his landmark achievements and blockbuster features, includ-ing Toys, Cars, Finding Nemo, and others.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN ANIMATION (Narrated by Brian E. Smith)
Animation is everywhere from the internet to the silver screen and due to the rapid growth of animation--in vir-tually every field and indus-try, so are animation jobs. Fueled by the explosion of film and television produc-tions, new and original ani-mated films, and apps and videos for mobile computing devices, the fields of ani-mation and special effects,
video games and e-learning are expected to grow. With the high demand for qualified individuals to work in these industries, there has never been a better time to start or advance a career in animation.This comprehensive, detailed guide--the most complete ever written--describes 60 careers in many fields of animation, including art, backgrounds and layouts, design, directing, engineering, film and television animation, game and Web design, painting and texturing, performing, producing, technical production, and writing.
THE THREE STOOGES SCRAPBOOK (Narrated by Bob Dunsworth)
This updated edition of the bestselling fully authorized team biography and history covers the lives and careers of the Stooges like no other. Packed with personal mem-ories, historical facts, new findings, revelations, and archived material from family collections, this painstakingly researched and written tome has it all: intimate biographies of each Stooge, a complete and accurately detailed team history and the most compre-
hensive filmography ever compiled, including production and cast lists, synopses, release dates, working titles, production footnotes, and more from every comedy short and feature and the Stooges' solo film appear-ances.Furthermore, it features exclusive interviews with the original stooges and later members of the famed comedy trio - Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Joe Besser, and Joe DeRita - and their family members and friends.
HAYAO MIYAZAKI: Japan's Premier Anime Storyteller (Narrated by Mark Doug-las Nelson)
As a master at creating com-pelling characters and stories and breathtaking animation, Hayao Miyazaki has earned international acclaim and set box-office records as one of the world's most respected Japanese auteurs of his industry. Here is the full and complete story of Japan's most heralded storyteller who has directed some of the most popular anime features of all time.
GENNDY TARTAKOVSKY: From Russia to Coming-of-Age Animator (Narrated by Amanda Thorpe)
Moving with his family from Russia to the United States at the age of seven, American cartoons and comic books inspired him to become an artist. Explored are the talents of one of the most influential animators working today, including his cartoon sensations Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, The Powerpuff Girls, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and others.