MGM Hollywood's Greatest Backlot

by Bingen, Steven; Sylvester, Stephen X; Troyan, Michael; Reynolds, Debbie

• ISBN13: 9781595800558
• ISBN10: 1595800557
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-02-25
• Publisher: Santa Monica Press

Summary

Going behind the scenes at one of Hollywood's greatest movie studios, this extraordinary history reveals the untold story of the soundstages and outdoor sets where many of the world's greatest films were produced. Featuring candid, previously unpublished photographs from the studio's archives and exclusive interviews with actors and staff, this detailed exploration of MGM's backlot--the setting for more than a fifth of the films produced prior to 1980--takes film buffs back to Hollywood's golden age, offering an insider's look at the movie business and celebrating many of its best films and the leading actors of the studio system. Today, when a film set can be anywhere at anytime, this treasure trove of information reveals the creativity and ingenuity of a bygone era when the studio system, coping with the limitations of space and technology, produced screen gems such asThe Wizard of Oz,Gone with the Wind, and theOur Gangshorts.

Author Biography

Steven Bingen is a writer who works at the Warner Brothers studio corporate archive. He has contributed to numerous publications and films, including the books In the Picture: Production Stills from the TCM Archive, King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon, Leading Couples, and You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story and the documentaries 1939: Hollywood’s Greatest Year; Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood; and Warner at War. He is the author of Warner Bros: The Stuff that Dreams Are Made Of. He lives in Los Angeles. Stephen X. Sylvester is a writer and the former executive director of the Wattles Mansion in Hollywood. He is the director and producer of the documentaries Gurdon W. Wattles: The Man and the Mansion; Richard Anderson: An Actor’s Journey; and Robert Kinoshita: Dreams, Designs and Robots. He lives in Hollywood, California. Michael Troyan has worked as an archivist at Disney and Warner Brothers studios. He is the author of A Rose for Mrs. Miniver: The Life of Greer Garson and he contributed to Disney A–Z, The Disney Poster Book, and The Disney Villains. He lives in Sacramento, California. Debbie Reynolds is an internationally acclaimed actress, singer, and dancer best known for her starring role in Singin' in the Rain as well as her number-one hit song "Tammy," from the film Tammy and the Bachelor, in which she also starred. Her title role in The Unsinkable Molly Brown earned her an Academy Award nomination, and she won an Emmy Award for her portrayal of Bobbi Adler in the sitcom Will & Grace. She lives in Los Angeles.