Showing results by publisher "BearManor Media" in Arts & Entertainment

After a surprise phone call from Children’s Television Workshop, Daoud Kuttab took the chance of a lifetime to create a Palestinian co-production of Sesame Street. But the challenges of producing a world-famous children’s program quickly escalated beyond just teaching Elmo to speak Arabic. From finding actors and puppeteers in a country starved of training to dealing with a community that considered the production too provocative, the early days were less than easy.

Raised Eyebrows is the bittersweet story of the last years in the life of Groucho Marx, told by a young Marx Brothers fan who was fortunate enough to work for Groucho as his personal secretary and archivist, right inside Marx's Beverly Hills home. In addition to getting to know his hero, the author was able to spend quality time with Zeppo, Gummo, Mae West, George Burns, Bob Hope, Jack Lemmon, SJ Perelman, Steve Allen, and scores of other luminaries of stage, screen, TV, and literature.

Screenwriter Jeb Rosebrook presents a captivating behind-the-scenes memoir of the making of Junior Bonner, a 1972 Western classic starring Steve McQueen and directed by Sam Peckinpah.

Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye: The Barbara Payton Story is the only family-authorized biography of the late Hollywood actress whose promising film career in the 1950s was quickly overtaken by a disastrous and scandal-ridden personal life that left her career in ashes. Barbara Payton’s story has long been considered one of the saddest and most potent cautionary tales the town has ever known.

Lovers of old-time radio hold a special place in their heart for Agnes Moorehead. She was one of the busiest and most definitive actresses of that medium. The bottom line is that Agnes Moorehead is one of the few actresses who succeeded in every realm of show business: stage, radio, film, and television. This impressive biography proves to listeners and scholars alike that she was much more than the witch of Endor! This is the second edition of the best-selling book, with new material!

In 1937, it seemed as if Cary Grant had it all: the fame and fortune of being a leading man for one of Hollywood’s biggest studios, with a life of luxury that was a world away from the hardship and misery he knew growing up in Bristol, England. But all that glitters is not gold. Grant felt that he had no say in the development of his own career, and he was seeing signs that the studio was losing interest in him…other than to just be a handsome face. He yearned for better roles to prove himself as an actor. And so, he did the inconceivable.

Despite the tragic brevity of his career and life, Andy Gibb still has a strong fan base around the world, but his story has never been told—until now. Arrow Through the Heart: The Biography of Andy Gibb draws upon extensive research, rare archival interviews with Andy Gibb and members of his family, and interviews conducted by the author with nearly fifty of Andy’s friends and associates to examine the life and career of this beloved pop idol.

Critic-producer Nat Segaloff was granted access to private papers, production records, never-before-published interviews, and specialized archives in reconstructing the colorful, touching, and sometimes scandalous stories behind the making of the last films of some of Hollywood's top directors.

The autobiography of master impressionist Joe Alaskey takes listeners on a fun-filled behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood and how he became Mel Blanc’s replacement as the voices of Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, and many of the Warner Bros. cartoon characters. Joe Bevilacqua performs as Alaskey and even demonstrates some of the voices along the way, including a sketch that pits Daffy Duck against Colombo, and Archie and Edith Bunker as Romeo and Juliet. Bevilacqua was trained with Mel Blanc and Daws Butler (Yogi Bear).

Long before Sgt. Lefty and the Camp Waterlogg gang took over, The Comedy-O-Rama Hour residents were parody versions of mysteries (Sherlock Holmes), old-time radio ( The Shadow, The Lone Ranger, etc.), sci-fi ( Willoughby and the Professor), superheroes (Teaman and Polfroon), and more. The original scripted Comedy-O-Rama came to a conclusion in 2008, a victim of the SiriusXM merger. In 2012, Joe Bev revamped The Comedy-O-Rama Hour.

Part improvisation, part audio cartoon, The Camp Waterlogg Chronicles, Seasons 1 - 5 is a five-volume collection of the successful comedy show created by two radio-theater veterans. Each volume contains six one-hour segments of the comic misadventures of Sergeant Lefty, Olive Pitts, Ellis the Boatkeeper, Squeaky Lkie, Stinky Peter, Mrs. Terwilliger, and all the wacky denizens of Camp Waterlogg, the dilapidated camp for kids in the Catskills.

Everything you always wanted to know about the 1975 monster-movie hit Jaws and the other monsters that swam in its wake. 

Burlesque: A Living History captures the spirit of this unique art form through hundreds of photographs and stories from many who were a part of America's most colorful past. This audiobook highlights the careers and contributions of selected artists, many of whom were the nuts and bolts of burlesque. It also acknowledges just some of the young performers of today who are diligently working to remember the days of old. When burlesque theatres and clubs went dark, a whole world went dark with them.

Trans woman and screenwriter Tilly Bridges takes you through the trans allegories of the Matrix franchise, with deep dives into The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, The Animatrix, The Matrix Revolutions, and The Matrix Resurrections, tracking one person’s transition journey—from Thomas Anderson, to Neo… to Trinity. Each movie’s allegory is deeply layered, building from movie to movie, and speaks to a different aspect of trans existence.

Writer-director Melville Shavelson survived five wars: WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam, and Hollywood. In this often funny and always enjoyable memoir, he recalls the heyday of the studio system and what it was like to work with such powerful forces as Kirk Douglas, Cary Grant, Bob Hope, Clark Gable, Sophia Loren, the State of Israel, the family of President Eisenhower, and Paramount Pictures. 

Rod Taylor: An Aussie in Hollywood is the first full-length biography of this pioneering Australian film star. It's the thrilling story of a working-class Sydney boy who went to Hollywood, took on the Americans at their own game on their own turf in one of the toughest industries there is - and won. It's also the story of a talented actor who was almost brought down by the demons of alcohol and ego, but who ultimately overcame them to triumph.

Arguably the greatest comedy duo in show business history, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy delighted filmgoers and theatregoers for over 30 years. The public not only found Laurel's serene simpleton and Hardy's pompous buffoon hilarious, but they also thought of them as friends. Laurel and Hardy may have been nitwits, but they were loveable nitwits.

This book will let you into the heart and soul of Paul Lynde. Best remembered for outrageous jokes on Hollywood Squares, as Uncle Arthur from Bewitched, and as the frantic father in Bye Bye Birdie, Paul was never satisfied with his career - or his personal life. But even as he suffered through some of the cruelest of times, Paul continued to make us forget our troubles and was forever gracious to his fans. This is the book those fans have been waiting for.

Many of the details in this audiobook you may have read elsewhere. On the other hand, many more are untold stories. If it were not for Francis Stacey, Eric Stacey's widow, this book would not have been made. For it was Fran who wanted, encouraged, and supported the story about a special man in a magical time. Eric Stacey from Ramsgate (Kent) England, an assistant director, who was often relegated to the sidelines as a traffic cop, and his ultimate work seen in Gone with the Wind.

Drawing from over three decades as an assistant director, McGiffert charts a revealing and informative journey through the making of many major films working with noted directors such as Robert Zemeckis, Tim Burton, Cameron Crowe, Sydney Pollack, Milos Forman, Peter Weir, Steve Zaillian, Jon Avnet, and Terry Gilliam. This behind-the-scenes book is a must-listen for casual moviegoers and committed film lovers alike.