Showing results by publisher "Phoenix Books" in Direction & Production

More than 85 years after his untimely death at just age 37, Irving Thalberg remains a legendary Hollywood figure. Called the “Boy Wonder of Hollywood,” Thalberg quickly climbed the ranks at MGM studios to become one of the most powerful and high-profile producers of the time, elevating filmmaking to an art form. In this definitive biography, Bob Thomas brings Thalberg's legend to life, recounting how the producer's remarkable talent for developing stars and scripts led to the creation of beloved movies such as Ben-Hur, Romeo and Juliet, and Camille.

In 1895, teenager Schmuel Goldfisz left the Warsaw ghetto to become Samuel Goldwyn, one of the most acclaimed producers in Hollywood history. Among Goldwyn' s films are such classics as The Pride of the Yankees, Wuthering Heights, and The Bishop' s Wife— all famous for conveying the "Goldwyn Touch." In this detailed biography, acclaimed author A. Scott Berg recounts the fascinating life of one of the most colorful personalities of Hollywood' s Golden Age.

No one else produced as many television programs as Aaron Spelling. And very few enjoyed such career longevity, with more than forty years in the business— from Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater in 1959 until his last hit shows, 7th Heaven and Charmed, aired in 2006.

Seldom has the world seen a man with the grace, style, intellect, and success of journalist, author, publisher, Broadway and film producer, and husband to long-time Cosmopolitan head Helen Gurley Brown, David Brown. Throughout his remarkable life, he was a friend, acquaintance, and confidant of the world's most powerful, most famous, and most notorious.

Whether it is a director insisting on a final cut, a star demanding a bigger motor home, a producer holding the line on a budget, or a grip with a gripe, it seems that the world of moviemaking is nothing but Sturm und Drang. Shoot Out presents a raucous look at how movies get made and the players involved, from writers, producers, directors, and stars to agents and marketers. For film buffs, aspiring filmmakers, students, and anyone else intrigued by the inner workings of Hollywood, this is the quintessential take on the how, who, what, and why of the film business.

From one of the most successful and influential producers in the entertainment industry—responsible for such classics as Roots, The Thorn Birds, and L.A. Confidential—comes a fascinating memoir of life at the very hub of Hollywood. Wolper enjoyed staggering success yet remained down-to-earth. By combining flexibility, resourcefulness, and determination, Wolper produced landmark documentaries, films, miniseries, and other cultural touchstones of the twentieth century. Producer is the engaging and inspiring memoir of a true entertainment pioneer.

Harry Cohn was the cofounder and president of Columbia Pictures, which he ran from the 1930s through 1950s. Cohn—who abhorred personal publicity—left no writings, made no speeches, and rarely submitted to interviews. Despite this, acclaimed biographer Bob Thomas brilliantly illuminates the life of the powerful but elusive studio head in King Cohn: The Life and Times of Hollywood Mogul Harry Cohn. Thomas details the studio head's rise from a New York City song-plugger to a Poverty Row impresario, highlighting his reign as one of the most powerful men in Hollywood.

It was the triumph and the tragedy of his life. As a producer, he had reached the pinnacle of success; there was nowhere else to go. In this biography, noted Hollywood chronicler Bob Thomas reveals the stormy career of a shrewd, self-confident intellectual whiz kid who today personifies the image of a studio head during the Golden Age of movies. It tells of the women Selznick loved and the fortunes he amassed and lost; of the great stars he made and the magnificent motion pictures he created— the man who was an entrepreneurial genius, a driven perfectionist, and the author of endless memos.