Showing results by publisher "BearManor Media" in Biographies & Memoirs

I enjoyed Flirting with Fame because Dan is so open and honest about his encounters with celebrities—some very funny, some odd and some even hard to believe—but all told from an ‘everyman’s’ point of view. He quite often found himself in rather bizarre circumstances while interacting with famous people—like having a staring contest with Barbra Streisand, twice; or smoking a joint in silence with Jill Clayburgh in Central Park; or talking with Billy Crystal about Chinese food at Sid Caesar’s funeral.

In 1991, Peggy Adler, author of Trilogy: Three True Stories of Scoundrels and Schemers, was retained by self-proclaimed CIA agent, arms dealer and money launderer, Richard Brenneke, to co-author his autobiography. She soon discovered evidence in his files contradicting claims regarding his presence at October Surprise conspiracy meetings and went on to out Brenneke as a con artist in a February 1992 article in the Village Voice.

Heavyweight (in every sense of the word) actor William Conrad made his name in radio drama as Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke and then powered his way into television with Cannon, Nero Wolfe, and Jake and the Fat Man. A producer and director as well as one of the most successful voice actors in history, Conrad rude success with aplomb. This audiobook relates his early years, life, family, and friendships interwoven with his credits.

Writer-Producer Robert Youngson’s seminal compilation documentaries of silent comedy in the 1960s inspired a Renaissance in the legacies of Charley Chase, Snub Pollard, and, above all, Laurel and Hardy as well as other comedians from movies of the teens and '20s. Youngson died young, but his widow, Jeanne, tells author Manago about her late husband’s obsession with movies, laughter, and food.

For over 20 years, the name John Agar on a marquee meant action to moviegoers - from World War II land, sea, and air battles, to the frontier West, to the new frontier of 1950s science fiction, where he stood fast against some of the era's most memorable movie monsters. Agar's rise to fame was meteoric: during World War II, the $83-a-month buck sergeant met and later married "America's Sweetheart", Shirley Temple, and was soon offered a screen test and dramatic instruction by Hollywood mega-mogul David O. Selznick.

With his chiseled features, effortless screen presence, otherworldly vitality, and striking blue eyes, Jan-Michael Vincent seemed destined for superstardom. However, the real Jan-Michael Vincent was a reluctant sex symbol plagued by doubt and low self-confidence, a perpetual misfit doomed to alcoholism. Jan-Michael Vincent: Edge of Greatness covers Vincent’s entire life and details the difference between Jan Vincent, a shy, small-town boy, and Jan-Michael Vincent, Hollywood’s golden boy.

When Yvette, a New York model for White Rain shampoo, first appeared in Sunset Boulevard (1950), she could not have imagined that her own death would be as bizarre as Norma Desmond's gigolo, Joe's. After roles in Short Cut to Hell (1957) and Reform School Girl (1957), Yvette's fate cast her into dubious signature roles in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958) and Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959).

The Hollywood Canteen was the jewel in the crown of World War II Hollywood. From 1942 to 1945, over three million servicemen came through its doors on their way to fight in the Pacific - some never to return. There, in a converted barn in the heart of Hollywood, soldiers were fed, entertained by, and danced with some of the biggest stars in the world.

You've seen him stand shoulder to shoulder with John Wayne as Indian Chief Scar in The Searchers, as the insidious Fu Manchu with world domination desires and as Barnaby, the wicked nemesis to Laurel & Hardy in Babes in Toyland. What you might not know is the versatile Henry Brandon essayed a variety of characters in film, television, and a stage career that spanned 55 years amassing over 200 roles.

Everyone was “In the Mood for Love” when Frances Langford, renowned Big Band singer with a rich contralto voice, rose from performing at hometown parties in Mulberry, Florida, to Broadway, old-time radio, and movies during Hollywood’s Golden Era. Her signature song carried her from turntables to troops in World War II, and then into the stuff of legends. For the first time, her personal interviews with author-publisher Ben Ohmart bring the treasured memories from her past to light. 

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).

Discover the man behind the myth in Sandy Grabman’s richly researched book. Pat’s career sounds like a true Hollywood success story from his humble beginnings to living the dream of making people laugh, winning the The Pacific Pioneers Broadcaster’s Award, and winning an Emmy. His was one of the most recognizable voices in movies and on television. For the first time, his story is recalled by friends, family members, co-stars, and co-workers at Gene Autry Enterprises. Also interspersed throughout the book are many of Pat’s original, unforgettable one-liners.

The Hot Shot Heard ’Round the World is the singular story of an extraordinary life deeply entrenched in the entertainment industry, hit recordings, disco nights and delights, hot jazz, and the humbling experiences of achieving fortune and fame coupled with losses and gains.

You can imagine how often Janet Cantor Gari heard that her mother was inadvertently as funny as her father, the legendary Eddie Cantor, and that she ought to write a book. Whether Janet is describing situations in her native New York or the nine years she lived in Hollywood, the book is completely candid. You'll casually meet celebrities under circumstances you'd never expect, and you'll empathize with the Cantor clan's triumphs and tragedies as if you were a next-door neighbor!

A massive biography of Zorro and Lost in Space star, Guy Williams. Author Antoinette Girgenti Lane's honest, loving account of Disney's dashing TV star contains the first ever detailed information on the man behind the legend.

The true life story of Michael Elihu Colby and his childhood days at Manhattan's Algonquin Hotel. His grandparents Mary and Ben B. Bodne had traded their Southern oil fortune for the legendary but faded Algonquin and restored the hotel's former glory. Their efforts led to a remarkable renaissance and attracted an overflow of celebrities from the ridiculous to the sublime.

The official biography of the Oscar-winning star of Cocoon, and the great radio actor, Don Ameche. Written with the aid of the Ameche family, this first book features many interviews with family and friends.

Fess Parker grew up in Texas, served in World War II, and later became TV's incredibly popular Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone. After his film and TV career, Parker became a successful businessman, hotel builder, and vintner. William R. Chemerka's authorized biography is a respectful tribute to an amazing man that features thoughtful recollections from Parker's family, friends, co-stars, and fans.

How do the most glamorous people in Hollywood behave when they're not in Hollywood? They run the gamut, and Nat Segaloff followed them for 25 years. He started in the staid and stuffy - but also politically tinged and rapidly evolving - city of Boston, then picked up the trail in Los Angeles. In Screen Saver: Private Stories of Public Hollywood, he writes about the celebrities he worked with when they thought they were out of the public eye. These are the scoops about the bad, the beautiful, the boring, and the blessed.

His voice can be heard in countless classic animated cartoons, still seen on TV daily around the world. He was Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, Baba Looey, Super Snooper, Blabbermouse, Snagglepuss, Augie Doggy, Mr. Jinks, Wally Gator, Elroy Jetson, Cap'n Crunch, and hundreds of others. Yet you have probably never heard of him. Daws Butler, Characters Actor brings you up close and personal into the life of the man who many consider to be the greatest voice actor of the 20th century.