MGM British Studios: Hollywood in Borehamwood


Book Description

MGM British Studios: Hollywood in Borehamwood tells the story behind England's biggest film studio. Based in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, between 1948-1970, it played host to some of the biggest names in Hollywood's history, and over 150 classic movies from the golden age of cinema were produced on its sound stages. From Under Capricorn (1949) directed by Alfred Hitchcock; to Mogambo (1953) Starring Clark Gable, Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly; from Where Eagles Dare (1968) starring Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood; to 2001 (1968) directed by Stanley Kubrick; this book tells the story of their making, from behind the scenes. Featuring many never before seen photographs, and hundreds of memories from those who worked at MGM British, both in-front of, and behind the camera, this is a nostalgic trip through an important era in British film studio history. Derek Pykett spent many years of his life as a professional actor, working in theatre, television and films, and making his first movie appearance in what is now regarded as a classic, The Princess Bride (1986) directed by Rob Reiner. In 2001 he founded his own theatre company, Theatre Macabre, specialising in horror and fantasy. Shows produced include Dracula, Jack the Ripper and Witchfinder General. More recent years have seen him produce and direct documentaries for DVD, including AMICUS: House of Horrors (Alpha Home Entertainment, USA). Previously published work as an author includes, Michael Ripper Unmasked (Midnight Marquee, USA) and British Horror Film Locations (McFarland, USA). Derek and his partner Ruth live in England, and they have three dogs - Lucy, Willow and Woolly.




MGM British Studios: Hollywood in Borehamwood (Hardback)


Book Description

This is the HARDBACK edition. MGM British Studios: Hollywood in Borehamwood tells the story behind England's biggest film studio. Based in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, between 1948-1970, it played host to some of the biggest names in Hollywood's history, and over 150 classic movies from the golden age of cinema were produced on its sound stages. From Under Capricorn (1949) directed by Alfred Hitchcock; to Mogambo (1953) Starring Clark Gable, Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly; from Where Eagles Dare (1968) starring Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood; to 2001 (1968) directed by Stanley Kubrick; this book tells the story of their making, from behind the scenes. Featuring many never before seen photographs, and hundreds of memories from those who worked at MGM British, both in-front of, and behind the camera, this is a nostalgic trip through an important era in British film studio history. Derek Pykett spent many years of his life as a professional actor, working in theatre, television and films, and making his first movie appearance in what is now regarded as a classic, The Princess Bride (1986) directed by Rob Reiner. In 2001 he founded his own theatre company, Theatre Macabre, specialising in horror and fantasy. Shows produced include Dracula, Jack the Ripper and Witchfinder General. More recent years have seen him produce and direct documentaries for DVD, including AMICUS: House of Horrors (Alpha Home Entertainment, USA). Previously published work as an author includes, Michael Ripper Unmasked (Midnight Marquee, USA) and British Horror Film Locations (McFarland, USA). Derek and his partner Ruth live in England, and they have three dogs - Lucy, Willow and Woolly.




Runaway Hollywood


Book Description

After World War II, as cultural and industry changes were reshaping Hollywood, movie studios shifted some production activities overseas, capitalizing on frozen foreign earnings, cheap labor, and appealing locations. Hollywood unions called the phenomenon “runaway” production to underscore the outsourcing of employment opportunities. Examining this period of transition from the late 1940s to the early 1960s, Runaway Hollywood shows how film companies exported production around the world and the effect this conversion had on industry practices and visual style. In this fascinating account, Daniel Steinhart uses an array of historical materials to trace the industry’s creation of a more international production operation that merged filmmaking practices from Hollywood and abroad to produce movies with a greater global scope.




MGM


Book Description

M-G-M: Hollywood’s Greatest Backlot is the illustrated history of the soundstages and outdoor sets where Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced many of the world’s most famous films. During its Golden Age, the studio employed the likes of Garbo, Astaire, and Gable, and produced innumerable iconic pieces of cinema such as The Wizard of Oz, Singin’ in the Rain, and Ben-Hur. It is estimated that a fifth of all films made in the United States prior to the 1970s were shot at MGM studios, meaning that the gigantic property was responsible for hundreds of iconic sets and stages, often utilizing and transforming minimal spaces and previously used props, to create some of the most recognizable and identifiable landscapes of modern movie culture. All of this happened behind closed doors, the backlot shut off from the public in a veil of secrecy and movie magic. M-G-M: Hollywood’s Greatest Backlot highlights this fascinating film treasure by recounting the history, popularity, and success of the MGM company through a tour of its physical property. Featuring the candid, exclusive voices and photographs from the people who worked there, and including hundreds of rare and unpublished photographs (including many from the archives of Warner Bros.), readers are launched aboard a fun and entertaining virtual tour of Hollywood’s most famous and mysterious motion picture studio.




Disney's British Gentleman


Book Description

'A wonderful account of a life filled with far more ups and downs than its subject's languid demeanour ever suggested.' Miles Jupp. Even if the name doesn't ring a bell, you'd recognise David Tomlinson's face – genial and continually perplexed, he was Mr Banks in Mary Poppins, Professor Browne in Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Peter Thorndyke in The Love Bug. To many, he's the epitome of post-war British comedy. But at times his life was more tragedy than comedy. A distinguished RAF pilot in the Second World War, his first marriage was to end in horrific tragedy and his next romance ended with his lover marrying the founder of the American Nazi Party. He did find love and security in his second marriage, but drama still played its part in his life – from the uncovering of an earthshattering family secret to the fight for an autism diagnosis for his son, up against the titans of the British medical establishment. Tomlinson may have died over twenty years ago, but his star continues to shine. In Disney's British Gentleman, Nathan Morley reveals the remarkable story of one of Disney's most beloved icons for the very first time.




The MGM Effect


Book Description

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s emblem, which has opened thousands of movies since 1924, is the most recognized corporate symbol in the world. Not just in the entertainment industry, it should be noted, but of any industry, anywhere, in the history of human civilization. But MGM has been a competitively insignificant force in the motion picture industry for nearly as long as it once, decades ago, dominated that industry. In fact, the MGM lion now presides not over movies alone, but over thirty world-class resorts, and is, or has been, also a recognized leader in the fields of real estate, theme parks, casinos, golf courses, consumer products, and even airlines, all around the world. But the MGM mystique remains. This book is a look at what made MGM the Mount Rushmore of studios, how it presented itself to the world, and how it influenced everything from set design to merchandising to music and dance, and continues to do so today.




Elstree Studios


Book Description

Published in association with Elstree Studios, Elstree: A Celebration is a tribute to over a century of world-class film and TV, and provides an intriguing insight into the past glories and hurdles of Elstree Studios and looks forward to an exciting future.




British Film Studios


Book Description

The first 100 years of British film studies, covering over 90 studios.




MGM


Book Description

The winner of the 2019 Peter C. Rollins Book Award This is the first comprehensive history of MGM from its origins in 1905 to the present. Following a straightforward chronology corresponding to specific periods of film industry history, each chapter describes how successive managements adjusted their production strategies and business practices in response to evolving industrial and market conditions. As the production subsidiary of the Loew’s Inc. theatre chain, MGM spent lavishly on its pictures and injected them with plenty of star power. The practice helped sustain MGM’s preeminent position during the heyday of Hollywood. But MGM was a conservative company and watched as other studios innovated with sound and widescreen, adjusted to television, and welcomed independent producers. By the 1960s, the company, sans its theatre chain, was in decline and was ripe for a takeover. A defining moment occurred in 1969, when Kirk Kerkorian, a Las Vegas entrepreneur, made a successful bid for the company. There followed a tumultuous thirty-six-year period when Kerkorian bought and sold MGM three times. Meanwhile, MGM never regained its former status and has functioned as a second-tier company to this day. Focusing on MGM’s top talent – such as Louis B. Mayer, Irving Thalberg, David O. Selznick, and Arthur Freed; directors King Vidor and Vincente Minnelli; and stars of the screen Greta Garbo, Judy Garland, Clark Gable, and Mickey Rooney – and award-winning films, this book highlights the studio’s artistic achievements and status within the industry.