Encompassing some of Hollywood's most colorful personalities, this volume is a classic tribute to the low-budget films of the Golden Years, 1929 to 1946 complete with a complete history of the films and production stills.
First. let's say that Miller certainly knew what he was talking about and that the book is a great source of information. There's not many who would want to study this area in such detail as Miller. Miller will certainly identify a number of worthwhile "minor" films that you will enjoy. That said, one wishes he did not stop at 1945 as B movies continued to flourish for many years after that. So what you get here is avery thorough review of pre 1945 B movies and nothing after that.
A really full 361 pages! A perfect reference
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
This is the ONLY book you will ever need if you like to read about B-Pictures. Don Miller certainly knew alot about this genre of film. I have read this book easily 10 times from cover to cover and it never strays far from my desk. He covers not only the Bs released by the major studios, but also tells about the smaller companies efforts to compete with the "Majors". The interesting thing that I found with this book is that you are more likely to recognize the titles and stars of the B-movies, as you would the A-movies he mentions. The B-pictures, in most instances, were the saviors of the studios, in years where the A-product just wasn't working. Miller recognizes this and seems to delight in telling about "Bs" that did better in the box office than the "As". The forward to the book is written by Miller's friend, Leonard Maltin, who seems to be awestruck by Miller's indepth knowledge on the subject. This is truely one of the best books I have ever owned....and it is out of print too....sorry, I wouldn't sell my copy if ya paid me!...;)
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