Mar 12, 2014

My Movie Book Library: Bedside Books

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've got a bookcase full of movie books, but they're also stashed in places all over my house. In at least one case, this is by design. The Razzie awards a couple of weeks ago reminded me of an important pile of books on my bedside table:


I've had lots of different titles take up long-term residence in this spot. Mary Pickford: Queen of the Movies lasted a while, but have you seen the size of that one? It is not a lying down book. When it comes to bedside books, content isn't the only thing to consider.

These three have had a long run because I'm crazy about pre-codes and so-called bad movies (I struggle with that last description, because if I'm entertained, how can a movie be bad?) The Thomas Doherty pre-code book should be there too, but it is temporarily living on the side table in the living room, can't remember why.

John Dileo's One Hundred Great Film Performances You Should Remember, But Probably Don't and LaSalle's other pre-code book Dangerous Men should be there too, but I'm pretty sure my little ones have taken off with them again. My books get stolen for doll fort construction all the time. I'm actually lucky the booklight is sitting up there because that disappears all the time too (apparently dolls like to read at night too).

These are the books I read all the time. I could probably recite passages from them.

One of the advantages of having the rather generic Twitter handle @classicmovieblg is that I get a lot of followers through search. I wondered if that was how Stephen Rebello, co-author of Bad Movies We Love (RIP co-author Edward Margulies) and Mick LaSalle, author of Complicated Women and Dangerous Men came to follow me. Of course I geeked out on both of them right away.

My tweet to LaSalle and his response:


My tweet to Rebello and his response:


Well, they were both gracious. I can imagine how they feel, working so diligently to put out amazing new work, and my perspective of them appears to be stuck several years in the past.

I did end up reviewing the latest LaSalle book, and the French actresses he interviewed really did remind me of pre-code stars. I'll be reading everything Rebello I can get my hands on too. Still, I hope these two know what they have accomplished with the books that drew me to them. If you create something so treasured it begins to fall apart in its owner's hands, you've done something huge--it transcends all that research, writing and marketing.

This is why I love reading so much. Books are a big business, but in the end they are all about that personal connection, made one reader at a time.







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