Letters from Hollywood: Inside the Private World of Classic American Moviemaking

For any film historian or movie buff, LETTERS FROM HOLLYWOOD: INSIDE THE PRIVATE WORLD OF CLASSIC AMERICAN MOVIEMAKING by film producer-director, author Rocky Lang and former Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences archivist Barbara Hall, is a glorious treasure trove of cinema history.The book is a wealth of correspondence of those who made and participated in the history of Hollywood, beginning with a letter from Harry Houdini regarding his first “super special” THE MAN FROM BEYOND to Adolph Zukor from 1921, up to Jane Fonda’s sensitive letter to director Fred Zinnemann over her feelings about appearing as Lillian Hellman in JULIA. In between are 329 oversize pages of equally fascinating reading, with actual correspondence pictured accompanied by numerous photographs and annotations.Amongst the many letters are those from Cecil B. De Mille, Jean Harlow’s mother to “The Baby’s” agent Arthur Landau, a long personal letter from Tyrone Power (in the service during WW2) to his studio boss Darryl F. Zanuck, a telegram from Greta Garbo to Marion Davies, tomes from Gloria Swanson, Hattie McDaniel, Irving Berlin, Bela Lugosi, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, and on and on up to the mid-1970s. All beautifully reproduced, and brilliantly compiled.What can I say…the large format, “coffee-table” sized LETTERS FROM HOLLYWOOD: INSIDE THE PRIVATE WORLD OF CLASSIC AMERICAN MOVIEMAKING is a MUST HAVE book for anyone serious about the history of Hollywood.

I’ve worked in Hollywood for over 50 years and lived here my whole life.I couldn’t put it down. As many stories as I have, these were incredible. I discovered so much about so many Hollywood greats, personal things and professional.I loved that it showed beneath everything, they are human beings.Thank you all for your hard work.

Rocky Lang and Barbara Hall have assembled an endlessly fascinating collection of letters to and from Hollywood insiders--from the silent era right up to Tom Hanks. Each letter is a delight to be savored. (I've restrained myself and have been reading just one or two per day.)I was pleasantly surprised that Lang and Hall provide a written context for each and every letter. And many letters are accompanied by rare photographs of the letter's author and/or its recipient. So, even if you're not enough of a film nerd to know who, say, producer Carl Laemmle was, you can still get a lot of pleasure and amusement from each selection. Plus, the intros to the letters are informed by Hall's deep knowledge of film history, stemming in part from the many years she was an archivist for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.LETTERS FROM HOLLYWOOD will delight film fans and anyone who enjoys a candid look into the lives of movie stars. Plus, it's painlessly educational!

I bought this book in hard copy, so I can't address problems people are having with the electronic version. As a hard copy book, it is a beautifully designed text that brings back the eras in which the letters were written. Actual photographs of the original letter documents are reproduced (and also transcribed if they were hand-written)--the reader gets a real feel for the way the letter writers were communicating, not just what they were saying and why. We see their stationery, hand-writing, or type-written notes as they sent them. The written captions and contexts are impeccably researched and provide background stories for the relationships between the letter-writers and recipients. Whether you are a fan of stars Bette Davis, Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, Charlton Heston, or directors Preston Sturges, William Wyler, and John Huston, writers Dashiell Hammet, Lilian Hellman, or Clifford Odets, there is something to inform and delight every reader who loves the movies. Highly recommended!

Imagine being granted a key that unlocks a treasure trove of motivations and emotions attributable to some of Hollywood's greatest stars. That key is now yours, in the form of a gorgeous and meticulously researched book from Rocky Lang and Barbara Hall. The beauty of these letters is that they give us a private context in which to view the well-trodden bullet points of film history. For instance, we know that Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper could be a ruthless arbiter of taste, just as we know that "Citizen Kane" is one of the most lauded motion pictures of all time. Now, thanks to the dishy letter from Ms. Hopper published in this book, we know she deemed the film "foul" and unfit for release. This is only one example of the gold to be mined in "Letters From Hollywood." Get it. It's a great ride from start to finish.

A wonderful evocation of the entertainment industry in all its passion and wit, wisdom and care. The layout is tasteful and compelling. The stories behind the various letters are superbly told. From the letters, we see first-hand how Hollywood history is the result of many hearts and minds beating loudly, connecting with one another in all sorts of ways. Anyone intrigued by this world should not just look at this book, but read it closely. Barbara Hall and Rocky Lang have created a masterpiece.

Besides this book giving the reader a glimpse into what goes on the behind-the-scenes in making a movie, it allowed the reader to see a little of what the personalities were like and, I'm happy to say, most came out sounding intelligent and very likable. A great book for anyone interested in the golden age of movie production.

Fascinating slice of Hollywood history. To be able to read the private letters of the stars, to studio heads and colleagues, many in their own handwriting, others typed on hotel or studio stationary is great reading for movie buffs.

This is a timeless, beautiful book, curated like a museum publication - crammed with utterly fascinating letters to and from Hollywood luminaries -- filled with all the angst, passion, wit, irony, and hubris one might expect. Irving Thalberg's letter firing Erich von Stroheim, Jane Fonda arguing why she must meet Lillian Hellman before playing her, Roscoe Arbuckle proclaiming his innocence -- but my all-time favorite is Tom Hanks's letter, handwritten at age seventeen to George Roy Hill on how he should become a star, despite not looking great and being unable to grow a mustache. The original letters are reproduced on the page, and it feels like you've wandered into the ghostly office of some magical Hollywood meta-executive and opened all the secret drawers. As a full disclaimer, I knew the author, Rocky Lang back in the'70s when I did story development for his father, Jennings Lang. His remarkable book is a labor of love... and belongs on every Hollywood history buff's shelf.

The best coffee table book of the year, I could read interesting letters until the cows come home, the news of the day is just boring compared to this. If they published everything ever written by and to Hollywood, one would understand life, the universe and everything in it. I really hope the writers of this wonderful, extraordinary book do a sequel, this kind of stuff is endlessly fascinating. Now show business is a shadow of its former self. And the book is beautifully presented too, in the old days, this book would have sold for at least £80.. a great gift for any lover of old Hollywood..

I brought this as a gift.It is a must for any Hollywood fan.

This book is superb if you are a Hollywood fan this book is for you. So many letters from Hollywood stars to directors producers and to other stars. You will not be bored the letter from Bette Davis to Jack L Warner is superb she had some guts that woman. Buy it you wont be disapointted i promise.

This is a beautifully produced book which is fascinating for anyone interested in the process of film making. A great gift for cineastes.