The Star MachineFrom one of our most distinguished film scholars, comes a rich, penetrating, amusing book about the golden age of movies and how the studios worked to manufacture stars. With revelatory insights and delightful asides, Jeanine Basinger shows us how the studio “star machine” worked when it worked, how it failed when it didn't, and how irrelevant it could sometimes be. She gives us case studies focusing on big stars groomed into the system: the “awesomely beautiful” (and disillusioned) Tyrone Power; the seductive, disobedient Lana Turner; and a dazzling cast of others. She anatomizes their careers, showing how their fame happened, and what happened to them as a result. Deeply engrossing, full of energy, wit, and wisdom, The Star Machine is destined to become an classic of the film canon. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - Tafadhali - LibraryThingWhat a fascinating and informative book! After the excellent job the first chapter did at laying out the big picture of the workings of the "star machine" in Hollywood of the '30s and '40s, I felt ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - npl - LibraryThingAn interesting look into movie studies during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. By focusing on various stars' careers, Basinger notes how the "star machine" worked, its successes, and its failures. She ... Read full review
Contents
The Star Machine Process | 20 |
Tyrone Power | 142 |
Lana Turner and Errol Flynn | 181 |
Loretta Young Irene Dunne Norma Shearer 32 | 321 |
Oddities and Character Actors 421 | 441 |
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Common terms and phrases
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