Screenwriter Jesse L. Lasky, Jr. tells his Hollywood tales as an insider, with stories and insights sparkling with poetry, humor and the heat of first-hand observation. The son of the man who produced Hollywoodâs first feature film, Jesseâs book is the history of the film industry, the birth of an art form and a compelling personal memoir. There are revealing portraits of Lasky, Sr. and his partners Samuel Goldwyn and Cecil B. De Mille (for whom Jesse wrote 8 films, including The Ten Commandments)âand friends and colleagues such as Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Alfred Hitchcock, Harry Cohn, Darryl Zanuck, Nick Ray and Sam Fuller. From dating Jean Harlow to writing for Gary Cooper, Edward G. Robinson and Yul Brynner, here are the artists and the conmen, the breathtaking creativity and the destructive treachery, described by a man who knew everyone and saw everything.
New edition, music by narrator Richard Niles (richardniles.com) Š2021 Niles Smiles Music (BMI)
âJesse Lasky, the son of one of filmlandâs great founders, has written a bitter-sweet memoir of his life as a Hollywood screenwriter. It evaporates the mist of fantasy surrounding the Hollywood dream factory to reveal the realities that built the fairy-tale image.ââJoan Crawford
âIt is certainly many notches above most of the other books on âHollywoodâ.ââDouglas Fairbanks, Jr.
â⌠a nostalgic, romantic and frequently hilarious account⌠impressive!ââVariety
â⌠a good, honest, readable, funny book. I loved it!â âLarry Adler, New Society
ââŚone of the best books about the growth and decline of Hollywood⌠written with insight, wit and an unusual lack of vanity.ââFilms In Review
âHollywood at its bestâand worst⌠something special, an insiderâs view, robustly witty, enlightening and full of charm, The next best thing to having been there!â âCosmopolitan
âLaskyâs portraits of the greats with whom he has worked are razor sharp⌠his style is captivating.â âFilms Illustrated