It Takes More Than Talent [*SIGNED*]

New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Very Good+ in Good dj. 1953. First Edition. Hardcover. [good solid copy, light dust-soiling and age-toning to edges of text block; jacket spine is discolored and lightly-spotted (title now barely readable), lightly dampstained across top of spine, with miscellaneous edgewear and sun-browning, very shallow chipping at top of front panel]. INSCRIBED and SIGNED by the author on the ffep: "For Bill / Who knows that 'it / takes more than talent' / because he has plenty of / it. / Thanks for everything / Mervyn / 1953." Not an autobiography, although the veteran producer-director does draw on his own experiences (and tells "the intimate stories behind the stars") in the course of informing the reader how movies are made, "from the choice of the story to the last bit of costuming, cutting, or exploitation," and advising them on "how to go about getting a job [in Hollywood] -- how to walk through studio gates, be interviewed by the right person, and go to work ... tell[ing] you exactly what job openings there are, what the union situation is, what salary you may expect, what hours you work, and what raises and advancements you may hope for." Introduction by Louis B. Mayer. The inscribee of this copy was M-G-M makeup wizard William Tuttle -- so the "everything" LeRoy was thanking him for would have included his work on such LeRoy-produced and/or directed classics as THE WIZARD OF OZ, RANDOM HARVEST and QUO VADIS. Signed by Author . (Inventory #: 25513)