Twentieth Century Fox: A Century of Entertainment [*SIGNED*]

Guilford CT: Lyons Press. Fine in Fine dj. (c.2017). First Edition. Hardcover. [nice as-new copy, with no discernible blemishes to either book or jacket]. (B&W and color photographs, facsimiles) INSCRIBED and SIGNED by co-author Thompson on the ffep. Along the lines of an earlier Troyan/Sylvester collaboration on the history of M-G-M, this weighty tome presents the history of the eponymous studio as a sort of expanded-to-the-max tour of the its physical facilities -- lot by lot, building by building, street by street. The corporate and production history included is serviceable enough, but the main attraction is the wealth of visual and (truncated) descriptive data offered up about the physical plant -- or I should say plants, since before the West L.A. studio (which still exists today) was established, the Fox Film Corporation's first West Coast presence was at a now long-gone studio at the corner of Western and Sunset Boulevards in Hollywood, which is also well covered. The book is a terrific browse, and vividly makes the point (as did the M-G-M volume) that the old Hollywood studios -- the "majors," at least -- were virtually self-contained cities. The book, drawing on the studio's own archives, presents hundreds of then-and-now photos of the structures on the lot, the standing sets, interiors of departments, maps, etc. -- and while there are plenty of "in production" shots, there are very few "movie stills" as such, as the authors are determined to keep the focus on the physical facilities more than on the movies that were made there. Appendixes include: extensive lists of which individual films were shot in which stages or on which sets or streets, for both studio locations; a chronological "studio filmography," with titles and release years only (about 45 pages of filler, frankly, and of little practical use); and a full name and film title index to the text. A book like this (in my opinion) is much more interesting than those coffee-table studio histories ("The MGM Story," "The Paramount Story," etc.); I wish there was one for every studio. **** NOTE that additional shipping charges will be requested for international shipping of this heavy book, or for Priority Mail shipping to U.S. destinations. If this concerns you, please contact us for a shipping quote before placing your order. **** Signed by One Author . (Inventory #: 25547)