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Hollywood Film Festival
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back on page 1:
essay links selected films, A to Z A thru F back on page 2:
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Selected Films, A to Z
A thru F {on page 1} G thru L {page 2} M thru R {page 2} S thru Z {just below}
 | Set in 1994, a Los Angeles talent manager works diligently to represent a group of eccentric clients on the fringes of show business; his single-minded devotion is put to the test when he falls in love with his newest client, a tremendously-talented singer who he discovers at an amusement park Directed by Steven Brill; starring Adam Sandler, Jennifer Hudson, Kevin James, Terry Crews, Lamorne Morris, Nick Swardson, Rob Schneider, Jane Seymour, Carl Weathers, Arsenio Hall
DVD/Blu-ray not yet available full credits at IMDb official movie site movie entry at Wikipedia watch 2/2017 official trailer [1:56] at YouTube |
"Screen Snapshots" short subjects [1920-57]
Several series of short subjects entitled 'Screen Snapshots' ran in theaters over the years, from 1920 to 1957; as-of April 2013, the search on IMDb
displays just over 200 titles, in random order, which is probably less than half the shorts that were produced title search on IMDb
"Seduced and Abandoned" [H.B.O. Oct 2013]
James Toback and Alec Baldwin decided to seek financing for a film concept at the Cannes Festival in May 2012, and also to document that search
full credits at IMDb
HBO movie site
movie entry at Wikipedia
Krazy Kat in "Seeing Stars" animated short [1932]
Produced by Charles Mintz; written & co-directed by Ben Harrison; co-directed by Manny Gould; based on the comic strip by Ben Harrison
four Marx Brothers for 20 seconds at about 3:30, Harpo again at 5:30, Groucho at 6:45
credits at IMDb
watch full cartoon [1/2011 low-sound upload; 7:18] online at YouTube
"Shadow Magic" [Sony Pictures Classics April 2001]
 | Enchanting dramatic film about the making of 'The Battle of Dingjunshan' [1905, the now-lost first Chinese-made silent film Co-produced, co-written & directed by Ann Hu; starring Jared Harris, Yu Xia, Yufei Xing, Peiqi Liu, Liping Lό, Jingming Wang, Yusheng Li, Yukui Zhang, Chuang Cheng, Zhongwei Zheng, Qi Mu, Qingzhuo Fang, Bin Li
Sony Pictures Home Ent. widescreen color DVD [2002] out of prodn/used Sony Pictures Home Ent. widescreen color DVD [2002] out of prodn/used Sony Pictures Home Ent. widescreen color DVD [2002] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb watch official trailer [11/2013 upload; 2:01] online at YouTube |
"Show People" [Cosmopolitan/M.G.M. Nov 1928] /tt0019379/
'backstage-in-Hollywood' saga directed by King Vidor, starring Marion Davies & William Haines
"Shrink" [indep July 2009]
 | "The doctor is out!" Unable to cope with personal problems, L.A.'s top celebrity psychiatrist seeks solace in drugs, then is assigned a pro bono case of a troubled teenage girl living far from the Hollywood Hills. Co-produced by & starring Kevin Spacey; directed by Jonas Pate; written by Thomas Moffett; also starring Mark Webber, Saffron Burrows, Jack Huston, Keke Palmer, Dallas Roberts, Robert Loggia, Pell James & Laura Ramsey DVD/Blu-ray not yet available full credits from IMDb official movie site |
"Silent Movie" [1976]
full credits from IMDb |
"Silver Bullets" [2011] /tt1865503/
low-budget horror film about the making of a low-budget horror film; directed by Joe Swanberg
"Singin' In The Rain" []
full credits from IMDb
"So You Want To Be In Pictures" [Warner Bros. / Vitaphone June 1947]
11-minute comedy short written & directed by Richard L. Bare; narrated by Art Gilmore; starring
George O'Hanlon as Joe McDoakes; cameos by Wayne Morris, Janis Paige, 'Ronnie' Reagan,
Alexis Smith & Martha Vickers; Oscar nom for Best Short Subject
full credits at IMDb
Flip the Frog in "Soda Squirt" animated short
[M.G.M. Cartoon Studio Oct 1933]
 | Flip the Frog runs a drugstore soda counter and on opening night some very famous people stop in - Laurel & Hardy, Buster Keaton, Jimmy Durante, the Marx Brothers, Mae West, Joe E. Louis - and an unidentified pansy who turns into a monster; this was Flip's last cartoon. Co-produced by P.A. 'Pat' Powers; co-produced & directed by Ub Iwerks credits at IMDb watch full cartoon [9/2014 upload; 6:58] online at YouTube |
"Souls For Sale" [1923] /tt0014497/ on Warner Archive DVD
"Stand-In" [United Artists Oct 1937]
 | An accountant is charged with finding out why a Hollywood movie studio is losing money; he discovers a world that doesn't fit his number-crunching mindset, a former child actress falls in love with him, and they discover a conspiracy to sabotage the studio so that it can be bought cheaply. Produced by Walter Wanger; directed by Tay Garnett; adapted by Gene Towne & C. Graham Baker, based on a novel by Clarence Budington Kelland; starring Leslie Howard, Joan Blondell, Humphrey Bogart, Alan Mowbray, Marla Shelton, C. Henry Gordon, Jack Carson, Tully Marshall, J.C. Nugent, William V. Mong, Art Baker & Jinx Falkenburg
Image Ent. b&w DVD [1/2003] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb movie entry at Wikipedia no details on the novel found, nor was it a magazine serial (2013) |
"The Star" [1952]
full credits from IMDb
"Star Spangled Rhythm" [Dec 1943]
Stars Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Fred MacMurray, Franchot Tone, Ray Milland
"State & Main" satire [Dec 2000] wr/dir David Mamet
"The Stolen Jools" [Paramount April 1931]
| A short comedy film produced by the Masquers Club of Hollywood to raise funds for the National Variety Artists Tuberculosis Sanitarium, shown in movie theaters across America. It features many cameo appearances by the film stars of the day, from multiple studios. The film was thought to be lost, until a print turned up in the U.K. in the 1990s under the alternate title "The Slippery Pearls"; a print under that title was found in the U.S. also. The simple plot has police trying to solve the theft of Norma Shearer's pearls during the 'Screen Stars Annual Ball'. Directed by William C. McGann; starring Norma Shearer; cameos include Warner Baxter, Wallace Beery, Joe E. Brown, Maurice Chevalier, Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Richard Dix, Irene Dunne, Eddie Kane, Buster Keaton, Laurel & Hardy, Bert Lytell, Victor McLaglen, Jack Oakie, the 'Our Gang' kids, Eugene Pallette, Edward G. Robinson, Barbara Stanwyck, Wheeler & Woolsey, and Fay Wray full credits from IMDb movie entry at Wikipedia watch full movie [3/2015 upload; 57:49] online at YouTube |
"The Studio Murder Mystery" /tt0021424/
two-reel short #5 [W.B./Vitaphone Feb 1932] based on characters created by S.S. Van Dine
starring Donald Meek as Doctor Crabtree & John Hamilton as N.Y.P.D. Inspector Carr
"The Stunt Man" [1980]
full credits from IMDb
"Sullivan's Travels" [Paramount Dec 1941]
 | A successful director of lightweight popular films decides that he wants to make a serious movie about people affected by The Great Depression. When his producers counter that he knows nothing about such lives, the director goes on the road as a hobo.
Co-produced, written & directed by Preston Sturges [1898-1959]; starring Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Robert Warwick, William Demarest, Franklin Pangborn, Porter Hall, Byron Foulger, Margaret Hayes, Robert Greig, Roscoe Ates & Eric Blore; listed on National Film Registry (1990)
Criterion b&w DVD [8/2001] for $35.99 Universal b&w VHS [3/92] out of prodn/many used full credits from IMDb |
"Sunset" [TriStar April 1988]
 | While working on a movie as technical advisor, real-life lawman Wyatt Earp teams with cowboy star Tom Mix to solve a murder at the Academy Awards ceremony in Beverly Hills. Co-written & directed by Blake Edwards, from a story by Rod Amateau; starring Bruce Willis, James Garner, Malcolm McDowell, Mariel Hemingway, Kathleen Quinlan, Jennifer Edwards, Patricia Hodge, Richard Bradford, M. Emmet Walsh, Joe Dallesandro, Andreas Katsulas, Dann Florek, Bill Marcus, Michael C. Gwynne & Dermot Mulroney Sony widescreen color DVD [8/98] for $12.49 Sony color VHS [6/97] out of prodn/many used full credits from IMDb |
Magic Lantern's
"Sunset Blvd." 1950 Movie Page
"Susan Slept Here" [1954]
Comedy set in Hollywood at Christmastime, narrated by an Oscar® statuette; directed by Frank Tashlin;
starring Dick Powell, Anne Francis & Debbie Reynolds
full credits from IMDb
http://www.amazon.com/Susan-Slept-Here-Remaster-Francis/dp/B004CLYJEG/
http://www.amazon.com/Susan-Slept-Here-Remastered-Powell/dp/B004CTMHTW/
"Tales From The Hollywood Hills"
TV mini-series [P.B.S./Channel 4 1987-88]
"Natica Jackson" [Nov 1987]
Directed by Paul Bogart; teleplay by Andy Wolk, based on a story by John O'Hara; starring Michelle
Pfeiffer, Hector Elizondo, George Murdock & Brian Kerwin; won W.G.A. Award full credits at IMDb
"Pat Hobby Teamed With Genius" [1987]
Written & directed by Rob Thompson, based on stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald [1896-1940]; starring
Christopher Lloyd, Colin Firth, Joseph Campanella & Kevin Bash
full credits at IMDb
"A Table at Ciro's" [1987]
Directed by Leon Ichaso; co-written by Budd Schulberg & Stanley H. Silverman; starring Darren McGavin, Lois
Chiles, Kenneth McMillan, Stella Stevens, Steven Bauer, Sherilyn Fenn & Ann Magnuson full credits at IMDb
"The Old Reliable" [1988]
Directed by Michael Blakemore; adapted by Mark Eden from a novel by P.G. Wodehouse;
starring Rosemary Harris, Lori Loughlin, Joseph Maher & Lynn Redgrave
full credits at IMDb
"The Closed Set" [Nov 1988]
Directed by Mollie Miller; teleplay by Ellen M. Violett, based on a 1959 Gavin Lambert short story;
starring Rita Moreno, D.W. Moffett, Harold Gould & Penelope Ann Miller full credits at IMDb
"Golden Land" [1988]
teleplay by William Hanley, based on the 1935 short story by William Faulkner [1897-1962] full credits at IMDb
"Their Finest" [B.B.C. Films/LionsGate/S.T.X. March 2017]
 | With England's males away fighting World War II, it is up to women and the exempt and the elderly to make a go of it, London Blitz [Sept 1940 to May 1941] notwithstanding. A shy young girl is assigned to feminize dialogue of a propaganda film and is seconded to co-write a feature film about Dunkirk; location filming in Pembrokeshire, Wales, U.K.
Directed by [Ms] Lone Scherfig; screenplay by Gaby Chiappe, based on the novel by Lissa Evans; starring Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin, Bill Nighy, Jack Huston, Paul Ritter, Rachael Stirling, Richard E. Grant, Henry Goodman, Jake Lacy, Jeremy Irons, Helen McCrory, Hubert Burton, Claudia Jessie, Eddie Marsan, Stephanie Hyam, Michael Marcus, Gordon Brown, Patrick Gibson, Lily Knight, Francesca Knight, Clive Russell, Julia Lewis, Jay Simpson, Richard Syms, Darren Clarke, Cathy Murphy, Emma Cunniffe, Nicholas Murchie, Amanda Root, Ed Birch
DVD/Blu-ray not yet available full credits at IMDb movie entry at Wikipedia watch 1/2017 official trailer [2:32] at YouTube |
 | based on the book "Their Finest Hour and A Half" [2009] by Lissa Evans
Kindle Edition from HarperPerennial [2/2017] for $10.99 HarperPerennial 8x5¼ movie tie-in pb [2/2017] for $15.99 Doubleday 8¾x5¾ hardcover [8/2009] out of print/used |
"365 Nights In Hollywood" [1934] /tt0024808/
"Thrill Hunter" [April 1933] starring Buck Jones
"Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie"
[Magnolia Pictures 2012? release] /tt1855401/
Co-written by & starring Tim Heidecker & Eric Wareheim; co-starring Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Will Forte,
Jeff Goldblum, John C. Reilly, Robert Loggia & William Atherton; the plot will follow Tim & Eric as
they 'biff a big Hollywood movie deal' and become businessmen in a semi-abandoned shopping mall.
"Tropic Thunder" [DreamWorks Aug 2008]
 |
"A very subtle satire [of Hollywood] wrapped in a very broad comedy." – Devin O'Leary, Weekly Alibi film critic
The hapless director of an over-budget jungle war epic decides to submit his actors to boot camp in Southeast Asia, which morphs into real combat with real rebels and real ammo.
Co-produced, co-written, directed by & starring Ben Stiller; co-written by Justin Theroux & Etan Cohen; co-starring Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Brandon T. Jackson, Jay Baruchel, Steve Coogan, Danny R. McBride, Nick Nolte & Tom Cruise
DreamWorks Video widescreen color DVD [11/2008] for $14.49 DreamWorks widescreen color Unrated Director's Cut DVD [11/2008] 2 disks for $24.49 full credits from IMDb official movie site {requires Flash} |
"Trust Me" [Unified Pictures June 2014]
 | A former child star has become a Hollywood agent for child actors, and keeps losing his clients to a poacher; but then he gets a chance to sign a teenage actress about to be signed to star in a hot TV series . . . Written & directed by and starring Clark Gregg; also starring Saxon Sharbino, Sam Rockwell, Felicity Huffman, William H. Macy, Allison Janney, Niecy Nash, Amanda Peet, Molly Shannon & Paul Sparks
DVD/Blu-ray not yet available full credits at IMDb watch official trailer [2:29] at YouTube |
"24 x 36: A Movie About Movie Posters" [indep Sept 2016]
 | 82-minute color documentary about the past, present and uncertain future of movie posters and poster artists Co-produced & directed by Kevin Burke; featuring director Joe Dante, poster artists Matthew Chojnacki, Sharm Murugiah, Mat Weller, and many others
FilmRise color Blu-ray [4/2017] for $22.99 FilmRise color DVD [4/2017] for $19.95 full credits at IMDb official movie website watch 8/2016 official trailer [1:51] online at YouTube |
"Uncle Josh At The Moving Picture Show"
[Edison Mfg. Co. Jan 1902]
2½-minute clip directed by Edwin S. Porter; starring Charles Manley
bare credits from IMDb
watch online [2:25] at Internet Archive
watch shorter version [2:01] at YouTube
"Under The Rainbow"
[Warner Bros./Orion Pictures July 1981]
 | The German Fόhrer sends a midget secret agent to Culver City, California to meet with a Japanese spy. The meeting turns out to be the same weekend that The Culver Hotel [est. 1924] receives 150 'little people' working as Munchkins on the movie "The Wizard of Oz", a busload of Japanese tourists, and a paranoid Duke and his bumbling Secret Service escort. {Reviewed as awful but hilarious.}
Directed by Steve Rash; starring Chevy Chase, Carrie Fisher, Eve Arden, Joseph Maher, Robert Donner, Billy Barty, Mako, Cork Hubbert, Pat McCormick, Adam Arkin, Richard Stahl, Freeman King, Zelda Rubinstein & Jerry Maren
Warner Home Video widescreen color DVD [undated] out of prodn/used Warner Home Video color VHS [4/92] out of prodn/used 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $14.99 full credits from IMDb movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Unmade In China" [indep April 2013]
 | American filmmaker Gil Kofman is asked to make a thriller feature film for hire in Xiamen, China; he discovers that the rules are arbitrary, the contract is worthless, his actors are replaced without his consent - making films in China is a nightmare. Co-written & co-directed by Tanner King Barklow & Gil Kofman; won Grand Jury Award at Edmonton International F/F, winner Best Documentary at Sydney Underground F/F
DVD/Blu-ray not yet available full credits at IMDb official movie site watch 4/2012 official trailer [2:33] at Vimeo |
"What Just Happened"
[2929 & Magnolia Pictures Oct 2008]
 |
A middle-aged Hollywood producer is in over his head trying to balance two ex-wives, the iron-gloved studio chief, the drug-addled director of his new film, his teenage daughter, Bruce Willis (sporting a beard), and assorted agents & screen writers – under a two-week deadline to deliver a finished print of the movie to the Cannes Festival in France.
Directed by Barry Levinson; co-produced & written by Art Linson, based on his 2002 book; co-produced by & starring Robert De Niro; also starring Catherine Keener, Robin Wright Penn, Sean Penn, Lily Rabe, Kristen Stewart, Stanley Tucci, John Turturro, Bruce Willis & Michael Wincott
Magnolia widescreen color Blu-ray [2/2009] for $15.99 Magnolia widescreen color DVD [2/2009] for $14.98 full credits from IMDb official movie site |
 | "What Just Happened?: Bitter Hollywood Tales From The Front Line" [2002] by Art Linson "...you may have missed [this book] when it came out last year. Now it's in paperback. Don't make the same mistake twice." — Susan Salter Reynolds, Los Angeles Times Book Review Grove Press 8x5½ movie tie-in pb [10/2008] for $11.20 Bloomsbury USA 8x5 pb [5/2003] out of print/used Bloomsbury USA 9½x6½ hardcover [5/2002] out of print/used |
"What Price Hollywood?" [R.K.O. Pathι June 1932]
 | A waitress at the Brown Derby restaurant befriends a seldom-sober director and is soon in the big-time; she snags a millionaire socialite but he soon tires of the Hollywood lifestyle and of playing second fiddle to a star. Filming locations included the Hollywood Brown Derby, Grauman's Chinese Theater, and Hollywood Blvd.
Exec produced by David O. Selznick; directed by George Cukor; based on a story by Adela Rogers St. Johns; music by Max Steiner; starring Constance Bennett, Lowell Sherman, Neil Hamilton, Gregory Ratoff, Brooks Benedict, Louise Beavers, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, King Baggot & Heinie Conklin; Oscar nomination for Best Original Story
Warner Archive Collection b&w DVD-R [2/2014] for $21.99 Warner Home Video b&w VHS [1/91] out of prodn/scarce full credits at IMDb movie entry at Wikipedia scrrenplay in book form [1981] Continuum Intl. 8x5½ pb [10/84] out of print/used |
more details (synopses, videos & DVDs, sequels, posters, books & ebooks, links, merchandise) on
Magic Lantern's "A Star Is Born" Movies Page
"White Hunter, Black Heart"
[Malpaso/Warner Bros. May & Sept 1990]
 |
A world-famous movie director on location in Africa neglects the production of his movie for an obsession with hunting and killing one particular elephant. The main character is modeled after John Huston, the movie being filmed is "The African Queen" [1951], the movie stars are Humphrey Bogart & Kate Hepburn. Co-produced & directed by & starring Clint Eastwood; co-written by Peter Viertel, based on his novel; co-written by James Bridges & Burt Kennedy; also starring Jeff Fahey, Charlotte Cornwell, Norman Lumsden, George Dzundza, Marisa Berenson, Richard Vanstone, Jamie Koss & Mel Martin
Warner Home Video widescreen color DVD [9/2003] for $17.99 Warner Home Video color VHS [6/99] out of prodn/used 27"x40" poster from Amazon for $19.99 full credits from IMDb movie entry at Wikipedia |
 | "White Hunter, Black Heart" novel [Doubleday 1953] by Peter Viertel Penguin mass pb [8/90] out of print/used Laurel mass pb [8/87] out of print/used see also Magic Lantern's "The African Queen" 1951 Movie Page |
"Why Don't You Play In Hell? (Jigoku de Naze Warui)"
[Drafthouse Films Japan Sept 2013]
 | A mobster's efforts to woo a young actress are ignored, so he decides to make a movie to impress her; the amateur movie crew inadvertantly ignites an old yakuza clan rivalry . . .
Written & directed & music by Shion Sono; starring Jun Kunimura, Fumi Nikaidτ, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Hiroki Hasegawa, Gen Hoshino, Tomochika, Itsuji Itao, Hiroyuki Onoue, Tak Sakaguchi, Tetsu Watanabe & Tasuku Nagaoka
Region 1 DVD not available full credits at IMDb official movie site movie entry at Wikipedia watch Japanese-language trailers at YouTube: teaser trailer [0:30] longer trailer [1:44] |
"The Wild Party"
[Merchant-Ivory Prodns/A.I.P. March 1975]
 |
Jolly Grimm, fading star of the Silent Era, stages a drunken bash in hopes of getting distribution for his final silent movie; but the film is a dud and the guests at his mansion feed on the grim mood and the free liquor, and the sexual hijinks get out of hand. When Jolly sees his mistress and a younger actor enter an upstairs bedroom, he gets a gun and waits for them outside the room. {Director Ivory disowned the film released by A.I.P., which was cut from 108 to 95 minutes; the DVD contains the Director's Cut and a 20-minute documentary.} Directed by James Ivory; written by Walter Marks, based on the 1928 narrative poem by Joseph Moncure March {which was perhaps inspired by the troubles of comedian Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle [1887-1933]}; starring James Coco, Raquel Welch, Perry King, Tiffany Bolling, Royal Dano, David Dukes, Christina Ferra-Gilmore & Eddie Lawrence
M.G.M. Video widescreen color DVD [6/2004] for $13.49 full credits at IMDb movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Without Reservations" [R.K.O. 1946]
The female author of a novel in a similar tone as Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead" meets a tough-guy actor on a train
bound for Hollywood where her novel is to be made into a movie; she actively pursues him for the lead role,
though he's read the novel and openly mocks it as ridiculous nonsense.
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy; starring John Wayne & Claudette Colbert;
full credits at IMDb
"The Wizard of Speed and Time"
 | "The Wizard of Speed and Time" short film [indep 1979]
3-minute color short with camera & animation SFX; filmed in California; a wizard who runs faster than a locomotive meets a hitchhiker and takes her to Hollywood . . . Written, produced, directed & edited by and starring Mike Jittlov; co-starring Toni Handcock; music by Mike Jittlov & John Massari VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available credits at IMDb watch short film [3:00] online at YouTube Mike Jittlov's official partly-completed website |
 | "The Wizard of Speed and Time" feature film [Shapiro-Glickenhaus Ent. Sept 1989]
A young movie SFX wizard finds two producers willing to back his movie about a wizard but is unaware that the producers made a $25,000 bet about whether he will deliver - so one producer helps and the other sabotages the project . . . co-produced by Richard Kaye, Deven Chierighino, Leonard Shapiro, and others; written, co-produced, directed & edited by and starring Mike Jittlov; additional dialogue by Richard Kaye & Deven Chierighino; music by John Massari; also starring Richard Kaye, Paige Moore, Deven Chierighino/David Conrad, Steve Brodie, John Massari, Gary Schwartz, Frank LaLoggia, Philip Michael Thomas, Lynda Aldon, Forrest J. Ackerman, Arnetia Walker, Angelique Pettyjohn, Ben Kronen, Will Ryan, Michele Roth, Greg Jittlov, Marie Jittlov, Harvey J. Alperin, Missy Sauppe, Paulette Breen, Stephen Stucker, Lauri Riley, Amy Rose, Mark Conlon, Chuck McCollum, Robert Stuart Reed, Patrick McGreal, Donovan Scott, Paul Barselou, David McCharen, Joan Leizman, Cynthia Frost, Ward Kimball, Christopher Barczak, Tim Frisbie, Allan Lee Graf, Frank Davis Jr, Rick Heebner, Benjamin Lum, Harold M. 'Hal' Etherington, Phil Boroff, Steve Ecclesine, Doug Crepeau, Patricia Ayame Thomson, Bob Basso, Annie Livingstone, Pete Sorensen, Patty Ryan, Evelyn Carpenter, Eddie Paul, Slim E. Leatche, Smokey Ochoa, Jeff Knoerle, Wilimeda BeHanna, Anyavel Glynn, Jan Sayre, 'The Unknown Producer', Randi D. Cogert, Tery McPhie, Gwen Perlman, Monica B. Herzer, Beth Sjogren, Galyn Gφrg, Steve Mann, Laurie Rose, Chris Coart, Christine Green, William Hart, Jean Hart, Jill K. Allen, Russell Carpenter, Dean Barnes, Jim Danforth, Karen Danforth, Margie Jesswein, Sebastiαn Roque, Joyce Siefker, and Baron the Policedog full credits at IMDb movie entry at Wikipedia DVD/Blu-ray not available Starz / Anchor Bay color VHS [10/97] out of prodn/used watch official trailer [3/2006 upload; 2:05] online at YouTube watch full movie [8/2016 upload; 1:37:01] online at YouTube |
"The Woman Chaser" [1999]
"Won Ton Ton, The Dog Who Saved Hollywood" [Paramount May 1976]
 | Spoof of the days when the top box office star in Hollywood was a dog, i.e. Rin Tin Tin. Co-produced & directed by Michael Winner; music by Neal Hefti; starring Madeline Kahn, Bruce Dern, Art Carney, Phil Silvers, Teri Garr & Ron Leibman; with cameos by an impressive cast of old movie stars, supporting actors, bit players, and celebrities, including Stepin Fetchit, Rudy Vallee, George Jessel, Ann Rutherford, Andy Devine, Huntz Hall, Doodles Weaver, William Demarest, Dorothy Lamour, Johnny Weissmuller, Mike Mazurki & Peter Lawford Legend Films widescreen color DVD [7/2008] for $7.42 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $6.29 27"x40" poster from Amazon for $9.99 full credits at IMDb movie entry at Wikipedia novelization [1976] by E.M. Corder Pocket Books movie tie-in mass pb [4/76] out of print/used |
"Wrong Direction" comedy short [R.K.O. May 1934]
 | Assistant director Edgar Kennedy is under pressure by the studio to complete a film in spite of a temperamental star and his obnoxious in-laws Directed by Alfred J. Goulding; written by Joseph Fields; starring Edgar Kennedy, Florence Lake, Dot Farley, William Eugene, Nat Carr, Jean Fontaine, Bobby Dunn, Billy Franey, Bud Jamison
credits at IMDb
watch movie [1/2015 upload] online at YouTube: part 1 [10:28] part 2 [10:33] |
"You Are All Captains" [Spain 2010]
Written & directed by and starring Oliver Laxe; won FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes Film Festival
DVD/Blu-ray not yet available full credits at IMDb
official movie site
Documentary Films About Hollywood & Movies
"A Trip Thru A Hollywood Studio" sound short
[Warner Bros./Vitagraph 1935] /tt0257239/
"Before Hollywood, There Was Fort Lee:
Early Moviemaking In New Jersey"
 |
Image Ent. color/b&w DVD [5/2003] for $22.49
includes the 40-minute featurette produced by Fort Lee Film Commission in 1964, plus a half-hour version of Maurice Tourneur's "A Girl's Folly" [World Film 1917] showing scenes inside a movie studio; D.W. Griffith's "The New York Hat" [Biograph 1912 short] starring Mary Pickford & Lionel Barrymore; "The Wishing Ring" [World Film 1914 feature] adapted & directed by Maurice Tourneur; and portions of Edwin S. Porter's "Rescued From The Eagle's Nest" [Edison 1908 short] and D.W. Griffith's "The Curtain Pole" [Biograph 1909 short] starring Mack Sennett & Florence Lawrence |
"Easy Riders, Raging Bulls" documentary [BBC-TV March 2003]
 | 2-hour documentary covering significant films of the late 1960s & early 1970s: Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby" [1968], "Easy Rider" [1969], Sam Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch" [1969], "Midnight Cowboy" [1969], Francis Ford Coppola's "The Rain People" [1969], Robert Altman's "M*A*S*H" [1970], Peter Bogdanovich's "The Last Picture Show" [1971], Robert Altman's "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" [1971], Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets" [1973], George Lucas's "American Graffiti" [1973], Hal Ashby's "Shampoo" [1975] starring Warren Beatty, Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" [1976], and Scorsese's "Raging Bull [1980] Adapted & directed by Kenneth Bowser, based on Peter Biskind's book; narrated by William H. Macy Shout! Factory color DVD [5/2004] 2 disks for $15.00 full credits at IMDb |
 | "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How The Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood" [1998] by Peter Biskind S&S/Touchstone 7x5½ pb [4/99] for $12.24 Bloomsbury Paperbacks 7¾x5 pb [9/99] out of print/many, many used Simon & Schuster 9¼x6¼ hardcover [4/98] out of print/many, many used book entry at Wikipedia |
"The Greatest Movie Ever Sold"
[Sony Pictures Classics April 2011]
A documentary about branding, advertising, and product placement in movies & television that was
financed and made possible by brand displays, advertising & product placement. Produced, co-written
& directed by Morgan Spurlock; DVD/Blu-ray not yet available; credits at IMDb
"Hollywood Goes To War" DVD Box Set [2011]
 | National Archives & Topics Ent. DVD set [11/2011] 18 disks for $53.99
contains 46 films from the National Archives covering World War II, Korea & VietNam, featuring seven Academy Award winners; Hollywood actors include Lucille Ball, Lloyd Bridges, Clark Gable, Katherine Hepburn, Paul Newman, Ronald Reagan, Ginger Rogers, Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne & Orson Welles; directors include John Ford & William Wyler; featured rare films include "Let There Be Light" [1946] by John Huston, "December 7th" [1943] directed by John Ford, and "This Is Korea!" [1951] directed by John Ford |
 | "Hollywood's Magical Island: Catalina" documentary [Blue Water Ent. 2003] Written & directed by Greg Reitman; narrated by Peter Coyote Blue Water Ent. 60-minute color DVD [3/2006] out of prodn/used Blue Water Ent. 52-minute color DVD [2003] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb official movie site |
"Hollywood's War On God" [Exploration Films 2006]
 | 2½-hour screed from Good Fight Ministries blames Hollywood for the collapse of Xian civilization, specifically citing "The DaVinci Code", the "Matrix" trilogy, the "Harry Potter" films, "The Truman Show", "Total Recall", "Pleasantville", and many other films, all of which are bringing about a 'Gnostic world view' that proves that the Apocalypse is imminent. (Yup, there are people who believe this crap.)
Directed by Joseph M. Schimmel & Steve Aguilar not listed at IMDb do not purchase {included here to warn people off} |
"Images of Indians: How Hollywood Stereotyped The Native American"
documentary TV movie[July 2003] /tt0374735/
Co-written & co-directed by Jason Witmer & Chris O'Brien; co-written by Brock DeShane & Jeff Hildebrandt; narrated by Nicholas Schatzki; with archive footage of Evan Adams, Lola Albright, Gene Autry, Carroll Baker, Adam Beach, Irene Bedard, Henry Brandon, Philip Carey, Iron Eyes Cody, Chuck Connors, Alex Cord, Kevin Costner, Susan Cummings, Charlton Heston, Guy Madison, Francis McDonald, Darren McGavin, Sal Mineo, Ricardo Montalban, George Montgomery, Jack Palance, Hank Patterson, Addison Richards, Gilbert Roland, Wes Studi, John War Eagle, Richard Widmark & Natalie Wood; won Western Heritage Bronze Wrangler Award in 2004
 | "Let's Go To The Movies!" A series of 12 documentary short films produced by the Motion Picture Academy for showing in theaters |
"Let's Go To The Movies!" [A.M.P.A.S./R.K.O. May 1949]
An overview of the history of motion pictures; narrator promises the subsequent shorts; clips of John Barrymore,
Al Jolson, Georges Mιliθs, Mary Pickford, D.W. Griffith's "The Battle"
credits at IMDb
watch "Let's Go To The Movies!" [9:10] free online at Internet Archive
"This Theatre and You" [A.M.P.A.S./R.K.O. 1948]
credits at IMDb
"Movies Are Adventure" [A.M.P.A.S./Universal Sept 1948]
Describes how the 'magic seat' of a movie theater and its big screen can transport the movie-goer to all types
of thrills and adventures; narrated by Gerald Mohr; clips of George Bancroft, Andy Devine,
Douglas Fairbanks & Tim Holt
credits at IMDb
"The Art Director" [A.M.P.A.S./Fox Nov 1949]
bare credits at IMDb
"The Soundman" [A.M.P.A.S./Columbia Jan 1950]
credits at IMDb
"History Brought To Life" [A.M.P.A.S./Paramount March 1950]
Behind-the-scenes look at the critical work of studio research departments;
narrated by Cecil B. DeMille
credits at IMDb
"Screen Actors" [A.M.P.A.S./M.G.M. May 1950]
Attempts to show how movie stars are people just like you & me; clips include Edward Arnold,
Gene Autry, Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Bing Crosby, Dan Duryea, Glenn Ford, Clark Gable,
Ava Gardner, Gene Kelly & Joel McCrea
credits at IMDb
"The Costume Designer" [A.M.P.A.S./R.K.O. July 1950]
Features Oscar-winner Edith Head, with clips of Linda Darnell, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Ava Gardner, Betty Grable,
Katharine Hepburn, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Gene Tierney & Henry Wilcoxon credits at IMDb
"The Screen Writer" [A.M.P.A.S./Fox Sept 1950]
Clips of Charles Brackett, Dore Schary & Darryl F. Zanuck
credits at IMDb
"Moments In Music" [A.M.P.A.S./M.G.M. Nov 1950]
Clips of Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Betty Hutton, Harry James, Danny Kaye, Dorothy Lamour,
Mario Lanza & Leopold Stokowski
credits at IMDb
"The Cinematographer" [A.M.P.A.S./M.G.M. Jan 1951]
Narrated by Warner Anderson; clips of Bing Crosby, Melvyn Douglas, Bob Hope
& Van Johnson
credits at IMDb
"The Screen Director" [A.M.P.A.S./Warner Bros. March 1951]
Clips include Frank Capra, Michael Curtiz, John Ford, John Huston, Elia Kazan, Burt Lancaster, Ida Lupino,
Joseph L. Mankiewicz, John Wayne, Tennessee Williams, William Wyler & Jane Wyman
credits at IMDb
"LIFE: Great Romances" [2003]
 |
Volume 1: looks at couples John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Richard Burton & Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward, Robert Wagner & Natalie Wood, and Jackie Kennedy & J.F.K.
Madacy Records b&w/color DVD [1/2003] for $9.30 Volume 2: looks at couples Clark Gable & Carole Lombard, Douglas Fairbanks & Mary Pickford, Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall, Greta Garbo & John Gilbert, and Grace Kelly & Prince Rainier Madacy Records b&w/color DVD [1/2003] for $14.40 Volume 3: looks at couples Cary Grant & Barbara Hutton, Howard Hughes & Ava Gardner, Ernest Hemingway & Martha Gellhorn, aviator Amelia Earhart & George Putnam, and Eva & Juan Peron Madacy Records b&w/color DVD [1/2003] for $9.88 Volume 4: looks at couples Marilyn Monroe & Joe DiMaggio, Tony Curtis & Janet Leigh, Laurence Olivier & Viven Leigh, Ingrid Bergman & Roberto Rossellini, and Aristotle Onassis & Maria Callas Madacy Records b&w/color DVD [1/2003] out of prodn/used complete set on 4 disks Madacy Records b&w/color DVD set [1/2003] 4 disks for $35.99 |
"Los Angeles Plays Itself" [2003]
This wondrous documentary, often featuring noir-style black-and-white images, was built from unlicensed
film clips, so it can never be officially released theatrically or on DVD in the USA; produced, written & directed
by Thom Andersen; narrated by Encke King credits at IMDb
watch for free on YouTube (in 12 parts)
trailer [1:28]
Part 1 [14:52]
Part 2 [13:53]
Part 3 [14:31]
Part 4 [14:40]
Part 5 [14:19]
Part 6 [14:30]
Part 7 [13:54]
Part 8 [14:04]
Part 9 [14:01]
Part 10 [12:51]
Part 11 [13:11]
Part 12 [13:51]
"Memories of The Silent Stars" [Blackhawk 1998]
 | "Rare behind-the-scenes footage of silent film legends" including Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, Clara Bow, Bebe Daniels, Marion Davies, Marie Dressler, Douglas Fairbanks, Lillian & Dorothy Gish, Tom Mix, Mae Murray, Charles Ray, Norma Shearer, Ben Turpin, Erich von Stroheim, Pearl White, and Fay Wray; from the Blackhawk Collection; organ score by Bob Vaughn
Unknown Video b&w silent DVD [11/2004] out of prodn/scarce Blackhawk b&w silent VHS [8/98] out of prodn/scarce not listed on IMDb; available on DVD from the Unknown Video website |
"Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood" [T.C.M. Nov 2010]
 | 7-episode documentary TV mini-series; the one-hour programs are entitled: 1. Peepshow Pioneers; 2. The Birth of Hollywood, 1907-1920; 3. The Dream Merchants, 1920-1928; 4. Brother, Can You Spare a Dream?, 1929-1941; 5. Warriors & Peacemakers, 1941-1950; 6. The Attack of the Small Screens, 1950-1960; 7. Fade Out, Fade In; narrated by Christopher Plummer
Warner Home Video widescreen color DVD [DUE April 2011] for $28.99 credits at IMDb T.C.M. official program site with Timeline & Studio Map |
"Off The Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's"
[indep June 1998]
 | Chasen's restaurant was a Hollywood institution for 60 years, and the site of many after-Oscars parties. Chasen's stood at the corner of Beverly Blvd. and Doheny Drive (across the street from Beverly Hills, in what is today West Hollywood), and is now a Bristol Farms grocery store.
Directed by Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini; all-star list of interviewees; plus longtime employees Tommy Gallagher, Raymond Bilbool, Ronnie Clint, Pepe Ruiz, Val Schwab & Onetta Johnson
New Video Group color DVD [3/2004] for $22.49 New Video Group color VHS [10/99] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb restaurant entry at Wikipedia |
"Pandora's Box Office: Hollywood's War On Traditional Family Values" [video 2007]
 | 3½-hour screed from The Apologetics Group and Reel To Real Ministries defining the 'cultural abasement' of Xian America and blaming the whole thing on Hollywood. (Yup, there are people who believe this crap.) Directed by Erik Hollander & Stephen Gregory not listed at IMDb do not purchase {included here to warn people off} |
"Shadows In Paradise: Hitler's Exiles In Hollywood"
documentary feature film [indep 1980]
 | As Hitler gained power in Germany, intellectuals and radicals and artists and Jews fled into exile; a large number settled in Southern California, briefly transforming philistine Hollywood into one of the capitals of world culture. Co-produced & directed by Peter Rosen; hosted by James Conlon; featured interviews include playwright Bertolt Brecht, composer Hanns Eisler, playwright Lion Feuchtwanger, composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold, filmmaker Fritz Lang, Nobel laureate Thomas Mann, author Erich Maria Remarque, composer Arnold Schoenberg, composer Ernst Toch, screenwriter Salka Viertel, conductor Bruno Walter, and composer Erich Zeisl
credits at IMDb
White Star color DVD [9/2008] for $19.99 |
"Showbiz Goes To War"
documentary feature film [indep 1982]
 | "A star-studded salute to our boys at war!" 90-minute documentary co-directed by Norman & Gail Gibson Sedawie; hosted by David Steinberg; archive footage featuring Bud Abbott, Dana Andrews, Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball, Robert Benchley, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Mel Blanc, Humphrey Bogart, Joe E. Brown, James Cagney, Gary Cooper, Lou Costello, Bing Crosby, Linda Darnell, Bette Davis, Jimmy Durante, Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Greer Garson, Betty Grable, Cary Grant, Alan Hale, Rita Hayworth, Adolf Hitler, Bob Hope, Betty Hutton, Harry James, Van Johnson, Al Jolson, Danny Kaye, Gene Kelly, Hedy Lamarr, Carole Lombard, Harpo Marx, Louis B. Mayer, Robert Mitchum, Harry Morgan, Margaret O'Brien, Tyrone Power, Martha Raye, Ronald Reagan, Mickey Rooney, Jane Russell, Ann Sheridan, Phil Silvers, Frank Sinatra, Barbara Stanwyck, James Stewart, Lana Turner, and John Wayne
Focus Films color/b&w DVD [2/2001] out of prodn/used Warner Home Video Late-Show color/b&w VHS [1998] for $47.89 full credits at IMDb |
"Strictly Background: Extras In The Spotlight"
documentary feature film [Anthem Pictures 2007]
 | Co-produced & directed by Jason Connell; featuring Terry Bolo, Geoffrey Gould, Cecilia Hartfeld, Louis McCarten, Jay Michaels, Cary Y. Mizobe, Tafan Nieves, Mark Nobel, Jeff Olan, John Richards & Marvin Rouillard
Anthem Pictures color DVD [8/2008] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb official movie site |
"This Film Is Not Yet Rated"
[Independent Film Channel Sept 2006]
 |
A breakthrough exposι about the M.P.A.A. movie ratings board and its secret practices.
Produced by Eddie Schmidt; co-written & directed by Kirby Dick I.F.C. color DVD [1/2007] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb official movie site |
"Why Be Good? Sexuality & Censorship In Early Cinema"
[Playboy/American Cinemateque May 2007]
 |
70-minute documentary about the uncensored days before the Hays Code was established in 1935; featuring archive & interview footage of Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, Clara Bow, Louise Brooks, Cecil B. DeMille, Marlene Dietrich, Douglas Fairbanks, D.W. Griffith, Jean Harlow, Will H. Hays, Wm. Randolph Hearst, Pola Negri, Mary Pickford, Barbra Stanwyck, Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino, and Mae West
Co-written & directed by Elaina Archer; co-written by cinema historian Scott Eyman; narrated by Diane Lane; modern interviewees include Cari Beauchamp, Budd Schulberg, Kevin Thomas & Marc Wanamaker Image Ent. color/b&w DVD [11/2008] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb |
"Yesterday and Today" [United Artists Dec 1953]
 | An hour-long compilation of rare silent movie scenes, released in theaters to celebrate the supposed 50-year anniversary of motion pictures. The DVD also contains "After Six Days", the shortened version of the 11-reel (approx. 110 minutes) Italian silent Biblical epic "La Bibbia" [1920]. Co-produced & directed by Abner J. Greshler; written & hosted by George Jessel; with archive footrage of Jean Arthur, Mary Astor, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Clara Bow, John Bunny, Eddie Cantor, Lon Chaney, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, John Gilbert, William S. Hart, Harry Langdon, Harold Lloyd, Carole Lombard, Tom Mix, Pola Negri, Mary Pickford, Thelma Todd, and Rudolph Valentino
V.C.I. Ent. b&w DVD [5/2011] for $17.99 "Yesterday and Today" credits at IMDb "After Six Days" credits at IMDb |
Magic Lantern's Hollywood Film Festival Pages
on page 1: top of page 1 essay links selected films, A to Z: A thru F
on page 2: top of page 2 selected films G thru L M thru R
here on page 3: top of page 3 selected films S thru Z documentary films
Fiction About Hollywood & Movie-Making
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