FLAGSTAFF NO GOOD FOR OUR PURPOSE. HAVE PROCEEDED TO CALIFORNIA. WANT AUTHORITY TO RENT BARN IN PLACE CALLED HOLLYWOOD FOR SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLARS A MONTH. CECIL. — The famous telegram to Lasky from Cecil B. DeMille which changed film history.


For any serious classic film fan, or even the casual film fan, this series of books focusing on each of the major studios is invaluable, both as a reference, and for sheer enjoyment. This one was missing from my library, an omission I managed to live with for so long only because I had The Films of Alan Ladd. Ladd, a favorite Paramount star of mine, spent his best years, and made his finest films at Paramount. He became a huge star with his riveting performance opposite the lovely Veronica Lake in This Gun for Hire. The two stars would forever be linked as one of the great screen couples in film history — which itself is testimony to how wonderful they complemented each other; the number of films they made together as leads is in fact, more spartan than their fame as a screen couple would suggest.

Paramount was one of the truly great studios, dating back to the silent era, which this wonderful book covers both in pictures and accompanying text. At one time, it was not MGM which was considered the prestige studio, but Paramount which ruled the roost in virtually every department. John Douglas Eames has done a splendid job of chronicling Paramount’s long history, beginning with Adolph Zukor. As with MGM and Warrer Brothers, it is a tale of emigrants who made the dream of America a reality. Also, as with the other early studios, it is the story of how films came to be — despite those with the technology trying to squeeze out the upstart emigrants through cutthroat business means. The hands of the emigrants were by no means clean either, as they were not above some rough and tumble tactics in trying to get a monopoly on product and distribution.

Lowe, who would eventually become synonymous with MGM, is here, as is Famous Players-Lasky, and of course, Jesse Lasky. Lasky was a true trailblazer, as was Zukor. Yet two men who shine just as brightly in the studio’s history were not studio heads — though one man did have the reins for a time — but those creating the product. Those two men are Cecil B. DeMille and Ernst Lubitsch. They could not have been more stylistically different, yet each man played a tremendous role in the history of Paramount. DeMille, in fact, played just as big a role in the history of Hollywood; his The Squaw Man was the impetus for the move westward to California. It is this section, covering the years 1916-1925 which are the most enthralling, as the reader sees the movie business being born. If you’d never heard of Mary Miles Minter and William Desmond Taylor, Wallace Reid or Fatty Arbuckle, you’ll discover how Hollywood, and Paramount especially, was nearly over before it began. If you were not already aware as I was of how the studio got its name, you’ll find out here.

The section covering 1926-1935 deals with the revolution of sound films, and the stock market crash. It was the aggressive business practices using Paramount stock to lure talent to the studio which partially led to its downfall. 1936-1957 covers the studio’s rise to prominence once again, and the section covering the years 1958-1984 the great changes in filmmaking, and the enormous sums of money raked in. The Godfather saga, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Saturday Night Fever, Grease, the rebooting of Star Trek for the big screen, are just a few films familiar to nearly everyone. If Breakfast at Tiffany’s holds a special place in your heart, then so does Paramount. Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, and Shane are just a few of the legendary films made at Paramount.

As with all the other books in this series, the highlight is of course the film listings, the photos of each film, and the descriptions of such. For film lovers, especially classic film fans, it’s like being given a map to Shangri-La. No matter who you are it is very likely that some of your favorite films can be found between the covers of this invaluable and nostalgic book. One of my own personal favorites, The Uninvited, starring Ray Milland and the lovely Gail Russell is here. So is another favorite, Love Letters, starring Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten. The charm and sophistication of Ernst Lubitsch’s films is sprinkled throughout the early 1930s here. He is probably second only to DeMille in influence by a filmmaker at Paramount, and in fact headed the studio for a while. His talents, however, were better served behind the camera than behind the desk — although he did have his moments.

The photos are lovely, the listing of films comprehensive in this coffee-table size book. This one has a separate index at the back for films, and studio personnel, which makes it quicker for research. No matter how well read you are on film, there is certain to be a surprise or two here; often a film you’d not heard about and want to research. It’s hard to say where this one falls in comparison to the others in the series. I love the RKO book because of the films that particular studio made, and the MGM book is remarkable. Because of Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake, and because of the rich and insightful text regarding the studio’s history, I’m placing this one slightly ahead of the book on Warner Brothers — because of the dreadful quality of many photos in that one — and just a tick behind the MGM book.

Only Epharim Katz’s Film Encyclopedia is as invaluable a reference book as the entries in this series, but these are way more fun, because of the photos of the films and stars. A must-have for anyone who loves the movies! ( )