I have my friend Bibi to thank for the books in this year’s blogathon. She works in a library, and over a year ago, she sent me a huge package of film books her library had planned to discard. Some of them pertained to modern cinema but most were about Old Hollywood and were written in the 50s, 60s and 70s...
...such as this first one. The Real Tinsel is an oral history of the early days of Hollywood, with terrific photographs, compiled by Bernard Rosenberg & Harry Silverstein in 1970. Many of the industry types they spoke to dated their film careers back to the 1910s and 20s—so you can imagine how valuable are the stories they tell.
Some interviewees should be recognizable to the average cinephile with a working knowledge of Hollywood history: Adolph Zukor, Dore Schary, Edward Everett Horton, Fritz Lang, Max Steiner. Others are less so, but equally important: producer Walter Wanger, actresses Mae Marsh and Blanche Sweet, stuntman Gil Perkins, cameraman Hal Mohr, writer Anita Loos.
They’re all given free reign to discuss not only their careers, but their lives, many of which began in the 19th century. Some common denominators include: working-class jobs in their youth, roots in the theater, wartime reminiscences, witnessing the evolution of the medium and learning how it works, the shift from New York to Hollywood, salaries, labor disputes, the coming of sound to motion pictures, industry anecdotes, etc.
A photo from Tinsel: Mae Marsh In The Cinderella Man |
That said, I wonder how accessible this book was to the cinephiles of the late 60s/early 70s. Today I can (and often did) go to IMDB and look up completely unfamiliar names like Joe Rock, Dagmar Godowsky, or Billy Bletcher. Rosenberg & Silverstein don’t really provide much in the way of context as to who these people are or the people and places they describe.
In Tinsel, Rod LaRocque talks about his marriage to Vilma Banky. |
Still, Tinsel is a valuable treasure trove of Hollywood stories in the words of the people who helped build the industry.
The Real Tinsel sounds like something I would really enjoy. Faulty memories aside, the memories of those who lived a thing are always interesting.
ReplyDeleteI think your point about annotation is a good one. You should optimistically think about future readers.
There’s lots of good stuff to be found in this book for the classic film fan. It’s just these people speaking, at length, and the stories they tell are the kind you probably wouldn’t get from just anybody else in the industry.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a terrific read, and I'm going to see if Amazon has a copy. It sounds like your point re: annotations is a good one. If I find a copy of this book, I'll be sure to have IMDb ready to go!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this review. Also: I'm a little envious of your fab new film book cache...
I wouldn’t have thought I’d have been able to get through so many books, but I’ve got time now. Whether or not they’re any good is another question.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an interesting find! I'm always suspect of these really old film history books but sounds like there is much to garner from this one. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteEh, it’s from the 70s. I wouldn’t call that really old... but you’re right. It’s worth reading for “hearing” these old-timers.
ReplyDeleteJust ordered!
ReplyDeleteHow lucky are you to have Bibi as a friend? I can never have enough film books...good or bad. Inquiring minds want to know if you live in that enchanting home?
Oh, I’ve known Bibi for over 20 years. Believe me, I feel extremely lucky to have her as a good friend.
ReplyDeleteI’m not sure what enchanting home you mean, but my home is just an apartment like many others.
Hope you like the book.