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Title details for 1939 by Thomas S. Hischak - Available

1939

Hollywood's Greatest Year

by Thomas S. Hischak
ebook
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What do Babes in Arms, Beau Geste, Gunga Din, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Only Angels Have Wings, and Young Mr. Lincoln all have in common? They are all classic films released in the same year, but none of them received Academy Award nominations for best picture. Why? In that same year, Hollywood produced Dark Victory, Goodbye Mr. Chips, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and Ninotchka, as well as two of the most beloved films of all time, Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz. In 1939 Hollywood created an unprecedented number of great films, a year that has yet to be surpassed in cinematic achievement.
In 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year, Thomas S. Hischak looks at the most remarkable 365 days in film history. Arranged chronologically from January 1 to December 31, 1939, each entry covers one day and features major news events (national and international) as well as minor curiosities or news items that would prove to be more important in the future. The activities on Broadway, radio, the music business, literature, and other arts are included, as are noteworthy sporting events. Most significantly, this book provides a full description and commentary on the Hollywood movies that were released on that day.
All 510 feature films from all the Hollywood studios are included in the book, along with notable shorts, cartoons, newsreels, and foreign releases. While others have looked at the movie highlights of this momentous year, Hischak evaluates Hollywood's entire screen output of 1939, from B pictures and serial installments to the international blockbusters—and every film in between. 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year is a captivating look at this phenomenon and will fascinate any film aficionado.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 15, 2017

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781442278059
      • File size: 12518 KB

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781442278059
      • File size: 12518 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 17, 2017
      Oft-published Hischak (100 Greatest American Plays) returns with this sizable account of a tremendous year in American film history. It's long been a truism that 1939 was the finest year for Golden Age Hollywood. It saw the release of Beau Geste, Gone with the Wind, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Ninotchka, Stagecoach, and The Wizard of Oz, among others. Hischak goes through 1939 day by day, juxtaposing national and world news with information on all 510 films Hollywood released that year. This is an interesting exercise, with one basic flaw: 1939 was a watershed year for film, but not every filmâperhaps not even most of themâremains worthy of our attention. Likewise, when every film is elevated to the same status, each receiving a paragraph or so, the value of truly great films, and of neglected but deserving titles, is somewhat diminished. Nonetheless, the book's encyclopedism does a great job in providing context for some favorite films, and its inclusion of every single title makes the staying power of those like Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz all the more extraordinary. It's likely that die-hard film buffs will appreciate Hischak's project here, but they might be lonely in this appreciation.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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