Overview

The name “Hollywood” conjures up fantastical images of bright lights, glamorous dreams, and impossible riches. From its humble beginnings as a ranch sprawling northwest of Los Angeles in the late 1800s, Hollywood has spanned lifetimes as a factory of dreams, a dazzling place where all things are possible. This collection of stories takes you on a journey into the golden age, illuminating the space between the airy fantasy and the gritty reality of life in Hollywood. In a transient city where nothing lasts, thousands of stories have taken place in their time here. From the offscreen debauchery of the silent era, to countless dramatic and mysterious deaths, to the sinister past lives of world-famous LA landmarks, vestiges of Hollywood’s checkered past can still be found all over the city. With generations of Tinseltown’s luminaries living and working under the sunny guise of paradisal prosperity, their real stories reveal the sordid underbelly lurking directly beneath the surface. A dangerous collusion between the studios, the press, the mob, and the LAPD forms an impenetrable behind-the-scenes network of corruption, power and control, where the truth is always up for sale. A network in which the most glamorous and well-known figures are merely players in this elaborate charade. It’s magical and gritty, it’s ugly and dirty, it’s the land of dreams...it’s Hollywood.

Full Product Details

9781493060078

Table of Contents

Reviews

This is a serious and well-researched look at the history of Hollywood. It chronicles the growth of the town from the 1880s, its film studios and the development of the star system, the growth and involvement of organized crime, and major scandals and murders featuring some of its major players. It describes the development of the Hays Code in the 1930s in the attempt to make movie content more wholesome and behind the scenes work of the studios to cover up any news of scandals that would bring the glamour of Holywood into public disrepute. 4.5 big stars!!-- Goodreads

This is a surprisingly detailed collection of old Hollywood murders and deaths. I learned many facts that were completely new to me and I've read a few books on this subject. I even used to live in L.A. for a while and had no idea where the name """"Doheny"""" came from. You'll find out in this book. And the house owned by Manson victim Jay Sebring? It was built by Paul Bern, husband of Jean Harlow, who died in there of a gunshot wound. A house owned by two different murder victims? I don't think there are two houses like that even in Hollywood. The book is excellently written. Smooth to read, engrossing. I highly recommend it. Cecilia Brown

This is a serious and well-researched look at the history of Hollywood. It chronicles the growth of the town from the 1880s, its film studios and the development of the star system, the growth and involvement of organized crime, and major scandals and murders featuring some of its major players. It describes the development of the Hays Code in the 1930s in the attempt to make movie content more wholesome and behind the scenes work of the studios to cover up any news of scandals that would bring the glamour of Holywood into public disrepute. 4.5 big stars!!

This is a serious and well-researched look at the history of Hollywood. It chronicles the growth of the town from the 1880s, its film studios and the development of the star system, the growth and involvement of organized crime, and major scandals and murders featuring some of its major players. It describes the development of the Hays Code in the 1930s in the attempt to make movie content more wholesome and behind the scenes work of the studios to cover up any news of scandals that would bring the glamour of Holywood into public disrepute. 4.5 big stars!!-- ""Goodreads"" NetGalley review: 4 stars Last updated on 01 Sep 2021 ""4.5 big stars! This is a serious and well-researched look at the history of Hollywood. It chronicles the growth of the town from the 1880s, its film studios and the development of the star system, the growth and involvement of organized crime, and major scandals and murders featuring some of its major players. It describes the development of the Hays Code in the 1930s in the attempt to make movie content more wholesome and behind the scenes work of the studios to cover up any news of scandals that would bring the glamour of Holywood into public disrepute. Despite the grim subject matter, author Andrea Van Landingham writes in a clear, interesting, entertaining, and well-organized manner. The book contains photos, some of early silent screen movie stars and directors, and I was wishing for more. I read this volume with my Kindle in one hand and iPad in the other googling for extra pictures. Forget the numerous tabloid-style books out there, that contain almost identical stories and text. This thoughtfully written and researched book is the one to read if you are interested in this type of subject matter. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley and Rowman & Littlefield for the ARC. Reviewed on Goodreads and will be reviewed on Amazon on publication date in November.""--Carolyn Walsh, consumer reviewer NetGalley Review: 4 stars Last updated on 04 Sep 2021 ""This is a group of stories about the other side of Hollywood, telling the genuine story of those who worked and played there. It goes back to the earliest days of Tinseltown and covers many famous scandals and mysterious deaths that are still questioned by current readers. Many were handled by Hollywood fixers who would sanitize the scene of the crime before police were called, removing anything scandal worthy. Bribes were routinely given to officials to make stories and legal problems disappear. Most are well known stories but there are some that are less common. Those I liked the most, as I've read the others multiple times through the years. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Andrea Van Landingham, and the publisher.""--Valerie Shampine, consumer reviewer NetGalley Review: 4 stars Last updated on 24 Sep 2021 ""A well researched and interesting chronicle of Hollywood's hay day. Dating back to its infancy from silent films through the days of bright lights, beautiful stars and glamour, I was dazzled by stories of numerous scandals, crimes, murders and the 'underbelly' of this iconic Tinseltown of celebrity. The studios hiring of 'fixers' handled the scandals and crime scenes with speed and precision long before the authorities arrived on the scene. With names like Thelma Todd, Errol Flynn, Elizabeth Taylor and Loretta Young, Andrea Van Landingham keeps the reader engaged with writing that is crisp, clean and addictive. Highly recommended.""--Susan Derbacher, consumer reviewer NetGalley Review: 5 stars Last updated on 02 Oct 2021 ""Was I pleasantly surprised by this book! I used to gobble up everything on silent movies and Hollywood in general. I really wasn't expecting to read anything more than I've read in the past but thought it would be a fun read. Was I mistaken. Hugely. There was all kinds of information I did not know about in just about every case in this book. I read this in just a few hours. Couldn't read fast enough. I will be purchasing this copy of this book I highly recommend.""--Patricia Calef, reviewer at To Read or Not To Read NetGalley Review: 5 stars Last updated on 06 Sep 2021 ""Thank you to Rowman and Littlefield, Lyons Publishing and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book. The opinions expressed are my own. This book was so interesting! The author gives the reader details about some of the scandals that have occurred in Hollywood throughout the years. I had heard of some of these scandals, but it was fun to learn more. The author's writing style was attention-grabbing and kept me hooked right from the beginning. You will enjoy this book if you like to learn about Hollywood history. Highly recommend!""--Sharon Brewer, consumer reviewer NetGalley Review: 5 stars Last updated on 13 Sep 2021 ""I was very pleasantly surprised by this collection of true stories regarding several old time Hollywood cases. The detail presented is like none other I've come across. i learned a lot. I highly recommend this book. It's not only full of details I hadn't heard before, it's also excellently written. I couldn't put it down and I was sad when it was over. I'd love to hear more from this author.""--Cecilia Vettraino Brown, reviewer NetGalley Review: 5 stars Last updated on 17 Oct 2021 ""Fun, dishy read. I was familiar with most of the stories, but a couple were new to me. Even those I've read about before were fun to revisit here. Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review.""--Tammy Buchli, consumer reviewer NetGalley Review: 5 stars Last updated on 20 Sep 2021 ""A great true crime novel. The stories are interesting and will hold your attention. This is a great read! Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.""--Ron Baumer, reviewer at Nawah Energy NetGalley Review: 5 stars Last updated on 21 Sep 2021 ""Hollywood Horrors sets out in an extremely readable and enjoyable format the scandals that rocked glamorous old Hollywood. The chapters start with the silent film stars and take in everyone from the Dohenys to Loretta Young to Thelma Todd to Errol Flynn to Jean Harlow to Mickey Cohen to Lana Turner ending with Elizabeth Taylor herself. Each of these glamorous stars is brought to life by the crisp writing as the scandals unfold around them. Even if you don't know anything about these characters other than their names, you won't be disappointed.""--Dave Wildman, reviewer at davespulpandmysteryreads NetGalley Review: 5 stars Last updated on 30 Sep 2021 ""What an interesting book!!!! Had a great time reading through these crazy stories! Highly recommend this book!""--Summer Hickman, educator at MSU NetGalley Review: 5 stars Last updated on 31 Aug 2021 ""This was a great collection of classic Hollywood true stories. The golden era of Hollywood and the studio system. I highly recommend this book. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.""--K.M. Kenyon, consumer reviewer This is a surprisingly detailed collection of old Hollywood murders and deaths. I learned many facts that were completely new to me and I've read a few books on this subject. I even used to live in L.A. for a while and had no idea where the name ""Doheny"" came from. You'll find out in this book. And the house owned by Manson victim Jay Sebring? It was built by Paul Bern, husband of Jean Harlow, who died in there of a gunshot wound. A house owned by two different murder victims? I don't think there are two houses like that even in Hollywood. The book is excellently written. Smooth to read, engrossing. I highly recommend it. Cecilia Brown

Author Information

A native of sun-bleached Los Angeles, Andrea Van Landingham grew up surrounded by LA stories. Her professional background began in the beauty industry after she became licensed in 2012. In 2015 she returned to college, finishing a degree in Film & Media Studies in 2019. She has worked as a set designer in music videos and theatre, and she currently manages a photography studio. Her fondest memory is riding the metro into Hollywood on weekends, exploring the locations where her old favorite stars had long before worked and played.

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