Base examines the complex chemistry of movie stardom--a potent mix of greed and cunning, ego and casting, dedication and just plain dumb luck.

Some acting careers are made by one great role and some fall into obscurity when one is declined. Would Al Pacino be the star he is today if Robert Redford had accepted the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather? Imagine Tom Hanks rejecting Uma Thurman, saying that she acted like someone in a high school play when she auditioned to play opposite him in The Bonfire of the Vanities. Picture Danny Thomas as The Godfather, or Marilyn Monroe as Cleopatra. This reference work lists hundreds of such stories: actors who didn't get cast or who turned down certain parts. Each entry, organized alphabetically by film title, gives the character and actor cast, a list of other actors considered for that role, and the details of the casting decision. Information is drawn from extensive research and interviews. From About Last Night (which John Belushi turned down at his brother's urging) to Zulu (in which Michael Caine was not cast because he didn't look "Cockney" enough), this book lets you imagine how different your favorite films could have been.

Praise for Five Easy Decades: How Jack Nicholson Became the Biggest Movie Star in Modern Times "Dennis McDougal is a rare Hollywood reporter: honest, fearless, nobody's fool. This is unvarnished Jack for Jack-lovers and Jack-skeptics but, also, for anyone interested in the state of American culture and celebrity. I always read Mr. McDougal for pointers but worry that he will end up in a tin drum off the coast of New Jersey."-- Patrick McGilligan, author of Jack's Life and Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light Praise for Privileged Son: Otis Chandler and the Rise and Fall of the L.A. Times Dynasty "A great freeway pileup--part biography, part dysfunctional family chronicle, and part institutional and urban history, with generous dollops of scandal and gossip."-- Hendrick Hertzberg, The New Yorker "McDougal has managed to scale the high walls that have long protected the Chandler clan and returned with wicked tales told by angry ex-wives and jealous siblings."--The Washington Post Praise for The Last Mogul: Lew Wasserman, MCA and the Hidden History of Hollywood "Real glamour needs a dark side. That is part of the fascination of Dennis McDougal's wonderful book."--The Economist "Thoroughly reported and engrossing . . . the most noteworthy trait of MCA was how it hid its power."--The New York Times Book Review "Over the years, I've read hundreds of books on Hollywood and the movie business, and this one is right at the top."-- Michael Blowen, The Boston Globe

Charlotte Chandler met Groucho in 1972 and as their friendship grew, she came to know all sides of his personality. This tribute to the master of ad lib recounts the major events of Groucho's life--from his birth in 1890 to his death in 1977--and features personal remembrances of his friends and leading ladies. 16 pages of photos.

This volume examines the development of film and the film industry during the 1970s and the political and economic background that influenced it.

Get your trivia on the go with this Uncle John’s anthology of fun fast facts, includes over twenty-five pages of new content! Uncle John’s New & Improved Briefs is chock-full of thousands of great facts and hundreds of quick hits covering history, origins, blunders, sports, pop science, and entertainment plus a sprinkling of riddles, puns, anagrams, and other classic wordplay. Read about . . . The secrets of top-secret spy lingo The monkey that got a head transplant . . . and lived Bizarre recipes: jellied moose nose, steamed muskrat legs, and haggis The worst movie bloopers from Best Picture Oscar winners The little-known story of the best deal in sports history The man behind Death Valley’s “Castle in the Desert” How to decipher the hidden codes on a dollar bill Sinister left-handed facts Earth’s greatest hits And much, much more!

One of Hollywood's biggest personalities, Bruce Dern is not afraid to say what he thinks. He has left an indelible mark on numerous projects, from critically acclaimed films to made-for-TV movies and television series. His notable credits include The Great Gatsby (1974), The 'Burbs (1989), Monster (2003), Django Unchained (2012), and Nebraska (2013), for which he won the Best Actor award at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. He also earned Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor in Coming Home (1978) and for Best Actor in Nebraska (2013). In Bruce Dern: A Memoir, Christopher Fryer and Robert Crane help the outspoken star frame the fascinating tale of his life in Hollywood. Dern details the challenges he faced as an artist in a cutthroat business, his struggle against typecasting, and his thoughts on and relationships with other big names in the industry, including Elia Kazan, Alfred Hitchcock, Jack Nicholson, Paul Newman, Bob Dylan, Matt Damon, Jane Fonda, John Wayne, and Tom Hanks. He also explores the impact of his fame on his family and discusses his unique relationship with his daughter, actress Laura Dern. Edgy and uncensored, this memoir takes readers on a wild ride, offering an insider's view of the last fifty years in Hollywood.