December 31, 2023: I’m back (not that you were waiting) with another list of books on Old Hollywood. Presented alphabetically below are the ten I read (and I’m pretty sure you didn’t) in 2023, with links to my reviews (that you shouldn’t feel obliged to read) (except for the one on Cuddles because it’s really good).
A.K.A. Lucy: The Dynamic and Determined Life of Lucille Ball (2023) by Sarah Royal
The American Way: A True Story of Nazi Escape, Superman, and Marilyn Monroe (2023) by Helene Stapinski and Bonnie Siegler
Charlie Chaplin vs. America: When Art, Sex, and Politics Collided (2023) by Scott Eyman
C’mom, Get Happy: The Making of Summer Stock (2023) by David Fantle and Tom Johnson
Daughter of the Dragon: Anna May Wong’s Rendezvous with American History (2023) by Yunte Huang
The Devil’s Playground (2023) by Craig Russell
Hitchcock’s Blondes: The Unforgettable Women Behind the Legendary Director’s Dark Obsession (2023) by Laurence Leamer
Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen (2023) by Sarah James
The Story of Cuddles: My Life Under the Emperor Francis Joseph, Adolf Hitler, and the Warner Brothers (1954) by S. Z. Sakall
Up with the Sun (2023) by Thomas Mallon