Books published by publisher BearManor Media

Discover a unique, family perspective of American film history through a 1921 to 1949 archive of 435letters written by pioneering film producer Jesse L. Lasky. His triumphs and failures––and the family that traveled with him—provide an illuminating, insider view of the day-to-day creation of the film industry, including behind-the-scenes negotiations and developments with Adolph Zukor, Samuel Goldwyn, Cecil B. DeMille, and the making of such early classics as The Squaw Man (1914), The Sheik (1921), The Covered Wagon (1923), Peter Pan (1924), The Cocoanuts (Marx Brothers) (1929) and later benchmarks as Sergeant York 1941, Mark Twain 1944, and Rhapsody in Blue 1945.An innovator, Lasky’s letters reveal a producer’s point of view on working with his partner Cecil B.DeMille; with discoveries Gary Cooper and Marlene Dietrich in an early talkie film; his rivalry with producer Sam Goldwyn; Gloria Swanson, who once refused his $17,500-a-week contract; and Hollywood’s legendary king and queen, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks.Lasky's complex relationship with his wife, the fatherly advice he offered to Jesse Jr., whose significant role in Hollywood's wartime activities, are spotlighted in thrilling recollections, anecdotes, and fascinating photos from the family's personal collection. Includes a complete list of more than a thousand films produced by Jesse L. Lasky and the 48 films written by Jesse L. Lasky Jr.“Just when I think no more books can be written about early Hollywood and its beginning from a personal and intimate perspective, along comes Hollywood Royalty: a Family in Films . . . the author explores the intricate dynamics of a family who gains wealth and prestige and how they coped when studio politics and the Depression rocked their lavish lifestyle."- Michael G. Ankerich"'Now that it is no longer possible to interview the last veterans of the silent era, any more than we can talk to survivors of the Civil War, there is one last, precious resource: letters. You are offering film historians and enthusiasts an incredibly rare opportunity to enter the lives of one of the supreme moguls of the classic era and his son.” – Kevin Brownlow, film historian. About the author: actress, producer, writer, and director Pat Silver-Lasky, was former Executive Council of W.G.G.B. – W.G.A. (West) A.S.C.A.P. - B.A.F.T.A., AG, and lecturer on scriptwriting at London Film School. She is the author of A Star Called Wormwood; Scams Schemes Scumbags; Ride the Tiger; Screenwriting for the 21st Century. Her books with Jesse Lasky Jr. include The Offer; Men of Mystery; Dark Dimensions; Love Scene. Her television credits include The Avengers, Space 1999, and the Emmy-nominated Mabel's Fables (1949).

The thrill is far from gone. B. B. King, legendary Blues singer, electric guitarist, songwriter, and record producer, left a lasting legacy that reverberates through his influence on many later electric blues guitarists. Daughter Shirley, his only child raised by the King family, was there through his rise from rags to riches and on to his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. From a cotton plantation to unforgotten ovations, B. B. and Shirley were known for performing tirelessly for appreciative audiences worldwide. B. B. never wanted Shirley to ride on his coattails. He challenged her to earn the King name while he was still alive. Her legendary father helped open a few doors along her rocky road from student to star, but Shirley’s magnetism and flair sparked her first success as an exotic dancer known as “Shirley King the Body Queen,” and eventually earned her the later crown, “Shirley King, Daughter of the Blues.” Remember a time when B. B. King’s voice graced daily radio airwaves? You recall such recordings as “Sweet Sixteen” (1960), “Rock Me Baby” (1964), “They’ll Come a Time” (1969), “The Thrill is Gone” (1970), “Let’s Stay Together” (1972), “Guess Who?” (1973), “Dolemite” (1975), and “The Human Tornado” and “Let the Good Times Roll” (1976). Those songs provide the undulating backdrop for an absorbing story that includes their behind-the-scenes brushes with Marcia Ball, George Benson, Billy Branch, James Brown, Eric Clapton, Sam Cooke, Robert Cray, Shirley Dixon, The Drifters, Redd Foxx, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Buddy Guy, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, The Jackson 5, Etta James, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Teddy Pendergrass, Bonnie Raitt, Jackie Wilson, and Stevie Wonder. Discover B. B. King’s heartbreaking journey, the backstories and backstreets, and Shirley’s determination to rise above pain, an absentee father, B. B.’s controlling management team, and her lost loves to preserve B. B. King’s name and to keep their music eternally alive. After all, it was in her blood. Illustrated. Indexed. About Shirley King: the daughter of B. B. King, she lives in Chicago, performs around the country, and regularly travels to Portugal, German, and Brazil, where she headlines Blues festivals and pays tribute to her father. This is her first book. About Dave Smitherman: a professional writer and editor, his previous works include Shirley, I Jest by Cindy Williams; The Presidency in Black and White by April Ryan; At Mama’s Knee by April Ryan; Run, Holly, Run! by Kathy Coleman; Twice As Strong by Paul and JP Norden; Two Versions by Bill Hudson. He lives in the Washington, DC area.

An illustrated look at the lives and careers of the sexiest women of the 1950s. From major star to starlet, author Richard Koper shows - with hundreds of rare photos from his personal collection - that gentlemen still prefer blondes! Among the 100 actresses who are featured in the book are famous Hollywood names like Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Kim Novak and Anita Ekberg, as well as starlets like Jeanne Carmen, Gloria Pall, Sandra Giles and Kathy Marlowe. Also featured within the pages of this book are England's reigning blondes Diana Dors, Belinda Lee and Carole Lesley, and fifties cult fan's favourites: Mamie Van Doren, Cleo Moore, Beverly Michaels, Barbara Nichols and Joi Lansing.

Golden Gate Bridge and cable cars, make room for Charlie–San Francisco’s newest attraction. Who is that cat in the window? Why was this seemingly ordinary cat receiving mail from Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street, The White House, and other notable places far and wide? Who was the little elderly lady he lived with, who once fought with Bogie and flirted with Cary Grant? Like Charlie Chaplin, their counterpart, they, too, remain unforgettable characters.This is a Christmas story, like no other, that will tug at your heartstrings, heal your spirit, and make you smile and cheer Charlie’s heroism.

YOUNG ARTHUR & THE MAGIC SWORD is adventure, fantasy, mystery, comedy, mythology, and a lot more in one splendid collection of all-age appropriate stories written by noted author, storyteller and actor, Jon Koons. This treasury of sixteen tales includes works previously published as children’s books and in magazines, as well as new, never before published additions—all of which will delight children and adults alike. Also included is A Chelm Chanukkah, the full length story upon which A CONFUSED HANUKKAH, Jon’s acclaimed children’s holiday book, published by Dutton Children’s Books, was based.The delightful illustrations, over fifty in all, are as diverse as the stories themselves. Each story is brought to life by talented artists Joe Bevilacqua, Abe Fay, Lorie Kellogg, Irv Koons, Jon Koons, Josh Koons, Leah Koons, Jaime Perrelli and Janine Waldron in a variety of mediums and styles—everything from traditional illustrations and paintings to computer art, cartoons, photographs and even sculpture.A fully dramatized companion audio book, including A CONFUSED HANUKKAH, is also available from Blackstone Audio.Praise for Jon Koons’ writing:“The stories about the inhabitants of Chelm have always been dear to me. A CONFUSED HANUKKAH is an absolutely charming addition to the funny and heartwarming tales of those lovable fools.”-LEONARD NIMOY: Actor, Author and Director“…making the most of the silliness and slapstick, this book is a love letter to every family that resists December's siren song of assimilation.”STARRED review-PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY - September 27, 2004“Your book is awesome. My kids loved the book, and Jack has asked for it to be his bedtime story for two nights in a row! I shall cherish my copy.”-DAVID FISCHER: Author Do Curve Balls Really Curve? and other kids/sports books.“Jon is a masterful storyteller with an uncanny ability to bring his boundless imagination to the page in high definition and with a stunning magical realism.”-ARIANE SMITH: Author of the “Enchanted Thyme, the Delicious Adventure” series and “The Peculiar Adventures of Willow B. Star”

“Just when I think no more books can be written about early Hollywood and its beginning from a personal and intimate perspective, along comes Hollywood Royalty: a Family in Films. The author has taken personal letters written from the hand of a true Hollywood pioneer to his son and woven them into an illuminating view inside one of early Hollywood's most influential families. A rare and unique perspective of a man who shaped the film industry. Intimate details about the Lasky family; Lasky's complex relationship with his wife; with Adolph Zukor, Samuel Goldwyn, Cecil B. DeMille; behind-the-scenes negotiations and development of some of Hollywood's finest classics; and perhaps most interesting, fatherly advice Lasky gives his son about life in general and his son's career in films. The beauty of the book is Silver-Lasky's use of personal letters between Jesse Sr. and Jesse Jr. and her own personal recollections and anecdotes provided her by husband Jesse Jr. Of wide appeal to fans of classic cinema. Beginnings of Hollywood and the film industry, silent films, transition to sound films, day-to-day development of a film (from adaptation to premier).”Kevin Brownlow Film historian/preservationist

In 1956 producer Lyle Griffin released a two-sided single record by the comedian and monologist Richard "Lord" Buckley under the futuristic title "Flight of The Saucer". Having become a cult record long since, this early predecessor of the later 'rap' style at least partly was a recycled version of a recording, which had already been made by Griffin in late 1946, only that the 'flying object' then had not been the saucer but the vout bug. Actually flying on this older record was legendary jazz pianist Michael "Dodo" Marmarosa, for whom "Flight of The Vout Bug" - suggesting at least verbally some kind of analogy to Rimsky-Korsakov's "Bumble Bee" - had been written as a miniature concertino for piano and big band. Marmarosa certainly was not unknown then, nor is he today. Yet his many 'flights' on records or transcriptions from the 1940s to the 1960s - including some of Slim Gaillard's humorous excursions into the language of "Vout" - have never been completely documented in a comprehensive and chronological catalogue, which is the task the authors have set themselves with the present publication. The approach to this task is twofold: on one side is a detailed discographical listing of the pianist's known recorded performances and on the other an interpretative survey, which seeks to guide the listener's ear to some of the intrinsic artistic values of Marmarosa's ever-beautiful and highly personal piano style. This is the never before published discography and history of a legendary performer.

Earl Hamner was born July 10, 1923 in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. He became a published writer when he was six years old. His mother submitted a poem he had written to the Richmond Times Dispatch children's page and it was accepted! Today, eighty-one years later he looks back on a career that includes novels, feature films, short stories and television series. He is best known for creating the long running television series The Waltons. Don Sipes had a multifaceted career as a writer and producer in Hollywood, including stints as President of Universal Television, President and COO of MGM Film Company, Chairman and CEO of United Artists Corp., and President of Lorimar Distribution. In 1987 he formed the Don Sipes Organization to produce independent film and television projects. He also wrote the novel The Last Smile. With partner, Earl Hamner, he wrote the novel Murder In Tinseltown, co-produced the series The McGregor Saga and "The Ponder Heart" for Mobil Masterpiece Theater.

In 1956 producer Lyle Griffin released a two-sided single record by the comedian and monologist Richard "Lord" Buckley under the futuristic title "Flight of The Saucer". Having become a cult record long since, this early predecessor of the later 'rap' style at least partly was a recycled version of a recording, which had already been made by Griffin in late 1946, only that the 'flying object' then had not been the saucer but the vout bug. Actually flying on this older record was legendary jazz pianist Michael "Dodo" Marmarosa, for whom "Flight of The Vout Bug" - suggesting at least verbally some kind of analogy to Rimsky-Korsakov's "Bumble Bee" - had been written as a miniature concertino for piano and big band. Marmarosa certainly was not unknown then, nor is he today. Yet his many 'flights' on records or transcriptions from the 1940s to the 1960s - including some of Slim Gaillard's humorous excursions into the language of "Vout" - have never been completely documented in a comprehensive and chronological catalogue, which is the task the authors have set themselves with the present publication. The approach to this task is twofold: on one side is a detailed discographical listing of the pianist's known recorded performances and on the other an interpretative survey, which seeks to guide the listener's ear to some of the intrinsic artistic values of Marmarosa's ever-beautiful and highly personal piano style. This is the never before published discography and history of a legendary performer.

“Just when I think no more books can be written about early Hollywood and its beginning from a personal and intimate perspective, along comes Hollywood Royalty: a Family in Films. The author has taken personal letters written from the hand of a true Hollywood pioneer to his son and woven them into an illuminating view inside one of early Hollywood's most influential families. A rare and unique perspective of a man who shaped the film industry. Intimate details about the Lasky family; Lasky's complex relationship with his wife; with Adolph Zukor, Samuel Goldwyn, Cecil B. DeMille; behind-the-scenes negotiations and development of some of Hollywood's finest classics; and perhaps most interesting, fatherly advice Lasky gives his son about life in general and his son's career in films. The beauty of the book is Silver-Lasky's use of personal letters between Jesse Sr. and Jesse Jr. and her own personal recollections and anecdotes provided her by husband Jesse Jr. Of wide appeal to fans of classic cinema. Beginnings of Hollywood and the film industry, silent films, transition to sound films, day-to-day development of a film (from adaptation to premier).” Kevin Brownlow Film historian/preservationist