Hollywood "B" Movies: A Treasury of Spills, Chills & Thrills
()
About this ebook
HOLLYWOOD "B" MOVIES: A Treasury of Spills, Chills and Thrills, focuses on the support features Hollywood produced in that golden era when cinemagoers demanded value for their admittance money. The 250 movies detailed in this book are truly representative of Hollywood's golden age. Hollywood doesn't make movies like this any more (not deliberately anyway) but for the classic film fan, the "B" movie provides a fascinating subject. So what exactly is a "B" movie, and how does it differ from an "A"? Many people today would reply, "A matter of budget!" And that is certainly true to a certain extent. Moviegoers of the time, however, were not nearly as aware of budgets as we are now. For the average moviegoer of previous decades, a "B" movie was simply any movie that a theater advertised in small letters as a "plus" to the main feature. Generally, the support attraction played before Interval, so that patrons would not feel too unhappy if they arrived late and missed the first ten or twenty minutes. Therefore, in the minds of many moviegoers, the "B" was a movie of no extra special entertainment value. To a cinema manager, however, a "B" was any film at all with a running time of less than 70 (or 75) minutes. This short running time meant that the movie could not stand alone, even as a main attraction, because such was the competition between two or three or four cinemas in every neighborhood that yesteryear's patrons demanded the whole show run not less than 3 hours. The distributor (or "film exchange"), however, applied yet another definition. To the exchange, a "B" meant any feature with an entertainment quotient so low it had to be sold to exhibitors at the lowest flat rate possible. This book extensively covers all three of these categories. Of course, patrons did have their favorites. Mysteries were overwhelmingly popular, especially series movies like Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan, Edgar Wallace and Torchy Blane. Westerns and slapstick comedies were also strongly favored in blue-collar neighborhoods, as were the series pictures of Blondie and Maisie. Of course, it sometimes turned out that patrons regarded the "B" feature as more entertaining than the extensively touted "A" attraction, particularly if it was actually an "A" in disguise (a film the exchange had decided to offload at bargain basement rentals). You're in the Navy Now (Gary Cooper), Zaza (Claudette Colbert), Zero Hour! (Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, Sterling Hayden), The Young Stranger (James MacArthur, Kim Hunter), Without Honor (Laraine Day), The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap (Abbott and Costello), Whistling in Brooklyn (Red Skelton), What Next, Corporal Hargrove? (Robert Walker), Western Union (Randolph Scott), Tropic Zone (Ronald Reagan, Rhonda Fleming), Trooper Hook (Joel McCrea, Barbara Stanwyck), That Certain Woman (Bette Davis, Henry Fonda), and Texas Carnival (Esther Williams, Howard Keel, Ann Miller), were just some of many films offloaded by distributors, as detailed in the book. In many cases, the bargain price reflected neither the movie's extensive budget nor its entertainment value. With both Scaramouche (Stewart Granger, Eleanor Parker, Janet Leigh, Mel Ferrer) and The Doughgirls (Ann Sheridan, Alexis Smith, Jane Wyman) for instance, it was the title itself that held no appeal to patrons or exhibitors; Way Out West (Laurel and Hardy) was disadvantaged by its short running time; White Tie and Tails (one of the best "B" movies ever made) by the studio's decision to cast perennial heavy Dan Duryea as the hero. Romance in Manhattan, a Ginger Rogers vehicle, was also saddled with an unpopular lead (Francis Lederer); a movie titled Abilene Town appealed to Texans but was a dead loss in Vermont; and those little gems, Death on the Diamond (Robert Young), Kind Lady (Ethel Barrymore), and Kid Glove Killer (Van Heflin, Marsha Hunt) were simply undone by the mere fact that they were products of MGM's "B" unit.
John Howard Reid
Author of over 100 full-length books, of which around 60 are currently in print, John Howard Reid is the award-winning, bestselling author of the Merryll Manning series of mystery novels, anthologies of original poetry and short stories, translations from Spanish and Ancient Greek, and especially books of film criticism and movie history. Currently chief judge for three of America's leading literary contests, Reid has also written the textbook, "Write Ways To Win Writing Contests".
Read more from John Howard Reid
Hollywood Movie Musicals: Great, Good and Glamorous Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWESTERNS: A Guide to the Best (and Worst) Western Movies on DVD Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings"B" Movies, Bad Movies, Good Movies Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5MOVIE WESTERNS Hollywood Films the Wild, Wild West Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHollywood's Classic Comedies: 200 Fun-Filled Films Rated & Reviewed Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBest Western Movies: Winning Pictures, Favorite Films and Hollywood "B" Entries Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsScience-Fiction & Fantasy Cinema: Classic Films of Horror, Sci-Fi & the Supernatural Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Movies Magnificent: 150 Must-See Cinema Classics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHOLLYWOOD CLASSICS Index of Movie Titles BOOKS 1-16: "A" - "Z" Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSilent Films & Early Talkies on DVD: A Classic Movie Fan's Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Films Famous, Fanciful, Frolicsome & Fantastic: Classic Movies from Cinema's Golden Age Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProphet, Priest and King: A Novel of King Solomon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMovies International: America's Best, Britain's Finest Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCinemaScope Four: M-G-M MOVIES Light Up the Screen Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHollywood Classics Title Index to All Movies Reviewed in Books 1: 24 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHollywood's Miracles of Movie Entertainment: Classic Films from a Golden Era Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThese Great Movies Won No Hollywood Awards: A Film-Lover's Guide to the Best of the Rest Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMovie Mystery & Suspense Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYour Colossal Main Feature Plus Full Supporting Program: Over 175 Classic Hollywood Movies Examined Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGreat Hollywood Westerns: Classic Pictures, Must-See Movies & "B" Films Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bible Wisdom: PSALMS of Praise & Power Newly Translated from the Greek Old Testament Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Memorable Films of the Forties Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGreat Cinema Detectives: Best Movies of Mystery, Suspense & Film Noir Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAward-Winning Films of the 1930s Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCinemaScope One: Stupendous in 'Scope Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAardvarks in the Clouds and Other Flights of Fancy: 55 Humorous Poems Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSuccess in the Cinema: The Money-Making Movies, The Critics' Choices & the Audience Favorites Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMore Movie Musicals: 100 Best Films plus 20 "B" Pix Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPOPULAR PICTURES of the Hollywood 1940s Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Hollywood "B" Movies
Related ebooks
Son of the 100 Best Movies You've Never Seen Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHollywood's Miracles of Movie Entertainment: Classic Films from a Golden Era Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Baby Boomer Horror and SciFi Movie Trivia Book Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsForgotten Horrors 4: Dreams That Money Can Buy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGods of Grindhouse: Interviews with Exploitation Filmmakers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Science-Fiction & Fantasy Cinema: Classic Films of Horror, Sci-Fi & the Supernatural Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Close-up on Sunset Boulevard: Billy Wilder, Norma Desmond, and the Dark Hollywood Dream Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Frightmares: A History of British Horror Cinema Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDracula's Daughter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSilent Films & Early Talkies on DVD: A Classic Movie Fan's Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Hollywood Scandal Almanac: 12 Months of Sinister, Salacious and Senseless History! Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Movie Mystery & Suspense Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Golden Age of Hollywood Movies 1931-1943: Vol III, Jean Harlow Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSilent Serial Sensations: The Wharton Brothers and the Magic of Early Cinema Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Imperfect Storm: From Henry Street to Hollywood Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCrazy, Crazy Hollywood Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOffbeat: British Cinema’s Curiosities, Obscurities and Forgotten Gems Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5She Could Be Chaplin!: The Comedic Brilliance of Alice Howell Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Peter Lorre (Midnight Marquee Actors Series) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHollywood Snapshots: The Forgotten Interviews Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Horror Guys Guide to the Horror Films of Roger Corman: HorrorGuys.com Guides Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCult Cinema: An Introduction Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIncorrect Entertainment or Trash from the Past Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrends of Terror 2019: 131 Slapstick Gore Movies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsForgotten Hollywood Forgotten History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hard-Boiled Hollywood: Crime and Punishment in Postwar Los Angeles Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Decades of Terror 2019: 2000's Psychological Horror: Decades of Terror 2019: Psychological Horror, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMurder by Design: The Unsane Cinema of Dario Argento Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHooked on Hollywood: Discoveries from a Lifetime of Film Fandom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Industries For You
INSPIRED: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sweet Success: A Simple Recipe to Turn your Passion into Profit Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Uncanny Valley: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5YouTube Secrets: The Ultimate Guide to Growing Your Following and Making Money as a Video I Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Grocery: The Buying and Selling of Food in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary and Analysis of The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals 1: Based on the Book by Michael Pollan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEnergy: A Beginner's Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Market Gardener: A Successful Grower's Handbook for Small-Scale Organic Farming Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5YouTube 101: The Ultimate Guide to Start a Successful YouTube channel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How We Do Harm: A Doctor Breaks Ranks About Being Sick in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Music Law: How to Run Your Band's Business Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Best Story Wins: How to Leverage Hollywood Storytelling in Business & Beyond Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Writing into the Dark: How to Write a Novel Without an Outline: WMG Writer's Guides, #6 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Deal of the Century: The Breakup of AT&T Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kochland: The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary and Analysis of The Case Against Sugar: Based on the Book by Gary Taubes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Scientific Advertising Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Remainders of the Day: A Bookshop Diary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Artpreneur: The Step-by-Step Guide to Making a Sustainable Living From Your Creativity Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5
Reviews for Hollywood "B" Movies
0 ratings0 reviews