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Larger than life : movie stars of the 1950s / edited by R. Barton Palmer.
- Format:
- Book
- Series:
- Star decades: American culture/American cinema.
- Star decades: American culture/American cinema
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Motion picture actors and actresses--United States--Biography.
- Motion picture actors and actresses.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (295 p.)
- Edition:
- 1st ed.
- Place of Publication:
- New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, c2010.
- Language Note:
- English
- Summary:
- The constellation of Hollywood stars burned brightly in the 1950's, even as the industry fell on hard economic times. Major artists of the 1940's--James Stewart, Jerry Lewis, and Gregory Peck--continued to exert a magical appeal but the younger generation of moviegoers was soon enthralled by an emerging cast, led by James Dean and Marlon Brando. They, among others, ushered in a provocative acting style, "the Method," bringing hard-edged, realistic performances to the screen. Adult-oriented small-budget dramas were ideal showcases for Method actors, startlingly realized when Brando seized the screen in On the Waterfront. But, with competition from television looming, Hollywood also featured film-making of epic proportion--Ben-Hur and other cinema wonders rode onto the screen with amazing spectacle, making stars of physically impressive performers such as Charlton Heston. Larger Than Life offers a comprehensive view of the star system in 1950's Hollywood and also in-depth discussions of the decade's major stars, including Montgomery Clift, Judy Holliday, Jerry Lewis, James Mason, Marilyn Monroe, Kim Novak, Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly, Jayne Mansfield, and Audrey Hepburn.
- Contents:
- Front matter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction: Stardom in the 1950's / Palmer, R. Barton
- 1. Montgomery Clift: Hollywood Pseudohomosexual / Pugh, Tison / Sandler, Barry
- 2. Charlton Heston and Gregory Peck: Organization Men / Palmer, R. Barton
- 3. James Stewart and James Dean: The Darkness Within / Pomerance, Murray
- 4. James Mason: A Star Is Born Bigger Than Life / Lawrence, Amy
- 5. Reflexivity and Metaperformance: Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, and Kim Novak / Solomon, Matthew
- 6. Audrey Hepburn: The Film Star as Event / Brown, William A.
- 7. Doris Day and Rock Hudson: The Girl Next Door and the Brawny He-Man / Hirsch, Foster
- 8. Marlon Brando: Actor, Star, Liar / White, Susan
- 9. Jerry Lewis: From Hamlet to Clown / Krutnik, Frank
- 10. Judy Holliday: The Hungry Star / Wojcik, Pamela Robertson
- 11. What a Swell Party This Was: Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra / McLean, Adrienne L.
- In the Wings / Palmer, R. Barton
- Works Cited
- Contributors
- Index
- Notes:
- Description based upon print version of record.
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- ISBN:
- 1-283-38317-9
- 1-78034-790-1
- 9786613383174
- 0-8135-4994-9
- OCLC:
- 770874207
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