3 books found
Widely acclaimed as a horror movie actress, Fay Wray is best remembered for her performances in King Kong and four other classic 1930s film thrillers, Doctor X, The Most Dangerous Game, Mystery of the Wax Museum and The Vampire Bat. Yet Wray appeared in 77 feature films between 1925 and 1958, playing leading roles in 67. Many of her films, including her entire silent film output, have been lost or are available only on a limited basis. This heavily illustrated filmography at last makes obvious her sizeable contribution to the film industry. After an overview of her professional acting career, the filmography is divided into three sections. The first introduces Wray's early silent feature film appearances; the second covers her "leading lady" period in popular horror thrillers and other films in the sound era; and the third covers her latter-day supporting roles. Appendices document her work in film shorts and her television appearances. Commentary throughout includes first-person interviews with Fay Wray.
The headline of the Variety extra on October 27, 1926, proclaimed "Vitaphone1 Thrills L.A.!" Vitaphone, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. formed in association with Western Electric, was one of the major producers of talkies, even though its sound-on-disc technology barely lasted four years. The Vitaphone features and shorts that have survived intact, or that have been so carefully restored, preserve much of the show business history that might otherwise have been lost with the industry's fast-paced advances in movie making. This book is a catalogue of Vitaphone features and shorts. The first section lists the features and shorts by release number. The New York productions (1926-1940) are listed first, followed by the West Coast productions (1927-1970). For shorts, the following particulars, if known and if applicable, are given: title, alternate title(s), instrumental and vocal selections performed on screen, composer(s) and performers of instrumental and vocal selections, release date and synopsis of the film, names of major cast members and directors, set information if two or fewer sets were used, and the amount paid to early performers. For features, entries list release dates, genre, and major cast members. The section on performers includes only those who appeared in shorts, listing dates and places of birth when known.