Includes bibliographical references (p. [555]-557) and index.
Contents:
Pt. I: Stars and the factory system. The factory ; The star machine process ; Product and type ; Malfunctions -- Pt. II: Problems for the system: the human factor. Disillusionment: Tyrone Power ; Disobedience: Lana Turner and Errol Flynn ; Defection: Deanna Durbin and Jean Arthur ; Disentanglement: Loretta Young, Irene Dunne, Norma Shearer ; Detachment: Charles Boyer and William Powell -- Pt. III: Testing the system. Bonuses : oddities and character actors ; Retooling for WWII ; Stardom without the machine.
Summary:
Film studies authority Basinger gives us an entertaining look into the "star machine," examining how, at the height of the studio system, from the 1930s to the 1950s, the studios manufactured star actors and actresses. She shows us how the machine worked when it worked, how it failed when it didn't, and how irrelevant it could sometimes be. She gives us the "human factor," case studies focusing on big stars groomed into the system: the "awesomely beautiful" (and disillusioned) Tyrone Power; the seductive, disobedient Lana Turner; and a dazzling cast of others--Loretta Young, Errol Flynn, Irene Dunne, Deanna Durbin. She anatomizes their careers, showing how their fame happened, and what happened to them as a result. (Both Turner and Flynn, for instance, were involved in notorious court cases.) In conclusion, she explains what has become of the star machine and why the studios' practice is no longer relevant.--From publisher description.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.