David O. Selznick's Hollywood Book

This is a history of the career of David O. Selznik in the film business from 1913-1965. These 50 years coincide with the rise of prominence of the American motion picture, both as an industry and as an art form. His most active years, 1932 to 1958 correspond to what most historians generally acknowledge as Hollywood's second Golden Age, the most creative and productive period in its 75 years history as a film production center. Selznick's significance during these years has been attributed to his production of 'Gone With the Wind,' obscuring his other accomplishments, both as picturemaker and as a creative and innovative businessman. The artistic and the financial came together in Selznick. Selznick's sensibilities were shaped by the forces of the new century: writers such as Michael Arlen. Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Ben Hecht, George S. Kaufman, and Edna Ferber...strong idiomatic voices that spoke eloquently, humorously, sarcastically, and romantically about new ideas and new attitudes...and the purveyors of this modern popular culture: tabloid journalism, mass circulation magazines, 4-color printing, and, of course, the movies.Read More