Performing Arts, History & Criticism 

A celebration of cinema from the year 1939--a year film critics and historians are virtually unanimous in considering the greatest in the history of motion pictures--this work is the perfect combination of film history, artistic appreciation, historical insight, and gossip. Profiling of six of the greatest films of the year--Gone with the Wind, Stagecoach, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Wizard of Oz--the book shows, in detail, how these stories came into being and how long they waited to find fame. It also describes the behind-the-scenes story of each film: how the stories were adapted to a film script; the writers, producers, directors, actors, and technicians who made the film; how the film was received by critics and the public; and the later careers of the people who made the film, with commentary on such legendary stars as Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, and Judy Garland. A must-have book that no movie fan should miss, this work captures 1930s Hollywood--an era which, in spite of being crass, commercial, restrictive, and frequently dysfunctional, produced immensely enjoyable films that are still watched with pleasure today. 

Contents: Gone with the Wind --
Stagecoach --
Mr. Smith goes to Washington --
The Hound of the Baskervilles --
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn --
The Wizard of Oz.