"This book traces composer Kurt Weill's changing relationship with the idea of "America." Throughout his life, Weill was fascinated by the idea of America. His European works such as The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (1930), depict America as a capitalist dystopia filled with gangsters and molls. But in 1935, it became clear that Europe was no longer safe for the Jewish Weill, and he set sail for New World. Once he arrived, he found the culture nothing like he imagined, and his engagement with American culture shifted in intriguing ways. From that point forward, most his works concerned the idea of "America," whether celebrating her successes, or critiquing her shortcomings. As an outsider-turned-insider, Weill's insights into American culture are somewhat unique. He was more attuned than native-born citizens to the difficult relationship America had with her immigrants. However, it took him longer to understand the subtleties in other issues, particularly those surrounding race relations. Weill worked within transnational network of musicians, writers, artists, and other stage professionals, all of whom influenced each other's styles. His personal papers reveal his attempts to navigate not only the shifting tides of American culture, but the specific demands of his institutional and individual collaborators"--

Ann Sheridan was much more than just Hollywood's glamorous and sexy "Oomph Girl." She was also a versatile actress who beguiled movie audiences with her vibrant personality and no-nonsense acting style opposite some of the biggest stars of the time like James Cagney, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, and Errol Flynn. She excelled in multiple genres, including drama, comedy, and musical, with ease and individual style. Several of her movies, like Angels with Dirty Faces, Kings Row, and I Was a Male War Bride endure today as classic films from Hollywood's Golden Age. In this first-ever full-length biography, Ann Sheridan's colorful life and 34-year career are examined in detail, including her long climb to motion picture stardom, the years as a top box-office draw, her three marriages, and other significant romantic relationships.

An award-winning historian surveys the astonishing cast of characters who helped turn Manhattan into the world capital of commerce, communication and entertainment --

For the first decade of her career Leigh appeared as the stereotypical "nice girl." She was cast opposite some of the industry's biggest names including Robert Mitchum in Holiday Affair, Stewart Granger in Scaramouche, James Stewart in The Naked Spur, and Charlton Heston in Touch of Evil. Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho supplied her most memorable role: Marion Crane, who is murdered before the picture is half over. The part earned Leigh an Academy Award nomination. From 1951 to 1962, Leigh was married to favorite co-star Tony Curtis. They had two daughters, Kelly and Jamie Lee Curtis, both of whom followed in their parents' professional footsteps. This book reveals and reflects upon Janet Leigh's life and career and also extensively analyzes her films and television appearances.

Today they stand as enemies, but in the 1950s, few countries were as closely intertwined as Cuba and the United States. Thousands of Americans (including Ernest Hemingway and Errol Flynn) lived on the island, and, in the United States, dancehalls swayed to the mambo beat. The strong-arm Batista regime depended on Washington's support, and it invited American gangsters like Meyer Lansky to build fancy casinos for U.S. tourists. Major league scouts searched for Cuban talent: The New York Giants even offered a contract to a young pitcher named Fidel Castro. In 1955, Castro did come to the United States, but not for baseball: He toured the country to raise money for a revolution. Thomas Paterson tells the fascinating story of Castro's insurrection, from that early fund-raising trip to Batista's fall and the flowering of the Cuban Revolution that has bedeviled the United States for more than three decades. With evocative prose and a swift-moving narrative, Paterson recreates the love-hate relationship between the two nations, then traces the intrigue of the insurgency, the unfolding revolution, and the sources of the Bay of Pigs invasion, CIA assassination plots, and the missile crisis. The drama ranges from the casino blackjack tables to Miami streets; from the Eisenhower and Kennedy White Houses to the crowded deck of the Granma, the frail boat that carried the Fidelistas to Cuba from Mexico; from Batista's fortified palace to mountain hideouts where Rau'l Castro held American hostages. Drawing upon impressive international research, including declassified CIA documents and interviews, Paterson reveals how Washington, fixed on the issue of Communism, failed to grasp the widespread disaffection from Batista. The Eisenhower administration alienated Cubans by supplying arms to a hated regime, by sustaining Cuba's economic dependence, and by conspicuously backing Batista. As Batista self-destructed, U.S. officials launched third-force conspiracies in a vain attempt to block Castro's victory. By the time the defiant revolutionary leader entered Havana in early 1959, the foundation of the long, bitter hostility between Cuba and the United States had been firmly laid. Since the end of the Cold War, the futures of Communist Cuba and Fidel Castro have become clouded. Paterson's gripping and timely account explores the origins of America's troubled relationship with its island neighbor, explains what went wrong and how the United States "let this one get away," and suggests paths to the future as the Clinton administration inches toward less hostile relations with a changing Cuba.

Subject-organised listing of books published in English between 1940 and 1975 which deal with the various aspects of the motion picture. Includes monographs and unpublished doctoral dissertations.