Leading Men: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actors of the Studio Era

Leading Men: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actors of the Studio Era
Tough, sophisticated, witty, and handsome—from Rudolph Valentino to Buster Keaton, Cary Grant to Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart to Steve McQueen, each of the actors featured in this book brought a magnetic presence to the screen and made a powerful and enduring mark on film history. Produced by Turner Classic Movies, this stylish and definitive guide as the inside scoop and off-the-record reveals of fifty unforgettable actors and is also the focus of a month-long film festival on the channel. The lives and accomplishments of each actor are celebrated in an insightful career overview, accompanied by an annotated list of essential films, filmographies, behind the scenes facts, Academy Award wins and nominations. Full of surprising trivia, film stills, posters, and stunning photos, Leading Men pays tribute to the most charismatic, enduring, and elegant actors of the silver screen—an essential resource for movie buffs and pop-culture enthusiasts alike.
Customer Review: Should have used bolder type for the text...otherwise fine...
The only real drawback to LEADING MEN is the decision to use very light, hard to read font for the text instead of bold print that would stand out and make reading about the various stars more accessible. Even with reading glasses, I find it a strain to read the text unless I'm under a very strong light. This is the only criticism I have of the book as a whole. The photos chosen for the various players are excellent, the text is concise and to the point, and all of the "essential" films of each actor are pretty much on the mark with a few exceptions. Since these kind of subjective lists never please everyone, I'm sure some will quibble over the omission of their favorite actor. A good book of its kind, but the text problem using light font is a big no no as I see it and prevents me from giving it the higher rating it would have deserved. The same flaw appeared in LEADING LADIES, where again the font used for the text was too light which made reading the text a chore instead of a pleasure. You'd think they would have learned from the first printing.
Customer Review: Great Info
This is a quality release from Turner Classic Movies. The book includes, TCMs picks of the actor's greatest movies (with synopsizes), selected facts, and a small biography on each of the 50 stars. If you have a soft spot for classic movies and their stars, this is a great book. It is written in the same format of the 50 Most Unforgettable Actresses, which I also give high marks.