Books about the Hollywood Golden Age/Studio system

[RipplePlease]

Currently listening to, and loving, Table for Two by Anor Towles. The last section of the book is based around the studio system of the 1930s.
Ant recommendations please? Would prefer fiction.

The Seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo is great.

@QueenOfToast
Yes it is great but I’ve read it!

Many moons ago I read Talking Pictures by Barry Norman which I seem to remember dealt with the Golden Age even though it goes up to the 1980’s. I’d say any good book about Marilyn Monroe will talk in depth about the studio system too.

Dark crime- The LA quartet by James Ellroy
Suspects by David Thompson; one of my favourite books-links great noir films by a narrative.
Non fiction-Hollywood Babylon by Kenneth Anger. Scurrilous, gossipy and readable. Unreliable author-though he was a child star.
David Thompson's non.fiction books- the whole equation. History of Hollywood.
The Sewing Circle by Axel Madrell. The alleged stories of famous closeted lesbians.

Oh and Moviola by Garson Kanin, who was a famous screenwriter in the day. I loved this when I was younger.

William J Mann's Tinseltown is nonfiction and set at the end of the silent era but it is a cracking read.

I haven't read it but it sounds appropriate - I Lost My Girlish Laughter by Jane Allen is a novel about Hollywood written in the 1930s.

David Niven wrote a couple of memoirs one called Bring on the Empty Horses that cover the “Golden Age of Hollywood “. I read it years ago but remember enjoying it.

Could I give an anti-recommendation (sorry, I'm sure there's a better word but my brain has switched off)? Adriana Trigiani's All the Stars in the Heavens (I think) is about film stars but didn't go in the direction I expected. She uses a lot of real people as main characters in the story and something one of the people involved later said was non consensual was portrayed in the book as a great romance. I gave up before the end, and I usually enjoy her books.

I really enjoyed Shirley Temple's autobiography!

I Lost My Girlish Laughter is a fun read - one of the authors ('Jane Allen' was a pseudonym for two writers) was David O. Selznick's former secretary so it was pretty accurate.

I'd also add the classic Hollywood novel, Budd Schulberg's What Makes Sammy Run? It was based on the story of his own father, who was an early Hollywood mogul.

On a lighter note there’s a whole series of detective fiction novels featuring sleuth Toby Peters by Stuart M. Kaminsky. They’re all set in and around the Hollywood film studios and feature real movie stars. They’re not too serious and good fun - plus there are 24 of them!

Thanks all, I’ve now got lots to explore 🙂

I'm a bit late to the party but I've had this on my shelf for a bit, non-fiction featuring copies of letters sent by golden age movie stars, directors etc. Not read it yet but it looks interesting!

A Backstage Betrayal - Michael Ball

• Yes, written by Michael Ball of musical
• fame, but it’s actually quite good.

(not sure where the bullet points came from)

I was going to suggest I, Cheetah

tongue in cheek biography of the chimp that played Tarzans sidekick

@Bruisername
I loved Cheetah!!
It’s that type of thing in after.

If you find something similar please let me know!!

I really enjoy Kanin's work. He also wrote a fascinating memoir called 'Hollywood' (he worked for Samuel Goldwyn, back in the day), and another one called Tracy and Hepburn (he was friends with them both). All of them are available on Kindle.

Blonde by Joyce Carole Oates - based on Marilyn Monroe.