Headed, "A critical look at the film world", the following review by John Weyland of "POPULAR MOTION PICTURES of the Hollywood 1940s", was published in 'The West Australian", that state's leading, high-circulation newspaper: "Popular Motion Pictures of the Hollywood 1940s" is a minor masterpiece in the film book genre. Although the author finds much excellence in the films he has chosen, he is also not afraid to criticize harshly. A fine example of Reid's vitriol comes with his review of Mr Ace, which starred George Raft and Sylvia Sidney: "It's unbelievably dull. Makes you wonder how any producer not madly besotted with his leading lady would agree to finance such a tepid, actionless, talky screenplay. As a political drama, it packs no punches, as romantic fluff, it generates no heat." Generally, however, Reid finds much to admire in the films he writes about. He is a full-fledged movie buff, but not a drooling one. His selections range from Son of Dracula ("a minor masterpiece of the 'B' Gothic cinema") to Tarzan Triumphs ("the climax in which Johnny Weissmuller taunts the Nazi before leading him to a gruesome death, has a prolonged, psychologically violent intensity rare in the kiddies' matinee movie"). All told, more than 150 films are featured in this surprising book. They all contain exhaustive information on credits, casts, box-office figures and release dates. The Sea Hawk is here. So are Raffles, Mildred Pierce, Lulu Belle, Mrs Miniver, Andy Hardy, Charlie Chan, Kit Carson, Roxie Hart, The Gay Sisters, The Marx Brothers, Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Roy Rogers, My Friend Flicka and The Howards of Virginia, to name but a few.

Headed, "Much to entertain for the film buffs", the following review by Peter Dean of "POPULAR MOTION PICTURES of the Hollywood 1940s" appeared in "The Courier-Mail" newspaper when this book was first published: This sixth book in the Hollywood Classics series is as pertinent, illuminating and controversial as its immediate predecessor, "Memorable Films of the Forties". It has been compiled by the informed and charismatic John Howard Reid. I suspect that Reid and his researchers are heavily male because many inoffensive and obliging actors are labeled dull. Walter Pidgeon, for one. The antipathy exhibited towards him in "Memorable Films of the Forties" is continued, even when he earns a left-handed compliment for his performance in "How Green Was My Valley", in which (while dull, of course) he was "brilliantly cast". Reid labels Jon Hall as colorless; Don Ameche, boringly brash; Alan Curtis, pathetically wooden; George Brent, stiff as a board; Joseph Calleia, hammy; Gig Young, dreary; Richard Carlson, ludicrous; Lewis Stone's Judge Hardy, nauseous; Gregory Peck, "no more than adequate" as Father Francis Chisholm in "Keys of the Kingdom"; and Cary Grant, "atrociously miscast" in Frank Lloyd's spectacular 1940 production of "The Howards of Virginia". On the other hand, Reid finds Spencer Tracy, Gene Lockhart, Claude Rains, Cedric Hardwicke, Raymond Massey, Norman Lloyd, Jack Carson, Bruce Bennett, Zachary Scott, Lionel Barrymore, John Garfield, Adolphe Menjou, David Niven, Dudley Digges, John Hodiak, Wendell Corey, Ronald Colman, William Bendix and Noel Coward consistently pleasing. There’s little to argue about there. Proving gallantry isn't dead, Reid expresses warm regards for a swag of actresses, including Linda Darnell, Dorothy Lamour, Ilona Massey, Marilyn Monroe, Barbara Stanwyck, Ann Blyth, Ginger Rogers, Jean Arthur, Doris Day, Katharine Hepburn and most particularly Alice Faye ("so electrifying") and the incomparable Ingrid Bergman, both of whom, in Reid's eyes, could do no wrong. In his review of "Keys of the Kingdom", Reid provides a most interesting section on how Hollywood used to pander to the vested interests of organized religion, particularly the Catholic Church. Reid describes the movie as a milksop version of A.J. Cronin’s novel.Read less

1. Print length156 pages
2. LanguageEnglish
3. Publication dateJune 4, 2010
4. File size2400 KB

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• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003PPDA8Q
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lulu; Second edition (June 4, 2010)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 4, 2010
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 2400 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supposrted
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 156 pages
  
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