They dwell in darkness, craving human flesh, thirsting for human blood. Only one man can stop them and keep them from infecting the world--and he is too paralyzed with fear to act. Schoell is also the author of Late at Night.
Photographer Eddie Drake jumped at the chance to join an archaeological expedition to the lost city of El Lobo. But he was utterly unprepared for their bizarre discovery of seemingly endless caverns beneath the Mexican mesa--caverns formed of living flesh!
On the eve of World War II, Steven Russell sells his soul to the devil for guaranteed safety in combat, but forty years later his wife, Marjorie, still wonders if her missing husband is dead or alive
This work offers a critical, colorful and informative examination of different types of monster movies, spanning the silent period to today. Chapter One focuses on dragons, dinosaurs, and other scaly giants from films like 1953's The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, an impressive stop-motion production that ushered in a new era of atomic-spawned monster films. Chapter Two examines "big bug" flicks, beginning with 1954's giant ant-infested Them! Chapter Three focuses on ordinary animals grown to improbable proportions through scientific or sinister experimentation, such as the huge octopus in 1955's It Came from Beneath the Sea. Chapters Four, Five, and Six look at films in which nature goes berserk, and otherwise innocuous animals flock, swarm, hop or run about on a menacingly massive scale, including 1963's The Birds and 1972's Frogs. Finally, Chapter Seven focuses on films featuring beasts that defy easy definition, such as 1958's The Blob and Fiend Without a Face.
A biography of the nineteenth-century Frenchman whose childhood love of literature, science, and adventure, along with his vivid imagination, led him to become a highly successful science fiction author.
Martini Man goes beyond the simple caricature of the boozy lounge singer with a penchant for racy humor to reveal the substantive man behind that mask. Although Martin's movie roles receive in-depth attention in this incisive biography, as does his career-defining partnership with Jerry Lewis, details of Dino's personal life also abound, such as how Shierly MacLaine dropped by his house "to tell Dean she was in love with him-even though his wife was in the other room." William Schoell's chronicle is a sympathetic portrait that recreates the life and times of one of America's favorite entertainers.
One of our most passionate and gifted actors, Al Pacino has been riveting audiences for decades with performances in everything from The Godfather to Angels in America to Danny Collins. He has also appeared on the stage, tackling such difficult roles as Richard III, King Herod and Shylock, along with parts in contemporary dramas like Glengarry Glen Ross. Pacino has also directed two documentaries and two feature films. Aspects of Pacino's private life and film choices can be controversial. Often accused of a lack of subtlety or of "chewing the scenery," his mesmeric intensity galvanizes fans and divides critics, as do his Shakespearean interpretations. In its completely revised second edition, this book critically reevaluates his many onscreen and onstage roles. Pacino is an actor who cannot be ignored.
1969 was Robert Redford's breakout year, when he starred with Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Since that time he was continuously successful, either as an actor or director. His concern for the environment, particularly in the American West, has made him an important spokesman for conservation, often lending his name to causes and charities that help support preservation and endangered species. This comprehensive biography is based on extensive interviews with friends and colleagues, as well as assistance provided by Redford himself.
In the late 1500s in Florence, aristocrats of the Renaissance renovated classical Greek dramas into dramatic musicals and gave birth to the first operas. After centuries of transformation, the opera is still appreciated as a historically dynamic paradigm of the fine arts. Composers of the twentieth century have worked hard to fashion a voice distinct from the romantic composers of the nineteenth century and the traditions that preceded them, and this volume explores the extent of their success. Beginning with a thorough introduction to the history of operatic forms and transformation, this book presents a comprehensive discussion of twentieth century opera. Giving ear to many composers and many styles--romantic and modern and assorted variations--the discussion includes such globally renowned composers as Strauss, Puccini, Prokofiev and Mascagni, as well as the esoteric works of less famous composers. Spanning as it does from Puccini's Tosca and Charpentier's Louise to Heggie's Dead Man Walking and Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles, twentieth century operatic form has something for every taste. The discussion is therefore structured chronologically and directed at exploring this complex diversity and ingenuity of twentieth-century styles. Examples from across the globe and firsthand commentary from contemporary operatic professionals complement the discussion. Concluding chapters comment upon the operatic presence in the twenty-first century and the future of operatic forms.
WILLIAM SCHOELL is the author of many books on pop culture, film and the performing arts, as well as biographies. His film and pop culture books include Comic Book Heroes of the Screen; The Nightmare Never Ends: The Official History of Freddy Kruger and the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' Films; Creature Features: Nature Turned Nasty in the Movies and Stay Out of the Shower, the first book to look at Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" and its influence. His biographies include the natonal bestseller The Rat Pack: Neon Nights with the Kings of Cool; Martini Man: The Life of Dean Martin and The Sundance Kid: The Life of Robert Redford. as well as studies of such figures as Jules Verne, Edgar Allan Poe, Giuseppi Verdi, H. P. Lovecraft, Dorothy Dandridge, and Sammy Davis Jr. for young adults. His novels include Fatal Beauty, The Pact, The Dragon, Late at Night and Saurian. Schoell is a native New Yorker.
From the Golden Age of the 1940s, through the Silver Age of the '60s, up until the early '80s--the end of the Bronze Age. Included are the earliest series, like American Comics Group's Adventures into the Unknown and Prize Comics' Frankenstein, and the controversial and gory comics of the '40s, such as EC's infamous and influential Tales from the Crypt. The resurgence of monster-horror titles during the '60s is explored, along with the return of horror anthologies like Dell Comics' Ghost Stories and Charlton's Ghostly Tales from the Haunted House. The explosion of horror titles following the relaxation of the comics code in the '70s is fully documented with chapters on Marvel's prodigious output--The Tomb of Dracula, Werewolf by Night and others--DC's anthologies--Witching Hour and Ghosts--and titles such as Swamp Thing, as well as the notable contributions of firms like Gold Key and Atlas. This book examines how horror comics exploited everyday terrors, and often reflected societal attitudes toward women and people who were different.
Joan Crawford: The Essential Biography explores the life and career of one of Hollywood's great dames. She was a leading film personality for more than fifty years, from her beginnings as a dancer in silent films of the 1920s, to her portrayals of working-class shop girls in the Depression thirties, to her Oscar-winning performances in classic films such as Mildred Pierce. Crawford's legacy has become somewhat tarnished in the wake of her daughter Christina's memoir, Mommie Dearest, which turned her into a national joke. Today, many picture Crawford only as a wire hanger-wielding shrew rather than the personification of Hollywood glamour. This new biography of Crawford sets the record straight, going beyond the gossip to find the truth about the legendary actress. The authors knew Crawford well and conducted scores of interviews with her and many of her friends and co-stars, including Frank Capra, George Cukor, Nicholas Ray, and Sidney Greenstreet. Far from a whitewash -- Crawford was indeed a colorful and difficult character -- Joan Crawford corrects many lies and tells the story of one of Hollywood's most influential stars, complete with on-set anecdotes and other movie lore. Through extensive interviews, in-depth analysis, and evaluation of her films and performances -- both successes and failures -- Lawrence J. Quirk and William Schoell present Crawford's story as both an appreciation and a reevaluation of her extraordinary life and career. Filled with new interviews, Joan Crawford tells the behind-the-scenes story of the Hollywood icon. Lawrence J. Quirk is the author of many books on film, including Bob Hope: The Road Well-Traveled. William Schoell is the author of several entertainment-related books, including Martini Man: The Life of Dean Martin.
The Rat Pack -- Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop -- had talent, money, and power to burn. They also had something else even more important. They had fun.
Arthur Crimes is a small-town publisher who discovers the dead body of an elderly millionaire near an isolated swimming hole. Having once worked with his uncle, a private investigator, Arthur decides to try and find the murderer with the help of his good friend, Eve, a true crime author who is, frankly, hoping to get another book deal. But as they weed through a surprising number of suspects, is someone else observing everything they do, waiting for the right moment to strike ... WILLIAM SCHOELL is the prolific author of many novels, biographies, books on the performing arts and pop culture. As CHRISTIAN GRIMM and ENRCIO ARRIVEDERCI he has written two light-hearted cozy mysteries: THE ABSOLUTELY APPALLING OPERA MURDERS and PRIVATE CRIMES.
Edgar Allan Poe's life story is so full of dramatic twists and turns, it seems the master of the macabre could have penned it himself. His father deserted the family when Edgar was just a baby, and his mother died before he turned three. The wealthy Richmond merchant who raised Edgar never understood the highly sensitive and mercurial boy, and their relationship was one of endless feuds. Seeking direction, Poe attended the University of Virginia for one term, left school to join the army, and then left the army for West Point Military Academy. When he failed to finish at West Point, his surrogate father refused to support him any longer and Poe was left to fend for himself. A brilliant but erratic editor, Poe moved from magazine to magazine writing scathing book reviews that built up his reputation while infuriating the writers he so brutally railed. Along the way, Poe found time to write the horror stories and poems that left such an indelible mark on American literature. Poe's life was tragic in many ways, and came to an unfortunate early end. But his work has endured, and it remains influential and often imitated. Mystery and Terror: The Story of Edgar Allan Poe will fascinate a new generation of Poe readers as it brings the complex man and his struggles to life. Book jacket.
SUPERHEROIC: THE BRONZE AGE OF COMICS VOLUME TWO follows SUPERHUMAN: THE BRONZE AGE OF COMICS VOLUME ONE. This volume covers IRON MAN, GREEN LANTERN, CAPTAIN AMERICA, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, SUPERMAN and his supporting cast, FANTASTIC FOUR, DAREDEVIL, THE DEFENDERS, WORLD'S FINEST, SUPERMAN FAMILY, JACK KIRBY'S FOURTH WORLD series and many, many other titles and heroes, including characters published by ATLAS, RED CIRCLE/ARCHIE and others. Each chapter looks at the most memorable issues, writers, and artists, detailing how "relevance" and social issues began to affect the comics of the seventies even as most of them remained colorful fun. WILLIAM SCHOELL is the author of THE SILVER AGE OF COMICS, COMIC BOOK HEROES OF THE SCREEN, and many other books on popular culture.
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