Bücher von Ted Okuda

Throughout the 1930s, 40s and 50s, several independent film production companies (referred to a ""poverty row"" studios) turned out hundreds of ""B"" movies--low-budget feature films that were specifically designed to play the bottom half of the double bills. This handy reference focuses on the output of three of these independents--Grand National (1936-1939), Producers Releasing Corporation (1939-1948), and Screen Guild/Lippert (1945-1955). Here are studio histories and details on all their output (title of movie, director, producer, writer, cast, plot, synopsis, running time, release date, and more). Films are covered chronologically by release date.

Long before his momentous teaming with Oliver Hardy, comedian Stan Laurel (1890-1965) was a motion picture star in his own right. From his film debut in Nuts in May (1917) through his final solo starring effort Should Tall Men Marry? (1928), Laurel headlined dozens of short comedies for a variety of producers and production companies, often playing characters far removed from the meek, dimwitted "Stanley" persona that we know and love. This is a film-by-film look at the pictures Stan made as a solo artist, as well as those he wrote and directed for other stars, shows his development as a movie comedian and filmmaker. Comedy legend Jerry Lewis, a longtime friend and admirer of Stan Laurel, provides an affectionate and eloquent foreword. Included are several rare photographs and production stills.