The Star Machine - Softcover

"Startling. . . . An enormous new book of star lore . . . Basinger nestles with almost delicious comfort into the intimate procedures of star manufacture."
--The New Yorker

"Luxurious, often delicious. . . . Ms. Basinger tells her story with her customary verve and sass-she's the Rosalind Russell of film historians."
--The New York Observer

"Entertaining and informative. . . . [Basinger], whose enthusiasm for movies is reflected on every page, has a deft way of encapsulating the kernel of an actor's attraction."
--Chicago Sun-Times

"Engaging. . . . Smart, deeply researched but also chatty and fast-flowing. . . . Basinger's study of the studios' relentless spin control makes an instructive prism through which to view long skeins of Hollywood film history."
--Los Angeles Times

An entertaining compilation of Hollywood lore, trivia, and analysis provides a close-up look at the golden era of filmmaking and the creation of stars at the height of the studio system, from the 1930s to the 1950s, explaining how the star machine worked, the grooming of actors, and the careers of such actors as Tyrone Power, Errol Flynn, Lana Turner, and others. Reprint. 15,000 first printing.