The 1930s: Behind the Scenes

Looking at the great variety of productions that made up the studios' output during the classic period of the early talkies, this history also explores the innovative techniques and exciting collaboration between producers, writers, directors, stars, and studio heads that characterized this golden age. Finler traces the development of key 1930s genres such as the musical, the gangster film, horror, and screwball comedy. The book provides a detailed, behind-the-scenes view of such major productions as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, It Happened One Night, His Girl Friday, Only Angels Have Wings, The Roaring Twenties, and Shanghai Express. Stars and directors featured in depth include Frank Capra, Claudette Colbert, Cary Grant, Cecil B. DeMille, Marlene Dietrich, John Ford, Clark Gable, Alfred Hitchcock, Howard Hawks, and Raoul Walsh, as well as a surprise appearance from Noël Coward.