1 comments about Musical Theater: An Appreciation.

1. I just had musical theatre with Dr. McLamore and used her book as a textbook for the class. I joked with all my friends that this is the type of book I would by in stores for "fun" reading.
   
   It really is a great look at the history of musical theatre going back to the early Operas. It's nice to see a book back up that far and show where the roots of musical theatre are found. I have never found that in another book on musical theatre so this ones definetely a wonderful book to have.
   
   The book explores many musicals in detail complete with a plot synopsis of many of them and a deeper examination of some of the songs within them.
   
   It is really an amazing book. Any musical theatre fan would benefit from reading it:)

No comments about The Value of Names and Other Plays.

1 comments about Black Eden: The Idlewild Community (Michigan).

1. This book brings forth information on another aspect of African American history that has been overlooked. When most people talk about Blacks and Michigan, they automatically think of Detroit. This is a very narrow view. Drs. Walker and Wilson have written other books on the Black presence in the Great Lakes State and "Black Eden" is another chapter in the ever-evolving story. Besides some technical information that many people might find useless, the story of Idlewild involves many famous African Americans. W.E.B. Du Bois, Daniel Hale Williams, and Madam C. J. Walker all vacationed at this resort; some even owned land there. Often referred to as the Apollo of Michigan, Idlewild showcased the best in Black talent. Segregation allowed the venue to be a staple on the now renowned "chitlin curcuit". Integration took some, if not all, of that away.
   "Black Eden" is also the story of regular, hardworking Black folk who would pack up the car and take the family on a weekend of fun and relaxation at the beach. Part of it is a people's history. Part of it is the rise of the Black celebrity. I believe that this book has a place on any bookshelf.

3 comments about The Essential Bogosian: Talk Radio, Drinking in America, FunHouse and Men Inside.

1. I bought this book at the theatre after recently seeing a production of Talk Radio with Liev Schreiber. I really enjoyed the play and also the monologues. With virtually no props and simple dialogue (the way people really talk), Mr. Bogosian creates realistic slices of life. I was reminded of the plays of David Mamet, another favorite, especially Glen Garry GlenRoss, which I also saw two years ago starring Mr. Schreiber. You see the average person trying to cope with world class problems and seemingly getting no help from God, the government, the past, and passers-by. Both playwrights with few words can draw out the audience's deepest feelings. I love this kind of work.



2. In a very good condition, looks like new.



3. This is a great book for anyone who loves comedic theatr

5 comments about Gaborabilia: An Illustrated Celebration of the Fabulous, Legendary Gabor Sisters.

1. They forgot to mail it to me: once I called them, I got it FAST!



2. A great valentine to the wonderful Gabors! I especially enjoyed the information on Magda. The photographs are wonderful.



3. Unless somebody decides to sit down and write a Citadel Press-style "The Films of the Gabor Sisters" book, this is the most comprehensive collection of photos and memorabilia of Zsa Zsa, Eva and Magda one is likely to find readily available anywhere (I don't count the autobiographies written by Eva and Zsa Zsa, which are starting to get hard to find). The dedicated fan/author Mr. Turtu has brought together a splendid collection of B&W and color photos, movie posters, lobby cards, magazine covers and other artifacts of the beauteous, much-wedded Gabor sisters for the delectation of readers. As several other reviewers have said, this is exactly the sort of book you'll want to display on my coffee table - I'll have to clear some room on my own very crowded table to make room for it! Recommended without hesitation to any Gabor fan.



4. This tribute to the fabulous, witty Gabor sisters (and mother) is truly the ultimate fan's tribute. Practicaly everything in the book is from the author's personal collection. Bursting with photos, memorabilia, and classic quips, this book is a visual extravaganza with color and glamour everywhere, much like the excellent Gabors. Of course, the book, by its very nature, has a limited audience, and if you're viewing this, you're probably committed to buying the book, but let me encourage you: Get it now.
   

   Bottom Line: While short on biographical info (see "Such Devoted Sisters" for that), this book is full of frosting and glamour, the perfect tribute to the frothy Gabor family.




5. This is a great little book when you need a little glamourous inspiration in your life! The Gabors (all of them) were every inch stars: glamourous dresses, giant jewels, and witty quotes, such as "I ask myself more questions than Hamlet as I ponder which shoes to wear" (Eva) or "How many husbands have I had - you mean apart from my own?" (Zsa Zsa). I love it! This book celebrates the Gabors and their larger than life presence from the Hungarian beginning through their celebrity in Hollywood. In short, it is simply vonderful, dahling!

1 comments about Back To One: The Complete Movie Extras Guidebook.

1. I bought this book upon entering into the world of "background acting" (aka extras work). Lots of useful info here, and its all very nicely packaged. However, most of whats in here you will learn from chatting with other backgrounders on sets, and therefore, its not immediatley clear that the $25 expenditure is justified.
   
   The point of my post is to reveal something (from page 52) thats a bit misleading (at least as of June 2008): Extras Mgmt charges "joe/jane anybody" (ie, those who dont have the book and/or have no knowledge of it) $85 to join. The book states a $75 discount will be granted by EM if the book is brought in. On the phone they told me the regular price is $160, so with that book it will be $85.
   
   So go figure. The way I read this - this book will offer no discount. So therefore, its got some misleading stuff in it.
   
   I would still recommend the book overall to those who are completely new. And I would recommend EM for sure, wish I wouldve started with them in the first place. But the book does say to do that !

5 comments about Tinder Box: The Iroquois Theatre Disaster 1903.

1. Virtually forgotten in the present era, the 1903 Iroquois Theatre fire killed more people in less than an hour than the celebrated Chicago Fire of 1871 which raged over the course of several days and destroyed much of the central district of the city. Thousands of people pass the site of the Iroquois tragedy on a daily basis without giving it a moment's thought. A combined theater and office building occupies the exact site of the Iroquois Theatre on Randolph Street today. The theater has been extensively remodeled and stages Broadway quality performances.
   
   As the author explains Iroquois fire was a disaster that could have been avoided. The construction of the building was not completed when the theater was opened to the public. The architect failed to incorporate significant fire safety features into the cost cutting design. In many instances, the building contractors had not finished their work: two examples, the rooftop venitalation system and the exterior fire escape, itself, were not even fully functional! The closed vents trapped toxic gases and smoke which asphyxiated audience members in their seats.
   
   The pennypinching theater owners failed to purchase adequate fire extinguishers to be placed throughout the building and assigned only one employee to act as fireman for the entire building. The supposedly fire resistant curtain was shoddy both in terms of the inexpensive materials substituted for asbestos and its poor workmanship. When put to the test, none of the stage hands knew how to operate the curtain and it jammed during its descent. Thus the fire could not be contained on the stage and it spread into the auditorium. Panicked patrons struggled to find their way out, but the emergency exits were not clearly identified and many of the doors were locked. As a consequence, many people were trampled to death in the confusion.
   
   The theater lacked a fire alarm and the ushers were not properly trained in emergency procedures (no fire drill had ever been conducted on the premises). Although the response of both the Chicago Fire and the Police Departments was praiseworthy, these heroes were summoned too late to render effective assistance to many of the theater patrons.
   
   The subsequent investigation of the disaster was even worse. Corrupt city building inspectors simply ignored numerous code violations. Over at City Hall, the politicians were too busy whitewashing their own neglect in the scandal to be bothered with searching for the truth.
   
   Anthony P. Hatch does a fairly effective job with the materials, but the text contains a few minor mistakes. I was sorry that Hatch never secured an interview with the late Bryan Foy (1896-1977), the son of stage comedian Eddie Foy. Bryan accompanied his father to the theater on that fateful day and was in the wings when the fire broke out. He later became a Hollywood film producer.



2. On December 30, 1903, the Iroquois Theatre in Chicago was crowded beyond capacity with theatergoers eager to see Eddie Foy in "Mr. Blue Beard". The well-written and well-researched "Tinder Box" by Anthony Hatch describes what happened that tragic afternoon when a spotlight short-circuited starting a fire that eventually killed over 600 people.
   
   Considering the fact that the fire happened over 100 years ago, with no living witnesses to interview and many facts have been lost in time, Hatch does an admirable job describing the events leading up to the fire, the fire itself, and the aftermath. He does an excellent job describing how the Iroquois came to be built and the haste with which it was built (it only took five months) and the shoddy workmanship involved, as well as how many officials were willing to turn their heads and ignore the many fire code violations at the Iroquois. His description of the crowded theatre the day of the fire is mind boggling; one victim in fact called the theater a fire trap as she went to her seat. There were over 500 more people than capacity in attendance; the exit doors opened in instead of out; and the person who was supposed to operate the fire curtain was a substitute who didn't know which lines actually worked the curtain. There was little done to help the audience and incredibly enough the actors continued to perform while the fire was burning. Hatch also gives descriptions of the fire victims and survivors, which make the tragedy even more real. Some of the ways people escaped the fire were incredible and there were many heroes that night. There were also many villains that night and Hatch describes they way people robbed some of the dead. Hatch also covers the aftermath of the fire including the trial and how the owners tried to blame the victims and how evidence was tampered with.
   
   Although Hatch did not write the book until 2002, he had started to research it back in the 1960's and at that time had interviewed a fireman who had fought the fire and a newspaper reporter who covered the fire. Those accounts helped make the scene of the fire real as I was reading the book. There was no spot photography at the time, so while there are pictures of the theatre before and after the fire, there are no actual pictures of the fire itself. But Hatch includes many drawings done at the time of the fire that show how horrible it was. He also includes editorial cartoons that show how much the fire touched the lives of people in Chicago. There is not a list of people who died in the fire because there was never an exact count of how many people did die.
   
   "Tinder Box" is a well-written account of a tragic event in Chicago's history.



3. I found the book very interesting. What a sad and tragic event! The author did a pretty good job considering how long ago it was. I would like to have known more but, due to the time period and the lack of modern technology and forensics noone may know the answers to the questions I had after reading this book. I guess I'm spoiled to computer generated re-enactments and "CSI"-type forensics. But why did some people stay in their seats knowing the place was on fire? How come the people, in their seats, died of burns or body trauma or suffocation? It looks like they would have all died of one or all three things but some people in their seats were burned to death while others were suffocated with no visible burns and others died of body trauma such as broken back or decapitation. One woman had no burns and was checked out by her doctor but she died 4 days later. Why? It was this sort of thing that kept niggling me after reading the book. The fire only lasted about 30 mins and yet the horror in that 30 mins! At times it was a little difficult to follow the chronology. To me, events were sometimes hard to place because the writing was a little erratic but a lot was going on in that 30 mins. I couldn't place when all the production crew was getting out vs. all the theater-goers who were sitting in their seats as though nothing was happening or stampeding the exits. But the author did give us personal stories to get us emotionally involved. It would be interesting to know how it affected the survivors for the rest of their lives. Did they talk about it with their families? Were they fearful? Did they ever go back into public buildings again? Were they afraid of fire? How long did they live after this event? Could the emotional or physical trauma have shortened their lives? All these unanswered questions may never be known but this book left me wondering.



4. It was the end of 1903, and many people were looking for entertainment for themselves and their out-of-school children. The new Iroquois Theatre was widely hailed as fire-proof, and the matinee performance of Eddie Foy in the musical fantasy Mr. Bluebeard sounded perfect. The theatre filled to capacity, and beyond, as people packed the standing room areas and prepared for a good time. However, when a sparking spotlight set a curtain on fire, the theatre proved to be a death trap, leaving some 600 people dead, mostly women and children.
   
   In the resulting investigation, it was found that the Iroquois was built without proper, legally required, safety features, and that city inspectors had been bribed with free tickets into turning a blind eye towards the theatre's many violations. However, when all was said and done, only one person was convicted of anything, a man convicted of robbing the dead! Just what happened on that December day in Chicago, what brought it on, and what was the result? Read this book to find out!
   
   Overall, I really liked this book. The author does a great job of explaining what happened to make the Iroquois a death-trap. And, I must say that I was surprised to see that even back then the theatre owners could hire themselves a sharp, unscrupulous lawyer, who would see to it that they were not held responsible for their actions...or perhaps I should not be.
   
   This is a very informative and highly entertaining book, one that I highly recommend to everyone. (By the way, the Iroquois Theatre disaster was the second worst in Chicago history, the sinking of the Eastland claimed some 844 lives.)



5. What was the deadliest disaster in Chicago. If you said the Chicago Fire of 1871 or the Eastland sinking, you are wrong. The Iroquois Theater Fire killed close to or over 600 people in 1903. Like the Titantic, the Iroquois was brand new, but the owners cut corners and the result was a fire trap. On a matinee performance during the Holiday Season of 1903, the theater was crowded with women and children watching a spectatular performance when a light started a fire. This fire ignited the overhead scenery in minutes. People panic brought people running towards the doors, many of which were locked. Hundreds died of fire, suffocation, and being run over by other people.
   
   If you are interested in the history of Chicago, this is a nice book to read. Many disasters have gripped Chicago. This one was one of the worst. Hatch provides a glimpse of the times in his book. He not only covers the disaster itself, but also some of the issues with theater management at the turn of the century. A nice read.

1 comments about My Purrfect Friend: I Could Live 9 Lives and Not Find a Better Friend Than You.

1. I have a friend that really enjoys the art work of Wysocki and did not know the book existed. She was thrilled with the gift. I would have liked more pages, but it still made a great gift.

No comments about Constructing Worlds Together: Interpersonal Communication as Relational Process.

2 comments about Making of Casablanca, The: Bogart, Bergman, and World War II.

1. Have you ever purchased something twice and started to read or listen to it and realize you have already read or purchased it before?
   As Bogart says in his cafe, " I was misinformed". A few years ago,I bought and read this book under the title, "Round Up The Usual Suspects" and I enjoyed it very much. I then bought it again (recently, I'm not that disoriented-yet) under it's new title, "The Making of Casablanca" same book, and same level of enjoyment. Aljean Harmetz was a New York Times correspondent and she is a skilled writer. Ms. Harmetz unfurls the story of the production of "Casablanca" in an entertaining fashion. So many things could have been undone by the studio and the government (released before World War II) the producer Hal Wallis kept the production on even keel and how Wallis went about it, is the crux of the story. Great insight into the era and the number of refugees who portray refugees, Bogart stories and Bergman tales. A really absorbing read, especially if you are a fan of the movie...and who isn't?



2. I read this book in hardcover, and loved it. CASABLANCA is my all-time favorite film, and I've read all the other books about it, too, but this one is by far the best. It's a great study of how the film got made, at a level of (fascinating!) detail not found in other references. I recommend it without reservation.