The Rko Story
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Yellowed
From the crackling lightning bolt of its iconic radio tower logo to the swan song of its final production, The RKO Story is the definitive chronicle of one of Hollywood's most storied and mercurial studios. This lavishly illustrated volume presents the complete studio history of Radio-Keith-Orpheum — the dream factory that gave the world Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing cheek-to-cheek, Orson Welles shattering cinematic convention with Citizen Kane, and King Kong scaling the Empire State Building — cataloguing all 1,051 films produced during the studio's turbulent golden age run from 1929 to 1958. Authors Richard B. Jewell and Vernon Harbin bring both scholarly rigour and genuine passion to their subject, meticulously detailing each production with cast lists, credits, plot synopses, and production stills that transform this reference work into a rich cultural tapestry of mid-century American cinema. The text argues persuasively that RKO, despite its notoriously chaotic management — including the eccentric stewardship of Howard Hughes — consistently punched above its weight, nurturing talent and producing films of enduring artistic merit. An indispensable companion for any serious student of Hollywood history, The RKO Story leaves the reader wondering just how differently the golden age of cinema might have looked without this singular, lightning-struck institution.
Author: Richard B. Jewell With Vernon Harbin
Format: Hardback
Genre: Movies & entertainment
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Yellowed
From the crackling lightning bolt of its iconic radio tower logo to the swan song of its final production, The RKO Story is the definitive chronicle of one of Hollywood's most storied and mercurial studios. This lavishly illustrated volume presents the complete studio history of Radio-Keith-Orpheum — the dream factory that gave the world Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing cheek-to-cheek, Orson Welles shattering cinematic convention with Citizen Kane, and King Kong scaling the Empire State Building — cataloguing all 1,051 films produced during the studio's turbulent golden age run from 1929 to 1958. Authors Richard B. Jewell and Vernon Harbin bring both scholarly rigour and genuine passion to their subject, meticulously detailing each production with cast lists, credits, plot synopses, and production stills that transform this reference work into a rich cultural tapestry of mid-century American cinema. The text argues persuasively that RKO, despite its notoriously chaotic management — including the eccentric stewardship of Howard Hughes — consistently punched above its weight, nurturing talent and producing films of enduring artistic merit. An indispensable companion for any serious student of Hollywood history, The RKO Story leaves the reader wondering just how differently the golden age of cinema might have looked without this singular, lightning-struck institution.