Simon Crocker

"This book is here to remind long-time movie fans why these important 20th-century icons will forever remain the Fabulous Faces of our time." — The Eye of Photography "Enigmatic, dazzling and fabulous: the faces of Hollywood’s golden age." — The Times "A new book pulls together glamorous portraits of film stars from the 1920s to the 60s who could draw an audience with their name alone." — The Guardian "Intense close-ups, staged embraces and smouldering, emotive glances exude star power in this fitting tribute to a bygone age.” “Star quality emanates from every page.” — The Lady Magazine Fabulous Faces of Classic Hollywood brings together some of the greatest portraits taken by leading Hollywood portrait photographers during the motion picture industry's golden years of 1920 to 1960. Little-seen negatives, long buried in the remarkable and internationally renowned archives of the John Kobal Foundation, have been unearthed and printed to reveal some of Hollywood's favourite stars at the height of their careers. Full-page images of Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich, Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, as well as lesser lights including Anna May Wong, Lon Chaney, Lupe Velez and Ramon Novarro, will remind long-time movie fans why these important 20th-century icons will forever remain the fabulous faces of the movie world. Selected by best-selling author Robert Dance and writer and award-winning film producer Simon Crocker, over 200 photographs are presented alongside an essay by Dance, describing what it takes to become a fabulous face and an international icon.

"There is a saying that you never really own a cat, rather the cat owns you. If that really is the case then we should be grateful that they allowed themselves to be photographed at all, for they are just as much the stars of the show as their human counterparts" from the introduction There were an impressive number of animal stars during the golden age of film; not just cats, but also dogs, lions, monkeys, elephants and any number of other species that could find a part to play. With studio contracts and the potential to earn sums equal to that of their human co-stars was it any wonder that animals (and their trainers) were ever present. Cats, however, had something of a unique place within this menagerie of animals. Some, like the young cat that sits on Marlon Brando's knee in a scene from The Godfather found themselves a place in cinema history, but most simply lived out their lives within the confines of the lots untroubled by dreams of stardom. Hollywood Cats showcases an incredible selection of photographs, taken during the golden age of Hollywood, of stars with their cats, celebrating and documenting this special relationship. Both Carole Lombard and Greer Garson manage to look even more sultry draped alongside their feline friends; photographs of madcap duo Laurel and Hardy playing with a kitten are both comical and endearing. Perhaps the most famous - and arguably the most important of all Hollywood cats is the MGM lion, Leo, who appeared (and still appears) on every MGM movie.