Sunday, March 20, 2016

Book review - "Katzman, Nicholson and Corman: Shaping Hollywood's Future" by Mark Thomas McGee (2015)

McGee has written some lively books on AIP and Roger Corman - the AIP one especially is a classic. I wonder why he didn't dedicate a book to Katzman alone who surely deserved his own biography - but maybe he was worried about Katzman sustaining a whole book so he threw in Corman and Nicholson as well.

There was really not much need for another book on Corman, although I did really love reading about McGee's own encounters with the legendary producer/director, the films he made for him, and his dealings with Beverly Gray.

It was cool of McGee to give Nicholson some time in the sun - the executive was really the creative one out of Nicholson and Arkoff at AIP, something reflected in many memoirs but Arkoff outlived Nicholson by over 20 years which meant he tended to rewrite history. McGee was affectionate towards Arkoff in his AIP book but really gets stuck into him here, a little unfairly at times I think, but he knows the studio better than I do.

The Katzman section is highly entertaining - I enjoy McGee's style of writing which perhaps best could be described as "shaggy dog", full of anecdotes and personal touches.

I wished all three sections were longer, but then I wish that of all McGee's books.

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