Books by Dan Van Neste

After a little known suburb of Los Angeles named Hollywood became the center of the American film industry beginning in the 1910's, huge numbers of people poured into the southern California area. They came in all shapes and sizes, from every corner of the United States and the world, from every religious and ethnic background, and all economic groups. No one's reason for coming was identical, but the vast majority of the new Hollywood immigrants harbored a desire to find employment in the ever expanding industry of making movies. Many were chasing a dream of cinematic stardom which for most, would soon end in disillusionment.The twelve individuals profiled in this book: Nancy Carroll, Gloria Dickson, Claire Dodd, Richard Greene, John Hodiak, Marian Marsh, Karen Morley, Edward Norris, Jean Parker, Paula Raymond, Zachary Scott, and Gloria Stuart were among the tiny, elite group of new immigrants who achieved their initial goal of becoming successful actors on the silver screen. In fact, all twelve won major studio contracts, achieved fame, fortune, and acclaim. Yet, despite their achievements, all twelve failed to ascend to the very top of the professional ladder, never attaining their ultimate goal: superstardom. Given their abilities, ambition, and other significant assets, how could this be? With the invaluable assistance of major studio and library archives, recollections of the actors themselves and/or those who knew them, this book traces the lives and careers of the twelve in an attempt to determine what went right and what went wrong. The essays herein, (originally published in two acclaimed magazines, Classic Images and Films of The Golden Age), are also opportunities to offer a "tip of the hat" to twelve extremely gifted, hardworking, and unsung actors who coulda been contenders!A Michigan native, author, biographer Dan Van Neste has been chronicling vintage entertainment history for over thirty years. His work has appeared in innumerable newspapers, magazines, and film journals including Classic Images and Films of the Golden Age. He is the author of two acclaimed books: The Whistler: Stepping Into the Shadows (2011), and The Magnificent Heel: The Life and Films of Ricardo Cortez (2017). The latter was named one of the "Best Film Books of 2017" by The Huffington Post, and was a nominee for the 2018 Richard Wall Memorial Award given by the Theater Library Association to honor "English language books of exceptional scholarship in the field of recorded or broadcast performance."

Legendary film director Robert Wise called the Whistler features, "examples of budgetfilmmaking at its very best." Noted B movie historian Don Miller cited them as, "the bestB pics of the period from Columbia." Famed film critic/historian Leonard Maltin referredto the series as "one of the most unusual- and one of the best mystery series of the30's and 40's. . ."Based on J. Donald Wilson's hit radio suspense program featuring ironic tales ofterror spun by a mysterious host, The Whistler film series consisted of eight motion picturesproduced by Columbia Pictures between 1944 and 1948 starring legendary, AcademyAward-nominated actor, Richard Dix. Although manufactured quickly andcheaply to fill the bottom half of a mandatory double bill, The Whistler films were suspenseful and well made, engendering wide popularity and surprising critical acclaim. Today historians and movie aficionados frequently cite them for their innovation and style-and as early examples of film noir.This is the story of the making of this landmark Columbia series, and the manyextraordinary individuals who pooled their singular talents to make eight lowbudget movies into film classics. Included are rare profiles of 50 Whistler filmmakers:actors, directors, writers, and technicians.