Richard B. Jewell
Author of The RKO Story
About the Author
Richard B. Jewell is Professor of Critical Studies at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. He is the author of The Golden Age of Hollywood and The RKO Story, among others.
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If you’ve enjoyed any of the Astaire/Rogers films, those were RKO. King Kong is RKO. If you love Hitchcock’s Suspicion or Notorious, those were made at RKO. All those wonderful Val Lewton produced horror thrillers such as Cat People and I Walked With a Zombie? Yep, RKO. Love Cary Grant and Irene Dunne in My Favorite Wife? How about Pride of the Yankees or The Spiral Staircase? Or perhaps your cup of tea is Citizen Kane or The Best Years of Our Lives? How about those great “B” series like The Mexican Spitfire with Lupe Velez, and The Falcon, starring George Sanders and then Tom Conway? Do you love great film noir, and crime films like They Won’t Believe Me, or They Live By Night? How about Raymond Chandler’s Murder, My Sweet? Did you love Robert Mitchum in The Big Steal, Out of the Past, and Macao? Do you cry each time you see Irene Dunne in I Remember Mama? What about Ginger Rogers in Kitty Foyle, or Robert Young and Dorothy McGuire in one of the most beautiful films about love ever made, The Enchanted Cottage? Yep, all of them were made at the volatile and tumultuous RKO.
Richard B. Jewell, with assistance from Vernon Harbin, who worked for the studio in one capacity or another from 1931 - 1976, put this one together. Every RKO film ever released in the USA is here, accompanied by at least a small still from the film, but often a medium size to large photo. The photos have been printed on slick, glossy stock, which makes the book weigh a ton. Information is also given about each film, which are listed a few to each large page. Though the films RKO London released are not here, they are listed in text at the back of the book, with a small caption of information regarding each release in Britain.
The business history is delved into extensively before the wonderful filmography, and it’s fascinating. After reading it, you’ll wonder how any films ever got made at RKO. Jewell actually began his research as far back as his years at USC, and it probably helped that Pandro S. Berman, a giant figure at RKO for many years, agreed to have conversations with Jewell. Despite the flux and instability of the studio, it was a powerhouse of talent at various moments during its history, and the many films you’ll run across here attest to that fact. You’ll no doubt run across a favorite film or two, or three or four, as you look through this one. Just the other day, I was speaking with someone here on Goodreads about a magnificent film called Love Affair, starring Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer. It was director Leo McCarey’s first filming of a tender romance that most people only know from the second filming: An Affair to Remember, starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. Love Affair is a better film, even McCarey stated so, and it was made in 1939 by RKO.
At the back of the book is a listing of all awards and nominations of the films made at RKO. There are two separate indexes: one by film title, the other by studio personnel. It also has printed signatures from some stars and studio personnel on the inside boards, which is nice. These studio film books are nearly a must own for any classic film fan. Sometimes the RKO one gets short-thrift because the studio doesn’t have the same status as MGM, WB or Paramount. But I’m glad I have it, and if you’re a film fan, you will be too if you can track one down and get a good deal. You might want to pick up the others first, but RKO shouldn’t be overlooked either. Fun stuff for film buffs.… (more)