Billy Wilder in Hollywood

This book is a richly entertaining biography of both screenwriter-director Wilder and his milieu - Hollywood. It is a fascinating montage of a man whose talents and quirks, virtues and faults, are endlessly engrossing. The author presents a richly anecdotal account of the man who, from an inauspicious start in Germany as a paid escort & dancing partner, rose to become the very heart & soul of the film industry.Electrifying opinions of those with whom he has worked and the original casting choices for his films are often surprising: Mae West was his first choice for Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard and Mary Pickford was his second! There are numerous black & white photos included.