Life Goes To The Movies

This book is about a magazine's love affair with an industry. From 1936 to 1972, the movie department filled more pages of Life than any other editoral beat. Many issues contained two or more movie stories, and of the total of 1,864 covers, more than 250 were devoted to film stars, or incipient stars. Yet, despite this massive attention, the magazine's Hollywood coverage remained incoorigibly personal, dictated mainly by the enthusiasms, photographers and reporters. Because a need for access and cooperation forced us repeatedly to torment the same film companies, the same stars, the same press agents, we came to regard one another-if not always with equal affection-as kindred tribesmen. All this is reflect in the book you are now holding in your hands. It is by no means a systematic, conscinetious history of Hollywood; you will not find in it all of your favorite movies or stars, or even all of the movies and performers that Life gave room to. We have chosen instead to winnow from the finest pictures in Life's files more than 750 selections which recapture both the symbiosis between reporters and reportees and the art that the magazine itself brought to its photographic covering of moviemaking. Amazing Book!