Fred MacMurray

BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR - Classic Images
"...an outstanding, substantial read. Tranberg always tries to go the extra mile with his biographies (Agnes Moorehead), and it's nice to see an even balance between the private life and the movies."

Fred MacMurray, one of the most durable stars in motion picture history, arrived in Hollywood in 1934. Within a year, he was one of the top leading men in the movie industry and continued through to 1973, when Walt Disney Studios released his final starring role in Charley and the Angel. His career spanned thirty-nine years and five decades; few stars have equaled that distinction.

He first peaked as a Paramount leading man in 1935 until the end of World War 2. During post-war years, public tastes changed, yet he persevered in a variety of pictures that registered strongly with audiences and critics, such as The Egg and I (1947), and especially The Caine Mutiny (1954).

Throughout the 1950s, Fred appeared in ten Westerns, until Walt Disney cast Fred in his studio's first live action comedy, The Shaggy Dog, made for under $1 million yet the third biggest box office hit of that year. Over the next several years, Fred starred in a series of hugely popular Disney films. In 1960, the My Three Sons television series made him a household word for the next twelve years, becoming a quintessential father figure for a new generation of kids.

The author draws from commentaries by actors, producers, and directors that worked with Fred. 392 pages. Illustrated.