Hollywood Hoofbeats
The Fascinating Story of Horses in Movies and Television
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- € 25,99
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- € 25,99
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The horses that captured the moviegoers' hearts are the common denominator in Hollywood Hoofbeats. As author Petrine Day Mitchum writes, "the movies as we know them would be vastly different without horses. There would be no Westerns;no cowboy named John Wayne;no Gone with the Wind, no Ben Hur, no Dances with Wolves;" no War Horse, no True Grit, no Avatar! Those last three 21st-century Hollywood creations are among the new films covered in this expanded second edition of Hollywood Hoofbeats written by the daughter of movie star Robert Mitchum, who himself appeared on the silver screen atop a handsome chestnut gelding. Having grown up around movie stars and horses, Petrine Day Mitchum is the ideal author to pay tribute to the thousands of equine actors that have entertained the world since the inception of the film medium.From the early days of D.W. Griffith's The Great Train Robbery to Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, this celebration of movies promises something for every Hollywood fan; the raucous comedy of Abbot and Costello (and "Teabiscuit") in It Ain't Hay, a classic sports films like National Velvet starring Elizabeth Taylor, a timeless epic with Errol Flynn, and films featuring guitar-strumming cowboys like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.INSIDE HOLLYWOOD HOOFBEATSMovie trivia and fascinating anecdotes about the stars of yesterday and todayAn inside look at the stunts horses performed in motion pictures and the lingering controversiesHundreds of illustrations, including rare movie posters, movie stills, and film clipsUpdated, expanded text including coverage of new movies and photographsChapters devoted to action films, Westerns, comedies, musicals, child stars, and moreFamous TV programs and their horses including Mr. Ed and Silver (Lone Ranger)
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From 1903's The Great Train Robbery to 2003's Seabiscuit, horses have played a significant role in the annals of moviemaking. Mitchum (daughter of actor Robert Mitchum) and writer Pavia celebrate equine participation by spotlighting these underappreciated animal stars and their handlers. Identifying horses in films ranging from Westerns to romantic comedies, she tells their stories in encyclopedic detail. Though Roy Rogers's Trigger enjoyed star treatment, many others endured inhumane treatment. Errol Flynn was appalled at the cruelty shown toward horses in his 1936 film The Charge of the Light Brigade. Despite his protests, directors and stunt coordinators used painful and even lethal methods to obtain effects. While the American Humane Association exerted some influence in the 1940s, their power waned in the '60s. It took 20 years for animal safety to return as a public issue. Indeed, Mitchum contends it's up to audiences to let producers know their films won't be respected if they don't "treat their hardworking equine and other animal cast members with the respect they so richly deserve." Animal lovers in particular will enjoy the tricks of the trade Mitchum discusses, such as the proper way to teach a horse to fall on cue. The authors give insight into an oft-ignored aspect of filmmaking. Photos.