A Guide to American Crime Films of the Thirties

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By Larry Langman and Daniel Finn

ISBN: 0-313-29532-8

ISBN-13: 978-0-313-29532-4

DOI:

392 pages, photographs

Greenwood Press

Publication: 2/28/1995

List Price: $127.95 (UK Sterling Price: £75.00)

Availability:

Media Type: Hardcover

Also Available: Ebook

Trim Size: 6 1/8 X 9 1/4

Subjects:

Series Title: Bibliographies and Indexes in the Performing Arts

Series Number: 18

Reviews:

The authors' present volume continues their excellent 1994 study, A Guide to American Silent Crime Films..., by providing screen credits and plot evaluations for some 1,132 American feature-lenght crime films released from 1928 through 1939. ... This book is recommended for academic and special libraries supporting strong film studies programs, and those institutions already holding the authors' earlier volume on silent crime films.
—
ARBA

Description: Recent crime films such as Scarface, the Dirty Harry series, and The Godfather have captured the American imagination, but they owe a large debt to the early crime talkies such as The Public Enemy, Paul Muni's Scarface, and Little Caesar. More than 1,000 entries are featured in this volume, complete with the names of directors, screen writers, and major players offering a wealth of data supported by plot evaluations. For the serious student of crime films, this work provides a comprehensive treatment of the genre. It is the only one-volume work that includes all crime sub-genres (detective, mystery, cops and robbers, and courtroom dramas) in addition to gangster films. The period between the end of the silent film (1927) and the general acceptance of the sound film (1929) is often referred to as a transition period. The majority of theaters were not wired for sound, so many films were released in both silent and sound versions. Some added only sound effects or music to the sound track, while others offered only brief segments of sound. The early 1930s marked the end of this transition period and firmly established the sound era. This volume pays homage to these early, often crude melodramas. The authors aim to preserve the memories of these films for their own generation and to introduce these works to a new generation thirsty for entertainment and knowledge.

Table of Contents:

Preface
Introduction
Abbreviations
The Guide
Appendix A: Serials
Appendix B: Series
Bibliography
Index

LC Card Number: 94-41519

LCC Class: PN1995

Dewey Class: 016.79143


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