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MAJESTIC HOLLYWOOD

The Greatest Films of 1939 - (75 Years Ago!)

By Mark A. Vieira

- The first book to tell WHY there were so many great films in 1939.

- The first to take the reader back in time to the sets of The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind to watch the actors at work.

-The first to take the reader to the premieres, telling how audiences reacted (laughter, applause, boos).

Majestic Hollywood: The Greatest Films of 1939 (Running Press; December 10, 2013; Hardcover $22.95/ISBN 978-0762451562) written by Hollywood aficionado Mark A. Vieira, showcases 50 films from 1939, considered by many to be the year of movie making in Hollywood history.

·         Majestic Hollywood highlights the films of 1939 - no year before or since has yielded so many beloved works of cinematic art: â€œThe Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Gunga Din,” “Only Angels Have Wings,” “Destry Rides Again,” “Beau Geste,” “Wuthering Heights,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Stagecoach,” “Ninotchka,” “Goodbye, Mr. Chips,” “Dark Victory,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “The Women,” and of course, â€œGone With the Wind;”

·         The book includes stories from the legendary artists who made the films: directors William Wellman and John Ford; cinematographers Arthur Miller and Lee Garmes; actors Judy Garland, Rosalind Russell, Ray Milland, Sir Laurence Olivier, and Olivia de Havilland; and

·         The book contains scene stills, behind-the-scenes candids, portraits, poster art; and the photos are as distinctive, evocative, and powerful as the films they were meant to publicize. Presenting the best of these images and the stories behind them, Majestic Hollywood is a cavalcade of unforgettable films from 1939: Hollywood’s Greatest Year.

Mark A. Vieira is a photographer and writer who specializes in Hollywood history and makes portraits

in the Hurrell style. He has lectured at USC, Lincoln Center, and Universal Studios, and has appeared

in TCM’s Moguls and Movie Stars, Universal’s Forbidden Film, and BBC’s Shooting the Stars. His

books include The Making of Some Like It Hot (with Tony Curtis) and Sin in Soft Focus: Pre-Code

Hollywood, to name a few.