Tinseltown

Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood

By: William J. Mann

Narrated by: Christopher Lane

Length: 15 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

The Day of the Locust meets The Devil in the White City and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in this juicy, untold Hollywood story: an addictive true account of ambition, scandal, intrigue, murder, and the creation of the modern film industry.

By 1920, the movies had suddenly become America's new favorite pastime and one of the nation's largest industries. Never before had a medium possessed such power to influence; yet Hollywood's glittering ascendancy was threatened by a string of headline-grabbing tragedies - including the murder of William Desmond Taylor, the popular president of the Motion Picture Directors Association, a legendary crime that has remained unsolved until now.

In a fiendishly involving narrative, best-selling Hollywood chronicler William J. Mann draws on a rich host of sources, including recently released FBI files, to uncover the story of the enigmatic Taylor and the diverse group of people who surrounded him - including three beautiful, ambitious actresses; a grasping stage mother; a devoted valet; and a gang of two-bit thugs, any of whom might have fired the fatal bullet. And overseeing this entire landscape of intrigue was Adolph Zukor, the brilliant and ruthless founder of Paramount Pictures, locked in a struggle for control of the industry and desperate to conceal the truth about the crime. Along the way, Mann brings to life Los Angeles in the Roaring Twenties: a sparkling yet schizophrenic town filled with party girls, drug dealers, religious zealots, newly minted legends, and starlets already past their prime - a dangerous place where the powerful could still run afoul of the desperate.

A true story recreated with the suspense of a novel, Tinseltown is the work of a storyteller at the peak of his powers - and the solution to a crime that has stumped detectives and historians for nearly a century.

©2014 William J. Mann (P)2014 Blackstone Audiobooks

Proof of truly bad behavior at the very beginning

What made the experience of listening to Tinseltown the most enjoyable?

The information in this book was fascinating and very sad. That such a place who creates such dreams can also be the origin of such nightmares makes me torn. Torn because I love movies, but the people who are involved with the, both then and now seem to pay an awful price.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I would change nothing, truth is what it is and it needed to be said.

Which character – as performed by Christopher Lane – was your favorite?

I enjoyed his performance of all of them.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the actress whose mother was so desperate to keep her virginal subjected her to an abortion. It disgusted me that a mother could be so very greeded as to do that to her own daughter.

Like Hollywood, TINSELTOWN has everything!

It includes the history of an era and the people whose lives exemplified the American Dream that created it, Adolf Zuchor, Marcus Loew and Will Hays to name just three. It includes legends of the Silver Screen, with their triumphs and tragedies, mayhem and unsolved mystery murder. A great book for listening!

Fattie Arbuckle downfall told

I never knew any of this real history about so many silent film actresses and actors. Very intriguing real story. Amazing

A HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

It's a good book if someone is a history buff and especially a Hollywood history buff. I wouldn't recommend it to the average person who wants to be entertained.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Fatty Arbuckle. He was the only sympathetic character in the whole story. His life and career were totally ruined self-righteous groups. The studio hung him out to dry to mollify the "church ladies."

Have you listened to any of Christopher Lane’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't believe so. He does an excellent job.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

Early Hollywood seemed to be made up of liars, thieves and bunco artists. Everybody had secrets and a past.

lots of details about early hollywood

Any additional comments?

interesting perspective on early life in los angeles.....nothing earth shattering though. well put together narrative using some real people's lives to illustrate the way the world was back then. not worth full price unless you are into this era. but a good listen if discounted.

Murder, Madness and Mayhem Indeed

This is an excellent book about the murder of an early Hollywood director named William Desmond Taylor. It is thrilling page turner about the early film era, the film community, and criminal enterprises. It follows several individuals, from movie execs, actors, directors and those looking for fame and fortune. Unfortunately, others chose victimize others. I listened to most of this book on audio and Christopher Lane was superb as usual. Just the right inflections of emotions. You are drawn in and want to know what happens to the characters involved. A number of theories are presented regarding the murder and how the case developed was fascinating. A very enjoyable book that was far more entertaining than I expected it to be. It really gave you a sense of the era and how the fledgling movie industry was impacting the nation and how the moralists tried to shut it down.

Interesting, but...

If you could sum up Tinseltown in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, but drags

Any additional comments?

I really wanted to like this story. I'm interested in the early movers & shakers that built Hollywood. I also figured the story would be a perfect companion to my daily commute when I didn't need anything too heavy to go with the aggravation of traffic. However, about half-way through, I found my mind wandering as the story dragged on & on. I know I'm in trouble when I start skipping chapters to just get to the end. The story is well-researched & does have interesting points, but it really could have been covered in about half the time. If you are more patient than I am, I'd say it is worth a try, just expect some lulls. The performance was well-done.

What a fascinating look at early Hollywood!

I liked a lot about this book, including:

-The narrater was excellent, and well matched to the subject matter.

-Even though there was one major theme, the book covered many people who helped build LA into the movie making place it has been for over 100 years.

-It is not sensationalist, but instead tries to present the facts based on first hand testimony, and the author calls out people if it’s pretty clear that they are lying.

WELL DONE

This book covers some history with which I was not very familiar. Although I could not see the footnotes, it seems to be very well researched. After listening to the book, I have been wondering how Hollywood has changed since its earlier days. I enjoyed the book enough that I plan to listen to the author's biography of Elizabeth Taylor.

Guitar Man

narrative was good. interesting story about that time in Hollywood. enjoy listening to the tale. yeah