Inside the Private World of Classic American Moviemaking

Rocky Lang (Author), Barbara Hall (Author), Peter Bogdanovich (Foreword)

LETTERS FROM HOLLYWOOD includes rare notes, memos, and telegrams from Hollywood icons. For this presentation, co-authors Rocky Lang and Barbara Hall are joined by special guest Bela Lugosi, Jr. who will read his father's letters.

The book, which has a foreword by Peter Bogdanovich, reproduces in full color scores of entertaining and insightful pieces of correspondence from some of the most notable and talented film industry names of all time—from the silent era to the golden age, and up through the pre-email days of the 1970s. Culled from libraries, archives, and personal collections, the 135 letters, memos, and telegrams are organized chronologically and are annotated by the authors to provide backstories and further context. While each piece reveals a specific moment in time, taken together, the letters convey a bigger picture of Hollywood history.

Contributors include celebrities like Greta Garbo, Alfred Hitchcock, Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra, Katharine Hepburn, Marlon Brando, Elia Kazan, Cary Grant, Francis Ford Coppola, Tom Hanks, and Jane Fonda. This is the gift book of the season for fans of classic Hollywood.

Rocky Lang is a producer, director, and writer in Hollywood. He has produced movies, mini-series and MOW’s. His most notable credit is producing Ridley Scott’s movie, White Squall, starring Jeff Bridges. He is also the author of nine books. His father was Jennings Lang, a long time MCA exec and the producer of Earthquake, The Airport movies and thirty other films.

His writing partner, Barbara Hall, is an archivist and film historian.