Customer Reviews

The Agency: William Morris and the Hidden History of Show Business

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After seeing this book referenced in a couple Hollywood biographies, I expected to have a book filled with interesting insider stories of the movie and TV business. Instead this lengthy historical project is filled with page after page of unfamiliar names of agents and the stars are only peripheral to the story.

The main problem is that the author tries to cover too much territory--explaining almost 100 years of the William Morris agency. The beginning years of vaudeville could have been covered in a few paragraphs instead of 50 pages. The minute details of insignificant agents should have been left out and instead the focus could have been on the Hollywood stars served by the agents.

There are a few interesting tidbits, but rarely is any detail given to any subject. The early years of television include some often unheard facts about how stars were drawn to the tube. But major events in the business get a paragraph or two. Most of it is based on second-hand research from others books, which results in a number of mistakes by omission or "facts" taken out of context.

At almost 500 pages, it's a long, tedious bore that will only be of interest to entertainment historians. It's not for those looking for an entertaining read filled with insights into how Hollywood works.