Customer Reviews

The Films Of Fay Wray

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

 

 

Once again, I spent too much money for a McFarland movie book. Against my better judgment, I ordered this book because I'm a Fay Wray fan and have great interest in her films. My complaints are the book is (physically) too thin to justify the cost of $40.00 (less than 200 pages including index); there are no pictures of Fay later than 1941; her television credits are reduced to a mere checklist. My biggest complaint is the coverage of her rarer, inaccessible films. The authors do not mention if prints (or negatives) exist. They simply state "is no longer available for screening", or "inacessible", or "is either lost or available on a limited archival basis". In the case of THE BIG BRAIN (an RKO release of an independent production), the authors state, "(it) remains unavailable, and may be lost". Were the authors in contact with key personnel at Universal, Columbia, the UCLA Film Archives, the American Film Institute, the Museum of Modern Art, et al? More extensive research should have been done. This isn't good enough in 2006. I want to know if MADAME SPY (1934) exists and in what format. That would justify a price of $40.00. The photos (none post-1941!) are great and are far and away the best thing about the book.

This book appears to be a good overview of Wray's work in films and television. Those who know her only as "Ann Darrow, the bravest girl in the world" will be surprised to learn how durable Wrays career was, how many first class films she appeared in. As an added bonus the book is well illustrated with scarce photographs.

Excellent book. Not much written on this Icon except her own biography. You see much more written about actors with less of an impact on todays culture then Fay Wray has been. Would recommend highly.