Hollywood: The Movie Lover's Guide: The Ultimate Insider Tour of Movie L.A. (Paperback)

by Richard Alleman (Author) "In the 1880s, there were ranches, bean fields, orange and lemon groves..." (more)
Key Phrases: movie lovers, rental lot, theater site, Beverly Hills, Sunset Boulevard, Santa Monica (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Noted travel writer Richard Alleman wrote the definitive guide to Hollywood back in 1985. Twenty years later, online booksellers are getting as much as $100 for used copies of his out-of-print classic. Now Alleman has revised The Movie Lover's Guide to Hollywood in a handsome new edition--totally updated and packed with 33 percent brand-new material.

Taking them behind the gates of the exclusive, often hidden world of Hollywood, Alleman invites movie lovers to travel in the company of Tinseltown's elite--from Lana Turner and Humphrey Bogart to Sofia Coppola and Leonardo DiCaprio. Film fans experience the mood of Old Hollywood, and see where Barbara Stanwyck seduced Fred MacMurray in the film noir classic Double Indemnity, or imagine the future as they glimpse the real buildings used by director Ridley Scott for Blade Runner. This travel guide to movie L.A. provides a starry-eyed look at over 300 attractions, from the glory days of motion pictures to today's hottest New Hollywood scenes. From the überhip Chateau Marmont to the former Malibu compound of Barbra Streisand, this gossipy guide includes insider looks at:

* Historic studios

* Movie-star homes and hotels

* The best nightclubs and restaurants for star spotting

* Classic and contemporary locations

* Burial sites of Hollywood's dearly departed

* Scandal spots

* And much, much more

The ultimate insider's handbook, Hollywood: The Movie Lover's Guide will have you calling "your people" and "your people's people" to book your trip to this celebrity mecca.

From the Inside Flap

Noted travel writer Richard Alleman wrote the definitive guide to Hollywood back in 1985. Twenty years later, online booksellers are getting as much as $100 for used copies of his out-of-print classic. Now Alleman has revised The Movie Lover's Guide to Hollywood in a handsome new edition—totally updated and packed with 33 percent brand-new material.

Taking them behind the gates of the exclusive, often hidden world of Hollywood, Alleman invites movie lovers to travel in the company of Tinseltown's elite—from Lana Turner and Humphrey Bogart to Sofia Coppola and Leonardo DiCaprio. Film fans experience the mood of Old Hollywood, and see where Barbara Stanwyck seduced Fred MacMurray in the film noir classic Double Indemnity, or imagine the future as they glimpse the real buildings used by director Ridley Scott for Blade Runner. This travel guide to movie L.A. provides a starry-eyed look at over 300 attractions, from the glory days of motion pictures to today's hottest New Hollywood scenes. From the überhip Chateau Marmont to the former Malibu compound of Barbra Streisand, this gossipy guide includes insider looks at:

* Historic studios

* Movie-star homes and hotels

* The best nightclubs and restaurants for star spotting

* Classic and contemporary locations

* Burial sites of Hollywood's dearly departed

* Scandal spots

* And much, much more

The ultimate insider's handbook, Hollywood: The Movie Lover's Guide will have you calling "your people" and "your people's people" to book your trip to this celebrity mecca.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Broadway (February 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767916352
• ISBN-13: 978-0767916356
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #627,151 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #66 in

  Books > Travel > Guidebook Series > Insiders

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, but flawed, October 20, 2005

By	Vodka Collins "VC" (Hollywood, CA USA) - See all my reviews

I too purchased the original 'Movie Lover's Guide to Hollywood' (and 'New York') and thumbed through them until the bindings gave way. Never before or since have so many locations been compiled into one good book. The writing style makes you feel as if you're with a good friend on your own private tour, and without a doubt it's the most comprehensive guide around. I was thrilled to see an updated version was released.

That being said, I was disappointed in numerous factual errors scattered in this revision. The research assistants were apparently moonlighting at another job-or two-vs re-visiting some of the sites. Many of the errors are laughably obvious.
A few examples are: p.30: the photo of the 'Warner Hollywood' is actually the Hollywood/Mark Hellinger Theater on 51st Street in NYC(the same photo is on page 101 of the original 'Movie Lover's NYC');
p.50: the 'organized walking tours' by the Whitley Heights Civic Association tours were discontinued years ago;
p.69: the entire Hollywood Brown Derby building was torn down, the portion that is noted as surviving is representative of the architectural style of the original, but was separated by a driveway;
p.73; a defunct McDonald's, not an existing Burger King was on the site of the Top Hat Malt shop;
p 232: the Trocadero 'steps' were removed about a decade ago
p 313; Sharon Tate's Cielo Drive home has also been demolished although this is not noted in the text.
I could continue, but you get the drift.
Most disappointing was the glaring typo 'Janice' Joplin on the back cover. C'mon folks.
If you're not the nitpicky fact freak as I am, there is alot of good in this book, the additions of websites and phone numbers help and it's again an entertaining read and valuable resource. Just don't take it 'literally'.
And Mr. Alleman, when you go to update version 3, give me a holler. You're a talented writer and deserve better on the next go round.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hooray for Hollywood, September 23, 2007

By	J. snyder - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a resident of Los Angeles and a lover of film and the history behind it, this book has been a source of hours of late night reading that lead to hours of next day exploring. You will be amazed to find that your favorite coffee shop sits on a site that was once the location of a great epic or that Cecil B DeMille lived in your neighborhood. this book gives a context and history to Los Angeles and Hollywood that is often forgotten in the current obsessions that the city is associated with today. Not only will you find the address and locations of many famous film locations and movie studios but you will also begin to see the picture of how Hollywood developed and understand the important American cultural history that lies therein.
Keep it in the Glove box of your car or next to your bed or both. Truly enjoyable to the resident or the visitor.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well researched, but ..., November 9, 2006

By	Jack Lokensky (Pomona, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was just in L.A. and used this book as a tour guide. I found it to be well researched; however, the directions aren't always clear. Therefore, it is difficult to find the listings without other guidance.