Hollywoodland

"Hollywoodland" has alot of stories about the early history of Hollywood and the movie business. It goes into alot of the gossip and myths surrounding the start of film. I think it is a good book for anyone who wants a good overview of this. I don't think it was very well written. But if you are looking for an easy start to learning about Hollywood history, this would be a good book.

David Wallace is an extremely gifted writer and I am becoming a fan. While I am familiar with a lot of the material covered in this book, I couldn't help myself and just couldn't put it down. Even the familiar stories had a fresh feel and there were aspects to a lot of the stories which I was completely unaware of.Wallace has managed to carefully research his topics and provide a lot of information for his readers. One of the more interesting cases in point was his examination of the Doheney murder/suicide (?) and its implications in regard to the Teapot Dome scandal. Even with the dubious title of HOLLYWOODLAND which sounds like a cross between a scandal rag and a land development scheme (which in fact it was when originally used in the '20's to sell real estate in the Beechwood Canyon area), this book is an incredible combination of fact and urban legend. This is a very nifty book and I thoroughly enjoyed myself! What makes Hollywoodland such a compelling read is the manner in which the writer has chosen to handle and develop his material. David Wallace's way with a good story is what makes this book a standout for me.

Wallace has reinvented Hollywood history books by ecscavating its ruins to make it new and once again undeniably glamorous, scandolous and absurd. It's one of those things, those books, that you look through again thinking, of course, of course this had to be written, and all the while feeling as though you couldn't have imagined it before you read it the first time.