The Debonairs

It seems James Parish churns out far too many books. However, his series of books dealing with films and stars of the Golden period of Hollywood are absolutely indispensible for movie buffs. Anyone old enough to remember the old (now defunct) film magazine, ''Films in Review'', will recall the magazine's monthly career article on stars which covered their films in detail. The article was followed by a filmography and many photos. The Debonairs is in similar vein. It covers the careers of actors who appeared in sophisticated roles and played debonair and witty characters (amongst other varied roles) - stars like George Brent, Melvyn Douglas, Cary Grant, Rex Harrison, Ray Milland, Robert Montgomery, David Niven and William Powell. The great thing about this book is that all of the stars' films are covered in detail along with details about their personal lives (each chapter is like a mini book). At the end is a detailed filmography and a section on photos. Anyone interested in old stars should immediately add this great book to their library.