Tag: hollywood
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The Blues Brothers by Daniel de Visé
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Blues Brothers: They’re on a mission from God. Quick synopsis: The story of how Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi became the Blues Brothers. Fact for Non-History People: The movie Animal House is based on a real life Dartmouth fraternity. Fact for History Nerds: Dan Aykroyd was born with syndactyly.…
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Charlie Chaplin vs. America by Scott Eyman
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Charlie Chaplin vs. America: The Tramp was given his walking papers. Quick synopsis: The story of when Charlie Chaplin got barred from returning to the U.S. after World War II. Fact for Non-History People: Chaplin learned sign language to better converse with an artist he hired for his studio. Fact for…
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Opposable Thumbs by Matt Singer
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Opposable Thumbs: Thumbs were never the same. Quick synopsis: The story of how Siskel and Ebert changed how we review movies. Fact for Non-History People: 1963’s Cleopatra cost about $31 million to make it. In today’s dollars, that would be $600 million or $200 million more than Avengers: Endgame. Fact for…
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Burn It Down by Maureen Ryan
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Burn It Down: Mo already lit the match. Quick synopsis: A look at the dysfunction of Hollywood and how to fix it. Fact for Non-History People: Female movie stars earnings increase until age 34 and then drop like a rock. Male movie stars peak around 51 and then stay steady after…
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Inventing the It Girl by Hilary Hallett
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Inventing the It Girl: Sex sells. Quick synopsis: A biography of novelist and screenwriter Elinor Glyn. Fun Fact for Non-History People Will Like: In the 1890s, 46,000 women died giving birth in England and Wales. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Elinor’s sister and brother-in-law survived the sinking of the Titanic. My…
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The Movies That Made Us (Netflix)
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Movies That Made Us: 12-year-old Brendan was so psyched for this! Quick synopsis: Mini-documentaries on some of your favorite movies…and Dirty Dancing (I kid, ladies). Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Home Alone was nearly cancelled when it almost completely finished. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Dan Aykroyd’s family is…