Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Milicent Patrick lived a full life in Hollywood. She worked in the animation department for Walt Disney, spent some time working as a model and, most famously, helped design the Gill Man costume for Creature from the Black Lagoon . However, because of her gender, most of her accomplishments, including that last one, have been erased from history and/or claimed by men. In this non-fiction biography, the author chases down Milicent's lost legacy and helps her reclaim credit for her work. Review: I love classic monster movies, but I am almost equally a fan of the history surrounding a lot of those classic films. So, when I learned about The Lady from the Black Lagoon, I decided to request a copy from my library and give it a read. I was not disappointed. Truth-be-told, I never heard the name Milicent Patrick before reading this book but, as it turns out, there is good reason for that - as much as she accomplished in her time in Hollywood, including one of the most iconic m...

Synopsis: Homeschooled for "hippie reasons" in the deep south, Felicia Day was a gifted student who was admitted to college at the age of 16 and graduated as valedictorian with a math degree but struggled in social situations unless they were over the internet. After moving to Hollywood to be an actress and struggling to find roles that spoke to her, she with help from friends she met online, decided to create her own web series The Guild, about gaming culture and became an internet star as a result. This memoir tells her story. Review: While not overly familiar with The Guild , other than watching a few episodes, I am a Felicity Day fan from her time on Supernatural and do follow her on social media. I recently read her graphic novel, The Lost Daughter of Sparta and enjoyed it enough to give her memoir You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) a try. I finished reading it this morning and was glad I did. Day's life story is an interesting one. She was a brilli...

Synopsis: Coming to Los Angeles in the 1940s after serving in World War II, Fred Otash first joined the Los Angeles Police Department but after clashes with his new boss, quit to become a private detective. Using his connections with the police and relationships he built with many of Hollywood's elite, Otash first worked for a gossip magazine before becoming a sought-after fixer, someone who could keep celebrity indiscretions out of the press and protect both their careers and the studios investing money in them. This biography tells his story along with stories about Hollywood's dark side.   Review: I had a bit of a Hollywood history theme the last time I checked out books from the library and, as part of that, ended up selecting The Fixer simply because it sounded interesting. While I didn't know who Fred Otash was before reading the book, I was familiar with the concept of Hollywood "fixers" and what they did for the studios and figured it would be entertainin...

Synopsis: After being raised by parents who stole from her and becoming a widow at 24, Hollywood star Mary Astor was involved in relationships with multiple men, including playwright George S. Kaufman, while she was married to Dr. Franklyn Thorpe and wrote about her affairs in her diary. In 1936, after agreeing to give Thorpe both a divorce and custody of their daughter, Marylyn because he possessed her diary and threatened to use it to derail her career, Astor took her ex-husband to court to contest the custody arrangement, putting Hollywood on high alert as the case threatened to expose the details of her private journal, including the famous stars she slept with. This non-fiction book gives a play-by-play detail of the trial, the events leading up to it and the aftermath. Review: As a classic movie fan, I am familiar with Mary Astor's work and knew enough about her history to be familiar with her infamous "Purple Diaries," named after the color ink she used to write...

Synopsis: Getting his first big break in show business as a writer for comedian Sid Caesar , Mel Brooks has been entertaining people as a writer, director and actor for decades, winning Academy Awards and changing the comedy landscape with films like Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein . In this autobiography, Brooks tells his story and talks about the people who impacted his life along the way. Review: If I were to ever compile a list of my all-time favorite directors, I am confident the majority of them would be horror film directors. However, even if that did turn out to be the case, I think I can say with absolute (well maybe 99 percent) certainty Mel Brooks would probably wind up on the top. The man is a comedy legend, and I find myself quoting his movies practically daily. As a result of this, when I was able to get a copy of his autobiography All About Me! through the local library, I did. And, since it was a holiday weekend, I was able to get through it over the course o...

Synopsis: Born in 1902, Lyle Talbot had a long career in entertainment, starting as a hypnotist's assistant, traveling with a carnival and theater troupes and eventually becoming a lead actor in Hollywood movies and television. This book, written by his daughter, tells his story while also providing a history of American entertainment. Review: I am familiar with Lyle Talbot because I've seen probably at least a dozen of his films. In fact, I have chosen films in part because I saw his name in the credits. So, when I came across The Entertainer: Movies, Magic and My Father's Twentieth Century at my library, I decided to check it out. I finished reading the book yesterday evening and thought it was a good pick. Even though I recognize the name, I honestly didn't know a whole lot about Talbot outside his movie roles, and I think I am safe saying this book was a real eye-opener as far as his life goes, just because it seemed so unique from the typical Hollywood fame stor...

Synopsis: From the time she was a little girl, Wong Liu Tsong wanted to be an actress and gets an opportunity to do so as a teenage when she is discovered while working as a movie extra. Going by the stage name Anna May Wong, she quickly rises to international fame. However, her Chinese American heritage and skin color continue to provide an obstacle to her dreams of being a leading lady who isn't typecast by racist Hollywood while her chosen profession creates a rift between her and her father. Review: To be perfectly honest, I had a lot of doubts about The Brightest Star when I reserved a copy of it through my local library. While I am, as I've mentioned in the past, a fan of old movies and Hollywood history, I wasn't sure what to expect from a book that is based on the life of a real celebrity but told in a way that even the author describes as fiction. Still, I gave it a shot while hiding indoors from the cold this weekend and it turned out to be a book I couldn'...

Synopsis: Ever since movies became a form of entertainment, alcohol has been part of film history. In some cases, it has even been the cause of film history. This non-fiction book, which is illustrated by Edward Hemingway, shares drinking stories involving Hollywood actors, the places they frequented and even recipes for their favorite drinks. Review: As someone who loves classic, black-and-white films, I have taken a real interest in Hollywood history and the behind-the-scenes stuff that didn't necessarily make it into the newspapers when they happened. That's why, when I came across Of All the Gin Joints at my library, I decided it was worth taking the time to read. I finished it this morning and am pleased to say I made a good reading choice. There were a few things I found I liked about this book. One of them was the variety of actors, writers, producers, etc. that the stories were about. It was a good mix of well-known names and people I honestly had never heard about b...

Synopsis: The 1980 film Airplane! is a movie that has inspired generations of comedy films despite casting actors that, up until that point, had no comedic experience. This book, written by the men who made the movie, tells the story of how the film came to be along with behind-the-scenes tidbits. Review: I first saw Airplane! when I was too young to understand why a good chunk of the jokes were supposed to be funny. As I got older and re-watched the film easily a dozen or more times, I began to appreciate both the comedy and the cultural impact the movie had. So, when I came across Surely You Can't Be Serious at the library, I decided to check it out. I was not disappointed by this choice. The thing that I like most about this book is how it is how the story is told by the people who were involved with the film instead of someone telling the story second-hand. The anecdotes relating to how the film came to be and what happened when the cameras weren't rolling just hit diff...

Synopsis: First cast as a 15-year-old teenager in a film role that would earn her the nickname of "the Sweater Girl," Lana Turner became a Hollywood sex symbol and went on to a film and television career that lasted from the 1930s until the 1980s. Behind the scenes, however, Turner's life wasn't so glamorous, filled with failed and abusive romances, including to Johnny Stompanato, a mobster working for crime boss Mickey Cohen, a relationship that eventually ended with Stompanato dead on her bedroom floor and her teenage daughter, Cheryl, willingly taking the blame for the stabbing.  This non-fiction book presents an account of Turner's life, how it reached that pivotal point and the impact of the scandal on her career and mother/daughter relationship. Review:   A a classic movie fan, I was well-aware of both Lana Turner's film work and the scandal that nearly completely derailed her career. So, when I came across A Murder in Hollywood at the library, I deci...