The Star Machine

by Jeanine Basinger

Film studies authority Basinger gives us an entertaining look into the "star machine," examining how, at the height of the studio system, from the 1930s to the 1950s, the studios manufactured star actors and actresses. She shows us how the machine worked when it worked, how it failed when it didn't, and how irrelevant it could sometimes be. She gives us the "human factor," case studies focusing on big stars groomed into the system: the "awesomely beautiful" (and disillusioned) Tyrone Power; the seductive, disobedient Lana Turner; and a dazzling cast of others--Loretta Young, Errol Flynn, Irene Dunne, Deanna Durbin. She anatomizes their careers, showing how their fame happened, and what happened to them as a result. (Both Turner and Flynn, for instance, were involved in notorious court cases.) In conclusion, she explains what has become of the star machine and why the studios' practice is no longer relevant.--From publisher description.