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Reagan: The Hollywood Years Audiobook
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Publisher Description
While his presidency has been rigorously examined, Ronald Reagan's early life as an actor and union leader has remained largely unexplored. In this highly entertaining and revealing new biography, acclaimed author and film historian Marc Eliot uncovers Reagan's unlikely and often frustrating career in motion pictures as well as his unpredictable rise to the top of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Set against the glamorous and often combative background of Hollywood's celebrated Golden Age, Eliot's biography provides an exceptionally nuanced portrait of the man and reveals the startling origins of the legend.
Covering more than thirty years of Reagan's film and television work, Eliot sheds new light on Reagan's bachelor life, his two marriages, and his two runs as the president of SAG. It also examines his personal relationship with superagent Lew Wasserman, the crucial player who helped develop Reagan's movie-star persona, which would prove essential to his eventually becoming the president of the United States.
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“Film critic and historian Marc Eliot has dug up even more about young sportscaster “Dutch” Reagan, his journey west to Hollywood, his B-movie career…his relationship with super agent Lew Wasserman and his rocky marriage to his first wife, actress Jane Wyman…To Reagan fans this may feel like familiar ground. Not that familiar ground isn’t a comforting place to spend a few hours.”
— USA Today
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Extensively researched, this biography is an accessible and eye-opening read.
— Publishers Weekly -
“Eliot’s book is poised to provide something interesting: a fresh look at subject matter well worth dusting off….Tracing Reagan’s Screen Actors Guild role and evolving political ideology….the genesis of Reagan’s later public persona is closely charted here.”
— New York Times -
“Eliot does a nuanced job charting theactor’s metamorphosis from Roosevelt liberal to fierce anti-communist conservative.”
— Newsweek -
“Eliot chronicles Reagan’s film career, from his numerous ‘B’ pictures, such as Girls on Probation, to the image-enhancing Knute Rockne All American, which contained Reagan’s future political rallying cry: ‘Win one for the Gipper.’…Extensively researched, this biography is an accessible and eye-opening read.”
— Publishers Weekly
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About Marc Eliot
Marc Eliot is the New York Times bestselling author of more than two dozen books on popular culture, including Kato Kaelin; the highly acclaimed Cary Grant; the award-winning Hollywood’s Dark Prince; American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood; The Eagles: The Untold Story. His books have been published in more than twenty-five countries. He is a frequent contributor to documentary films, TV shows, and podcasts, is the resident curator of film at the Riverfront Museum in Peoria, Illinois, and a visiting professor at the University of Guatemala, where he teaches graduate seminars in film. He received his MFA in nonfiction and film history from Columbia University, where he was mentored by Andrew Sarris. He attended the “Fame” school, the High School of Performing Arts.