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Earth vs. the Sci-Fi Filmmakers

20 Interviews

Tom Weaver author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:McFarland & Co Inc

Published:7th Jul '14

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Earth vs. the Sci-Fi Filmmakers cover

Back in the era of black-and-white horror and sci-fi movies, "we didn't have special effects, or the money for 'em," says Peter Graves, one of the genre's most popular stars. "But in those days, an unlimited amount of money wouldn't have gotten us much better special effects, because they didn't exist. We had to go with the stories and try to make them as believable as possible, and flash the outlandish things by quickly, so the audience never got a good, in-focus look at them!"

Perhaps no films attracted more rabid fans and less critical acclaim than the genre movies of that era. The men and women who made the characters come to life are interviewed here, talking about their work, the behind-the-scenes action, and the impact the movies had on their careers. The interviewees are Gene Barry, Gary Clarke, Gary Conway, Merian C. Cooper, Robert Dix, Donnie Dunagan, Alex Gordon, Peter Graves, Gary Gray, Arch Hall, Jr., Stephen Kandel, Carolyn Kearney, Ken Kolb, Robert L. Lippert, Jr., Jan Merlin, Mary Mitchel, Elliott Reid, Stanley Rubin, Frankie Thomas and Burt Topper. Extensively illustrated.

“one of the leading scholars in the horror field”—New York Times; “a must have”—Little Shoppe of Horrors; “the king of the monster hunters”—USA Today; “another winner...a must-have...colorful, fascinating reading for all film fans. Weaver’s style is exceptional. What he draws out of his subjects is amazing.”—Classic Images; “riveting...fascinating...will hold you captive”—VideoScope; “Weaver’s hugely entertaining interviews offer a unique insight into film making in the golden age of schlock sci-fi movies”—The Guardian; “recommended”—Monsters from the Vault; “one of our foremost fantasy film historians”— Sight & Sound; “Tom Weaver has enjoyed a lengthy career writing about the horror genre through his reference guides and countless magazine contributions. His interviews are thorough and informative but presented conversationally, as though he is simply visiting with an old friend. Weaver expertly guides the talk in a way that allows him to ask his questions in an informal manner, and likely he received a more detailed answer than if he had approached the subject as a journalist would”—horrortalk.com; “extensively illustrated”—Monsters.com; “worthwhile”—Apex Science Fiction & Horror Digest; “a real treat”—Associated Content; “extremely entertaining...detailed”—Shock Cinema; “Tom Weaver is legend...invaluable”—NCFlix; “well written and interesting...fascinating and insightful interviews...fascinating...the interviews are all interesting and give many behind-the-scene looks at the film production...highly recommended”—WFOS-FM.

ISBN: 9780786495726

Dimensions: 254mm x 178mm x 20mm

Weight: 685g

396 pages