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Adventures of a Hollywood Secretary: Her Private Letters from Inside the Studios of the 1920s
Contributor(s): Belletti, Valeria (Author), Beauchamp, Cari (Editor), Goldwyn, Sam (Foreword by)

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 ISBN: 0520247809     ISBN-13: 9780520247802
Publisher: University of California Press
OUR PRICE: $36.70  

Binding Type: Paperback - See All Available Formats & Editions
Published: May 2006
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Annotation: "Valeria Belletti's letters to her good friend Irma are sure to be devoured by all who want an inside look at Hollywood in the twenties. These letters make for some of the most fascinating reading about the goings on at the studios in one its greatest eras. Cari Beauchamp's editing provides a superb read, and is not to be missed by all who love and laugh at the world of movie-making."--Mary Lea Bandy, Chief Curator, Department of Film, The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | Entertainment & Performing Arts
- Performing Arts | Film - History & Criticism
- Literary Collections | Letters
Dewey: B
LCCN: 2005028157
Physical Information: 0.6" H x 6.32" W x 7.76" L (0.69 lbs) 240 pages
Themes:
- Chronological Period - 1920's
- Geographic Orientation - California
- Locality - Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA
Features: Annotated, Bibliography, Index, Price on Product
Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 02/06/2006 pg. 52
Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2006 pg. 270
Library Journal 04/01/2006 pg. 96
Univ PR Books for Public Libry 01/01/2007 pg. 1 - Strongly Recommended
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
Adventures of a Hollywood Secretary is an insider's view of the film studios of the 1920s-and the first from a secretary's perspective. Rich in gossip, it is also an eyewitness report of Hollywood in transition. In the summer of 1924, Valeria Belletti and her friend Irma visited California, but instead of returning home to New York, the twenty-six-year-old Valeria decided to stay in Los Angeles. She moved into the YWCA, landed a job as Samuel Goldwyn's personal and social secretary and proceeded to trip over history in the making. As she recounts in her dozens of letters to Irma, Valeria Belletti encountered every type of Hollywood player in the course of her working day: moguls, directors, stars, writers, and hopeful extras. She shares news about Valentino's affairs, Sam Goldwyn's bootlegger, the development of the "talkies," her own role in helping to cast Gary Cooper in his first major part and much more-often in hilarious detail. She writes of her living and working conditions, her active social life, and her hopes for the future-all the everyday concerns of a young working woman during the jazz age. Alternating sophistication with naiveté, Valeria's letters intimately document a personal journey while giving us a unique portrait of a fascinating era.
 
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