By Forris Day Jr.
I love movies, especially the old Hollywood classics. There are so many great performers who have and still do grace the silver screen. We can read about them on the web, in newspapers and in the tabloids. Sometimes we forget that these big stars, these legends of past and present are really just people like you and I. They do funny things. They do boring things. They are human. The book “Hollywood Stories” is a compilation of short anecdotes describing the behind the scenes tales and the sometimes twisted and exaggerated legends. Many are stories that tell the true humanity of the actors and actresses that seem so distant and different from us.
Author Stephen Schochet (Pronounced Show-het) has been a Hollywood tour guide for well over twenty years now, and has compiled these stories over that period. They have come from word of mouth, firsthand experience and some directly from the stars themselves. Schochet has spent a ton of time researching these stories to verifying the validity of these interesting tidbits, as the bibliography of the book can attest to. Wonderful stories included focus on the great comedy duos Laurel and Hardy, Burns and Allen, Abbot and Costello and many other focus on just directors, actresses and actors. For example the limo drivers who move the stars around nicknamed Robert Di Nero “No Denero” because he wouldn’t tip the drivers. Most are comical and funny, others show the sadness that were the lives of some hugely famous people. Another example…before writing and directing “Sling Blade” Billy Bob Thornton was unemployed and had nearly starved to death. He felt like a loser. He wrote Sling Blade and it went on to be a surprise hit then took home an Oscar, making Thornton one of the biggest in demand actors in Hollywood. This book is LOADED with little stories such as these.
Schochet has written a book that is fun, interesting and full of heart. The information inside can be used to show off your knowledge of movies and the stars that make them, at your next social gathering. It’s available as a hardcover and an e-book. You can open it to any page and read a fascinating story. Schochet has several other audio books out also and I’ll discuss those in a future review. I am highly recommending “Hollywood Stories” to any film buffs out there. The e-book is great because you get instant delivery and it is no bigger than your Nook, Kindle or device of choice.
If you’re ever in Hollywood, Stephen Schochet still does group and private tours. Check out his website to get more info on hiring him and learn how to purchase all his books about Hollywood.
Rating: 9/10 – “The greatest Hollywood storyteller”
