Overview
Hollywood historian and TV personality Leonard Maltin tells the often-hilarious story of his charmed life spent chumming with the greatest movie stars of all time and, along the way, writing books that sold in the millions
Maltin grew up in the first decade of television, immersing himself in TV programs and accessing 1930s and ‘40s movies hitting the small screen. His fan letters to admired performers led to unexpected correspondences, then to interviews and publication of his own fan magazine. Maltin’s career as a freelance writer and New York Times-bestselling author, as well as his 30-year run on Entertainment Tonight, gave him access to Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Sean Connery, Shirley Temple, and Jimmy Stewart among hundreds of other Golden Age stars, his interviews cutting through the Hollywood veneer and revealing the human behind each legend. Starstruck also offers a fascinating glimpse inside the Disney empire, and Maltin’s tenure teaching USC’s popular film course reveals insights into moviemaking along with access to past, current, and future stars of film, such as George Lucas, Kevin Feige, Quentin Tarantino, and Guillermo del Toro.
Reviews
“The latest from film critic and historian Maltin (Leonard Maltin’s 151 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen) is an often delightful if uneven collection of work from the past five decades. The bulk of the text consists of interviews with Hollywood performers and filmmakers conducted between 1967 and 2010. The subjects range from celebrated star Joan Blondell to the obscure but prolific Leslie H. Martinson, a film script supervisor turned film and TV director who worked on #&39;every Warner Bros. show imaginable.#&39; The author is a generous, well-informed interviewer, whose introductory text helps the reader understand why lesser-known figures like Martinson merit attention. In the earliest selections, the still teenaged Maltin takes some time to find his footing as an interviewer, but any initial amateurism on his part is offset by his contagious enthusiasm. The book also includes several essays, most memorably about the use of popular songs in Casablanca, the late-career return of silent stars like Buster Keaton and Lillian Gish in television roles, and early Hollywood remakes. Other essays, though, will be too granular for any but the Maltin completist. Nonetheless, this enjoyable anthology will be a welcome addition to the bookshelves of classic film fans.” —Publishers Weekly
"I have read it, as in every word, as in reading nothing else till it was finished, as in being sorry when it was finished, because I could as much have enjoyed 400 more pages of Hooked On Hollywood#&39;s delve into sagas of past film all new to me, indeed unknown to anyone before Maltin dug his customary deep to find lost lore regarding movies we all love." —John McElwee, Greenbriar Picture Shows
“The go-to choice for both film geeks and casual couch potatoes.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Distinctive, authoritative and personal. Its prose is so spare, rarely betraying biases or eccentricities, but the book lives so long precisely because ever page has Maltin’s unmistakable presence.” —NPR
"Film critic and historian Maltin offers a warmhearted, rambling memoir of his long romance with movies, which began when he was a child. Replete with anecdotes, the good-natured, rarely critical narrative features appreciative recollections of James Stewart, Buster Keaton, Robert Mitchum, Elizabeth Taylor, Jerry Lewis, Roy Rogers, Jackie Cooper, and Shirley Temple, among many more. A genial, entertaining memoir." —
Kirkus Reviews"His memoir is a delightful collection of relatively short and breezy chapters indulging some of his favorite stars (Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Jerry Lewis, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Gloria Stuart, Harlan Ellison) and subjects (such as jazz). This is strictly G-rated and great fun." —
Library Journal"Leonard Maltin has earned his stellar reputation as a film historian, movie critic, author, and yes, even celebrity. His memoir invites all movie lovers to reminisce right along with him." —David Ferguson,
Red Carpet Crash"I’ve read a lot of books during the pandemic but Leonard Maltin’s memoir was one of my most anticipated books of 2021. ...But anyway, the book certainly lived up to my expectations–so much that I finished the ARC in less than a day. That speaks to how quick of a pace that this book has. Honestly, Maltin shares so many stories that a simple review cannot even do this book justice." —Danielle Solzman,
Solzy at the MoviesAuthor Biography
Leonard Maltin is one of the most recognized and respected film critics of our time. He spent 30 years on the hit television show Entertainment Tonight and appears regularly on Turner Classic Movies. He is best known for his annual paperback reference, Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide. Leonard has been teaching at the USC School of Cinematic Arts for the last 23 years. His popular class screens films prior to their release, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers. He was named by the Librarian of Congress to join the Board of Directors of the National Film Preservation Foundation.
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