Shares recollections of the author's years in Hollywood, as child extra, sound editor, award-winning film editor, and director, and of such greats as Chaplin, Walsh, and Ford

Photographer Lauren Greenfield capures often shocking, always startling images of children at school, at play, or at home in the precocious city of Los Angeles. The stunning color photographs range from the children of the gang culture of South Central and East L.A. to the affluent, often show-business world of the Westside. Underlying is the overwhelming importance of image and celebrity, with its materialistic trappings of fast cars and expensive clothes. 80 full-color photos.

Living in the shadow of a famous parent can have powerful effects, from professional opportunities to pressure so great it leads to suicide. Some children of stars are proud of their roots while others live in secrecy. This is a rare look into the private lives of the children (and, in a few cases, grandchildren) of these classic Hollywood icons, revealing the stresses and inspirations of living with great performers who may or may not have been great parents. Some movie stars protected their offspring, but others used them as publicity props or even made them into rivals. Despite their unusual upbringing, some of the children succeeded in the movies or elsewhere, but many never lived up to the public expectations. Many lost their parents, whether to the extremes of the celebrity lifestyle, to divorce, or to their careers. From the beautiful bedtime stories Harpo Marx and his wife told their four adopted children to explain where they'd come from, to the studded belt Bing Crosby used to punish his sons for not obeying the strict family rules, this work tells the best and worst of growing up in a celebrity home. Families covered include those of W.C. Fields, the Marx Brothers, Eddie Cantor, Mario Lanza, Ruth Hussey, Jerry Lewis, Douglas Fairbanks and Boris Karloff. Research is drawn from interviews with celebrity offspring, who also provided never-before-published snapshots of Hollywood legends at home.

What really goes on behind the veil of celebrity? Rocky Lang, who grew up in the 90210 as the son of mega-producer and screen disaster master Jennings Lang (Earthquake, the Airport movies and 35 other features), dishes all in his new book, Growing Up Hollywood: Tales from the Son of a Hollywood Mogul. Raised around the likes of Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Walter Matthau and Billy Wilder, Lang serves up-in self-deprecating style-a genuine insider's collection of bizarre, sometimes ribald, often hilarious and always surprising true tales from the rarefied world of Hollywood, such as: * Finding himself a pawn in the brutal creative war between Dustin Hoffman and director Sydney Pollack during the making of the classic comedy Tootsie. ! * Spying on Olivia Newton-John being photographed nude in his family's backyard pool, and the "breast-beating" he endured after getting caught in the act. ! * Discovering the scandal-sheet affair between his dad and screen siren Joan Bennett- along with the truth behind his father getting shot in the crotch by Bennett's husband. ! * Having Steven Spielberg as an "older brother" before and after the famous filmmaker's meteoric rise. ! *Being told by his dad that writer Gore Vidal offered to buy young Rocky for $1 million. ! * Learning his mother had slept with Ronald Reagan, plus the outrageous nickname the future U.S. president had given his own sexual prowess.

Former child actor Paul Petersen once said, "Fame is a dangerous drug and should be kept out of the reach of children." It is certainly true that many child actors have fallen prey to the dangers of fame and suffered for it later in life, but others have used fame to their advantage and gone on to even more successful careers in adulthood. This work is a compilation of interviews with 39 men and women who, as children, worked in the motion picture industry in Hollywood. They all handled their childhood celebrity differently. Lee Aaker, Mary Badham, Baby Peggy, Sonny Bupp, Ted Donaldson, Edith Fellows, Gary Gray, Jimmy Hunt, Eilene Janssen, Marcia Mae Jones, Sammy McKim, Roger Mobley, Gigi Perreau, Jeanne Russell, Frankie Thomas, Beverly Washburn, Johnny Whitaker, and Jane Withers are among those interviewed. They talk candidly about their experiences on and off the set, the people they worked with, and what they did after their careers ended. The pros and cons of being a child actor and the effects that it had on them later in life are discussed at great length.

The Oscar-winning screenwriter of On the Waterfront recounts his life, his career, and “how Hollywood became the dream factory it still is today” (Kirkus Reviews). When Seymour Wilson “Budd” Schulberg moved from New York to Los Angeles as a child, Hollywood’s filmmaking industry was just getting started. To some, the region was still more famous for its citrus farms than its movie studios. In this iconic memoir, Schulberg, the son of one of Tinseltown’s most influential producers, recounts the rise of the studios, the machinations of the studio heads, and the lives of some of cinema’s earliest and greatest stars. Even as Hollywood grew to become one of the country’s most powerful cultural and economic engines, it retained the feel of a company town for decades. Schulberg’s sparkling recollections offer a unique insider view of both the glitter and dark side of the dream factory’s early years. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Budd Schulberg including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate.

This collection of interviews, all conducted by the author, focuses on the children of Hollywood legends. Each child (and, in one case, grandchild) talks about the joys and difficulties of growing up in the shadow of the Hollywood spotlight. While some were significantly influenced by their famous parents and chose a career in entertainment, others felt no attraction toward the glamour of Tinseltown fame. Among the interviewees are the offspring of such major stars as Errol Flynn, Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, Jimmy Stewart and Rosalind Russell, as well as such prominent supporting players as Jack Elam, Gene Lockhart, Billy Barty and Jesse White. The collection also includes a list of books and/or websites published by the children of the actors featured.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “This extraordinary book is not only a chronicle of Ron’s and Clint’s early careers and their wild adventures, but also a primer on so many topics—how an actor prepares, how to survive as a kid working in Hollywood, and how to be the best parents in the world! The Boys will surprise every reader with its humanity.” — Tom Hanks "I have read dozens of Hollywood memoirs. But The Boys stands alone. A delightful, warm and fascinating story of a good life in show business.” — Malcolm Gladwell Happy Days, The Andy Griffith Show, Gentle Ben—these shows captivated millions of TV viewers in the ’60s and ’70s. Join award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard and audience-favorite actor Clint Howard as they frankly and fondly share their unusual family story of navigating and surviving life as sibling child actors. “What was it like to grow up on TV?” Ron Howard has been asked this question throughout his adult life. in The Boys, he and his younger brother, Clint, examine their childhoods in detail for the first time. For Ron, playing Opie on The Andy Griffith Show and Richie Cunningham on Happy Days offered fame, joy, and opportunity—but also invited stress and bullying. For Clint, a fast start on such programs as Gentle Ben and Star Trek petered out in adolescence, with some tough consequences and lessons. With the perspective of time and success—Ron as a filmmaker, producer, and Hollywood A-lister, Clint as a busy character actor—the Howard brothers delve deep into an upbringing that seemed normal to them yet was anything but. Their Midwestern parents, Rance and Jean, moved to California to pursue their own showbiz dreams. But it was their young sons who found steady employment as actors. Rance put aside his ego and ambition to become Ron and Clint’s teacher, sage, and moral compass. Jean became their loving protector—sometimes over-protector—from the snares and traps of Hollywood. By turns confessional, nostalgic, heartwarming, and harrowing, THE BOYS is a dual narrative that lifts the lid on the Howard brothers’ closely held lives. It’s the journey of a tight four-person family unit that held fast in an unforgiving business and of two brothers who survived “child-actor syndrome” to become fulfilled adults.

Inner City Struggles tells the hardcore reality of three brothers (C Loc, TJ, and Lil Willie) growing up in these wicked LA streets. The story begins in the summer of 1985 and concludes in the year 2002. This street fiction work of art covers gang life, pimping, gambling, sex, drugs, family values, political issues, and religion. Journey with C Loc, TJ, and Lil Willie as they travel down the bumpy road of life and become men right before your eyes. Roberta the mother of the boys is the glue that keeps the family together. She displays her tough love tactics and strong will perseverance to raise her sons in to model citizens as well as taking care of her ill father. All the highs and the lows will have you glued to your seat in suspense. Welcome to the world of hood life.