Dominated by men and bound by the restrictive Hays Code, postwar Hollywood offered little support for a female director who sought to make unique films on controversial subjects. But Ida Lupino bucked the system, writing and directing a string of movies that exposed the dark underside of American society, on topics such as rape, polio, unwed motherhood, bigamy, exploitative sports, and serial murder. The first in-depth study devoted to Lupino’s directorial work, this book makes a strong case for her as a trailblazing feminist auteur, a filmmaker with a clear signature style and an abiding interest in depicting the plights of postwar American women. Ida Lupino, Director not only examines her work as a cinematic auteur, but also offers a serious consideration of her diverse and long-ranging career, getting her start in Hollywood as an actress in her teens and twenties, directing her first films in her early thirties, and later working as an acclaimed director of television westerns, sitcoms, and suspense dramas. It also demonstrates how Lupino fused generic elements of film noir and the social problem film to create a distinctive directorial style that was both highly expressionistic and grittily realistic. Ida Lupino, Director thus shines a long-awaited spotlight on one of our greatest filmmakers.

British-born actress, singer, director, and producer Ida Lupino (1918-1995) cut one of the most alluring profiles of any Hollywood persona during the forties and fifties. The star of classic films such as They Drive by Night (1940), High Sierra (1941), and Road House (1948), she was a stalwart of the screen throughout her early career and frequently received top billing ahead of stars such as Humphrey Bogart. While her talent was undeniable, her insistence on taking only roles she felt would challenge her professionally often put her at odds with the demands of studio executives. It was in those periods of frustration and suspension as an actor that Lupino fostered a talent for the filmmaking process. In a bold decision for a woman of the era, she founded her own independent production company where she became widely regarded as one of the most prolific filmmakers working at the height of the Hollywood studio system. She has been described by fellow directors such as Martin Scorsese as "resilient, with a remarkable empathy for the fragile and heartbroken." William Donati's Ida Lupino: A Biography chronicles the dramatic life of one of Hollywood's most substantive and innovative artists who lived her life unapologetically both behind and in front of the camera.

Ida Lupino did not want to be an actress; composing and writing were her major interests. Ida branched out into film directing and producing in 1949, becoming one of two women to enter the male-dominated field. While her feature films were primarily aimed at female audiences, on television Ida Lupino quickly became known for her skill at directing westerns, mysteries and detective dramas - shows aimed at male viewers and many featuring all-male casts. "No one ever asked me to direct a love story," she said. About the Author Mary Ann Anderson has had a varied and extensive career in the world of show business. She was exposed to the entertainment industry early on as the daughter of Emily McLaughlin, who played nurse Jesse Brewer for more than 25 years in ABC's General Hospital. As an author, Mary Ann has published Portrait of a Soap Star: The Emily McLaughlin Story. Mary Ann served as conservator for Ida Lupino, the actress and director, from 1984 to 1995. Many Brentwood residents who lived on Old Oak Lane recall the time Miss Lupino set her mailbox on fire. She also delighted in watering her lawn and the neighbors - not the neighbors' lawns, but the neighbors! Through her association with Miss Lupino, Mary Ann met many other legends of "Old Hollywood," such as Olivia de Havilland, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Hale and Marie Windsor. Mary Ann has been instrumental in bringing the stories of Ida Lupino to A&E's Biography and Jeffrey Hunter to E!'s Mysteries and Scandals, by researching, writing and appearing in them. She also worked on the Ida Lupino Paper Doll Book, released by Paper Studio Press.

Although women may have found greater film success in the areas of screenwriting, editing, design, and producing, there have been many women whose contributions as directors have been quite significant. In this guide to their careers and films, author Mary Hurd profiles the most noteworthy—from Barbara Kopple and her classic work in the documentary form, to Nora Ephron's insightful retellings of Hollywood's classic stories, to Sophia Coppola's current success in Hollywood. Women Directors and Their Films fills an important gap in the literature on the subject, offering a combination of biographical material and film analysis that effectively summarizes and encapsulates the life's work of these very different, very talented women. The selection includes women of the studio age (Ida Lupino, Dorothy Arzner), contemporary mainstream directors (Amy Heckerling, Nora Ephron), independents (Mary Harron, Nancy Savoca), documentarians (Barbara Kopple), experimental filmmakers (Maya Deren), and an assortment of acclaimed international filmmakers (Jane Campion, Agnes Varda). Profiles of the directors contain both biographical and critical segments. The first, biographical section provides a basic outline of the subject's life and career; the second offers a discussion of the director's films, featuring comments on the narrative, themes, visual techniques and style, and possible critical approaches to the work. Each chapter also includes a complete filmography and brief bibliography.

Ida Lupino did not want to be an actress; composing and writing were her major interests. Ida branched out into film directing and producing in 1949, becoming one of two women to enter the male dominated field. She was the only woman ever to direct an episode of The Twilight Zone. This episode is in the top ten of The Twilight Zone favorites. While her feature films were primarily aimed at a female audience, the Hitch-Hiker film, based on the spree killer Billy Cook, written, directed and produced by Ida Lupino, has become a classic film noir. Life Magazine did a piece on the 60th Anniversary. On television Ida quickly became known for her skill at directing westerns, mysteries and detective dramas - shows aimed at male viewers and many featuring all male casts. "No one ever asked me to direct a love story!" - Ida Lupino About the Author: MARY ANN ANDERSON's books include Louis Hayward: Beyond the Iron Mask, The Making of The Hitch-Hiker Illustrated, and Mr. Adams & Eve (Illustrated), all published by BearManor Media. Mary Ann served as conservator for Ida Lupino, the actress and director, from 1984 to 1995.

The year was 1896, the woman was Alice Guy-Blaché, and the film was The Cabbage Fairy. It was less than a minute long. Guy-Blaché, the first female director, made hundreds of movies during her career. Thousands of women with passion and commitment to storytelling followed in her footsteps. Working in all aspects of the movie industry, they collaborated with others to create memorable images on the screen. This book pays tribute to the spirit, ambition, grit and talent of these filmmakers and artists. With more than 1200 women featured in the book, you will find names that everyone knows and loves—the movie legends. But you will also discover hundreds and hundreds of women whose names are unknown to you: actresses, directors, stuntwomen, screenwriters, composers, animators, editors, producers, cinematographers and on and on. Stunning photographs capture and document the women who worked their magic in the movie business. Perfect for anyone who enjoys the movies, this photo-treasury of women and film is not to be missed.

"The femme Fatale takes a long view on the figure of the femme fatale, exploring her style, language, and stories from silent cinema to contemporary television. Author Julie Grossman provides a history of some of this dynamic figure's eruptions in film, TV, and culture generally, exploring the notions of female ambition, frustration, and intelligence that undergird the power and fascination of the femme fatale across time and media. We see how the fatal woman often mediates contradictory views on women's lives and their desire to gain fulfillment in a hostile or otherwise challenging environment. Embodied by some of the most charismatic female performers in Hollywood history, from Theda Bara and Barbara Stanwyck to Hedy Lamarr, Reese Witherspoon, and Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh, the femme fatale remains an active source of pleasure and subversion. Femmes Fatales pays particular attention to performance not only as a prominent feature of these works' production-established in part through references to studio press books and popular reviews--but also as a theme within the narrative (in, for example, the idea of the deceitful, untrustworthy, or "performing" woman). Focusing on expressive moments and scenes in texts that are celebrated and also those that are lesser known, this volume attends to the variety, trauma, wit, and transgressions of the femme fatale, emphasizing how this figure continually provokes us to reflect on rigid conventions and social roles. Femmes Fatales generates questions and analysis that speak to why stories about gender and criminality featuring tough and smart women are so endlessly thrilling"--

Among early Hollywood’s most renowned filmmakers, Lois Weber was considered one of the era’s “three great minds” alongside D. W. Griffith and Cecil B. DeMille. Despite her accomplishments, Weber has been marginalized in relation to her contemporaries, who have long been recognized as fathers of American cinema. Drawing on a range of materials untapped by previous historians, Shelley Stamp offers the first comprehensive study of Weber’s remarkable career as director, screenwriter, and actress. Lois Weber in Early Hollywood provides compelling evidence of the extraordinary role that women played in shaping American movie culture. Weber made films on capital punishment, contraception, poverty, and addiction, establishing cinema’s power to engage topical issues for popular audiences. Her work grappled with the profound changes in women’s lives that unsettled Americans at the beginning of the twentieth century, and her later films include sharp critiques of heterosexual marriage and consumer capitalism. Mentor to many women in the industry, Weber demanded a place at the table in early professional guilds, decrying the limited roles available for women on-screen and in the 1920s protesting the growing climate of hostility toward female directors. Stamp demonstrates how female filmmakers who had played a part in early Hollywood’s bid for respectability were in the end written out of that industry’s history. Lois Weber in Early Hollywood is an essential addition to histories of silent cinema, early filmmaking in Los Angeles, and women’s contributions to American culture.

Paper Studio Press is proud to present the work of today's top paper doll artists and Jim Howard's stellar career as a renowned fashion illustrator makes his work a stand-out. Jim's lastest creation is a paper doll of Ida Lupino who was a popular movie actress of the '30s and '40s. She went on to become a pioneer female director in both movies and TV (where she also frequently starred). This new book features two dolls, each one representing Ida with very different images. There is the young blonde beauty who came from London to Hollywood and then there is the sultry brunette who played tough types in film noir classics. The dolls have extensive wardrobes, meticulously researched and referencing the star's films and photographs from the Ida Lupino estate. Jim's stylish renderings of the dolls and the eight pages of clothes make this book a treasure for paper doll enthusiats and the portrayal of the star plus a bio make this also a must-have for cinema buffs.