Land of Smoke and Mirrors

VINCENT BROOK teaches at UCLA, USC, Cal State–LA, and Pierce College. He is the author of Something Ain’t Kosher Here: The Rise of the "Jewish" Sitcom and Driven to Darkness: Jewish ÉmigrÉ Directors and the Rise of Film Noir (both Rutgers University Press).

"A cultural geography of Los Angeles has never before been conducted with such brio, verve, and insight. This book is something quite unique and special."- R. Barton Palmer (author of Hollywood's Dark Cinema: The American Film Noir) "A compelling, well-researched story of Los Angeles's deep and diverse roots and growth from indigenous settlements to the world's most multicultural metropolis . . . a must-read for anyone hoping to understand the city's past, present and future." - Félix F. Gutiérrez (University of Southern California) "Brook presents a provocative cultural history of Los Angeles that cuts through the myths and glam often associated with the film industry and the city's historical development and noir setting. An important addition to collections with a focus on Southern California and Los Angeles or film history. Recommended."(Choice) "A unique look at the historiography of Los Angeles." (Southern California Quarterly) "Land of Smoke and Mirrors is so referentially rich that it, together with complementary articles and films, could serve as a cultural lexicon for students asigned to research the region's copious imagery."(Journal of American History) "Provocative and at times exasperating, Vincent Brook's disection of Los Angeles history folows in the tradition of Carey McWilliams and Mike Davis, whose works have criticized much and praised little about the City of Angels." (Los Angeles City Historical Society) "A cultural geography of Los Angeles has never before been conducted with such brio, verve, and insight. This book is something quite unique and special."- R. Barton Palmer (author of Hollywood's Dark Cinema: The American Film Noir) "A cultural geography of Los Angeles has never before been conducted with such brio, verve, and insight. This book is something quite unique and special."- R. Barton Palmer (author of Hollywood's Dark Cinema: The American Film Noir) "A compelling, well-researched story of Los Angeles's deep and diverse roots and growth from indigenous settlements to the world's most multicultural metropolis . . . a must-read for anyone hoping to understand the city's past, present and future." - Félix F. Gutiérrez (University of Southern California) "A compelling, well-researched story of Los Angeles's deep and diverse roots and growth from indigenous settlements to the world's most multicultural metropolis . . . a must-read for anyone hoping to understand the city's past, present and future." - Félix F. Gutiérrez (University of Southern California) "Brook presents a provocative cultural history of Los Angeles that cuts through the myths and glam often associated with the film industry and the city's historical development and noir setting. An important addition to collections with a focus on Southern California and Los Angeles or film history. Recommended."(Choice) "Brook presents a provocative cultural history of Los Angeles that cuts through the myths and glam often associated with the film industry and the city's historical development and noir setting. An important addition to collections with a focus on Southern California and Los Angeles or film history. Recommended."(Choice) "A unique look at the historiography of Los Angeles." (Southern California Quarterly) "A unique look at the historiography of Los Angeles." (Southern California Quarterly) "Land of Smoke and Mirrors is so referentially rich that it, together with complementary articles and films, could serve as a cultural lexicon for students asigned to research the region's copious imagery."(Journal of American History) "Land of Smoke and Mirrors is so referentially rich that it, together with complementary articles and films, could serve as a cultural lexicon for students asigned to research the region's copious imagery."(Journal of American History) "Provocative and at times exasperating, Vincent Brook's disection of Los Angeles history folows in the tradition of Carey McWilliams and Mike Davis, whose works have criticized much and praised little about the City of Angels." (Los Angeles City Historical Society) "Provocative and at times exasperating, Vincent Brook's disection of Los Angeles history folows in the tradition of Carey McWilliams and Mike Davis, whose works have criticized much and praised little about the City of Angels." (Los Angeles City Historical Society)

• IntroductionOriginal si(g)n. The Ramona mythRamona revisitedSi(g)n city. "City with two heads"What price Hollywood?L.A. noir. Bright and guilty placeNeo-noirMulticultural L.A. LAtinosbLAcksLAsiansLAnglos and LAGBTsConclusion