Bill Levy – författare

John Ford (1894-1973) directed scores of memorable movies that feature countless scenes that linger in one’s memory. He is the only director to have won four Best Director Academy Awards, for The Informer (1935), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941), and The Quiet Man (1952).

There have been many biographies and film studies of John Ford and his motion pictures. There has never been a single volume devoted to the stock company of actors and actresses who worked for him, some continually, many intermittently, from his silent westerns of the ‘teens to his final films of the 1960s. This book spotlights 112 members of Ford’s fluid repertory company and includes a mini-chapter on each member of the troupe.

And it was a diverse group. One wrote three books on the Baha’i Faith religion; another boxed the heavyweight champion of the world to a draw; one eloped with Loretta Young when she was seventeen; one participated in the Yukon gold rush; a photograph of one player’s ear is the clublogo for a professional wrestling association; another taught Lucy how to jitterbug; one was a legendary undercover agent for the OSS in France during World War II; another was a member of the advisory board to the Bank of America concerning loans to the studios; two were rodeo world champions.

All of them, from obscure bit players to barely-remembered character actors to legendary film stars, made substantial contributions to Ford’s movie legacy.

About the Author

Bill Levy is the author of John Ford: A Bio-Bibliography and Beyond the Beach: The Wit and Wisdom of Nevil Shute. He has been writing his “Forgotten Gems” column on films of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s for New Jersey’s monthly senior publication, Fifty Plus, since 2001. He lives in Mendham, New Jersey.

The Warner Bros. western series Lawman starring John Russell, Peter Brown, and Peggie Castle originally broadcast on ABC-TV airing 156 new episodes between September 1958 and June 1962. As played by steel-eyed John Russell, Dan Troop is a no-nonsense marshal who has little patience for outlaws or hypocrites but will stand up for underdogs and outsiders. He also displays a warmer side with his mentoring of his young deputy (Peter Brown) and, beginning in the second season, in his relationship with Peggie Castle’s beautiful Lily Merrill.

Lawman: A Companion to the Classic TV Western Series, the first book to focus fully on this show, refamiliarizes veteran viewers and introduces new fans to this exceptional television western and its three-dimensional leads. It features a foreword by Will “Sugarfoot” Hutchins, a discussion of why Lawman stands out from other television westerns, a history of its creation, episode summary capsules, and a “Recollections” chapter with recent interviews of Lawman alumni.