Dave Kenney – författare

From the stories of our classic theaters to tales of industry and intrigue featuring the savvy and tough entrepreneurs of movie entertainment, this first-ever history of cinema in the Twin Cities reveals the influence of Hollywood on the lives and imaginations of Minnesotans—and that of Minnesotans on the film industry today.Filled with photos of the dazzling marquees and great theaters of yesterday and today, historian Dave Kenney's highly readable account offers rich histories of some of the grandest theaters ever constructed. Featured are movie palaces like the Minnesota in downtown Minneapolis, with its well-synchronized phalanx of ushers and cavernous yet elegant interior, and the Cooper in St. Louis Park, with its films projected larger-than-life in 70 mm Cinerama.Yet behind many of these cinemas' electrifying facades are the impresarios and business leaders who took the risks and made the fortunes, like nationally known theater mogul and Hollywood producer Ted Mann, who transformed Minnesota moviegoing in the fifties and sixties, and porn king Ferris Alexander, whose unconventional business activities resulted in the preservation of many now treasured historical monuments. Then there are the people of the Twin Cities, who have seen and tested some of the biggest movies of all time.

A History of the 1970s in Minnesota, looking closely at this transitional time, a ten-year evolution of the state from the anti-establishment tumult of the Sixties to the Reagan conservatism of the Eighties. Based on primary documents, oral histories, collection photographs, and close look at history, politics, and popular culture of the decade, including the state''s prominence in national politics, environmentalism, immigration change, feminist change, grassroots activism including Native American, music, and sports. Proposal submitted by two veteran MHS authors, Dave Kenney and Thomas Saylor.