Jerry Roberts – författare

Robert Mitchum's bad boy reputation that colors his public profile has been both earned and undeserved. Jerry Roberts discusses the actor's career, his cult status, his under-appreciated talent, his forgotten films, and his nonchalance.This book catalogues previously published information on Mitchum, taking a full measure of the actor and describing the events that occasionally brought him more notoriety than his movies. The book's biographical essay and annotated filmography scrutinize his performing style.Many yarns about Mitchum have been repeated and modified into legend. But much of the Mitchum myth has been just that: myth. The final word here on various rumors and stories comes from the confirmations, clarifications and corrections made by Robert Mitchum during an interview with the author and in correspondence with several members of the Mitchum family. As with the other Bio-Bibliographies in the Performing Arts, this biographical essay is followed by a chronology, annotated filmography, television, stage, recording and writing credits, list of awards, annotated bibliography listing 1,300 entries and a comprehensive index.

Big television contracts in the 1960s created the Super Bowl, as well as the 1970 merger of the National Football League with the pass-oriented American Football League. Since then, professional football has been America's most popular televised team sport, developing into a wide-open passing game by the 21st century.Handling the completion side of the aerial game, receivers are not often as celebrated as quarterbacks or coaches, even in the era of San Francisco 49er Jerry Rice's supremacy. This book provides a history of pro pass receiving and its influence on the game prior to the televised era.The author studies pro football's formative and mid-20th century years, highlighting the players who pulled pigskins from flight, like the legendary Don Hutson, Gibby Welch, Johnny Blood, Ray Flaherty, Crazy Legs Hirsch, Mac Speedie, Choo Choo Roberts and many others.

From live productions of the 1950s like Requiem for a Heavyweight to big budget mini-series like Band of Brothers, long-form television programs have been helmed by some of the most creative and accomplished names in directing. Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors brings attention to the directors of these productions, citing every director of stand alone long-form television programs: made for TV movies, movie-length pilots, mini-series, and feature-length anthology programs, as well as drama, comedy, and musical specials of more than 60 minutes.Each of the nearly 2,000 entries provides a brief career sketch of the director, his or her notable works, awards, and a filmography. Many entries also provide brief discussions of key shows, movies, and other productions. Appendixes include Emmy Awards, DGA Awards, and other accolades, as well as a list of anthology programs. A much-needed reference that celebrates these often-neglected artists, Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the history of the medium.

The first book to cover the history and current status of the mysterious big cat.

“Mitchum's tales include beatings, hanging producers by their shoelaces, killings in Mexican bars and slapping Teutonic helmer Otto Preminger. And there are classic observations, such as his quip to Variety that 'the best producer is an absent one.' Mitchum editor Jerry Roberts...conducted one of the interviews, and has done a terrific job piecing together vintage conversations with David Frost, Dick Lochte, Richard Schickel and Charles Champlin, as well as collecting a wonderful array of prize quotes by and about Mitchum.” – Steven Gaydos, Variety

This is the dynamic account of one of the most destructive maritime actions to take place in Connecticut history: the 1814 British attack on the privateers of Pettipaug, known today as the British Raid on Essex. During the height of the War of 1812, 136 Royal marines and sailors made their way up the Connecticut River from warships anchored in Long Island Sound. Guided by a well-paid American traitor the British navigated the Saybrook shoals and advanced up the river under cover of darkness. By the time it was over, the British had burned twenty-seven American vessels, including six newly built privateers. It was the largest single maritime loss of the war. Yet this story has been virtually left out of the history books—the forgotten battle of the forgotten war. This new account from author and historian Jerry Roberts is the definitive overview of this event and includes a wealth of new information drawn from recent research and archaeological finds. Lavish illustrations and detailed maps bring the battle to life.

The Complete History of American Film Criticism is a chronicle of the lives and work of the most influential film critics of the past 100 years. From the first movie review in the New York Times in 1896 through the Silent Era, the pre- and postwar years, the Film Generation of the 1960s, the Golden Age of the 1970s, and into the 21st century, critics have educated generations of discriminating moviegoers on the differences between good films and bad. They call attention to great directors, cinematographers, production designers, screenwriters, and actors, and shed light on their artistic visions and storytelling sensibilities.People interested in what the great film critics had to say have usually been shortchanged as to their backgrounds, and just why they are qualified to sit in judgment. Using mini-biographies, placed within a chronological framework, The Complete History of American Film Criticism is the biography of a profession whose cultural impact has left an indelible mark on the 20th century’s most significant art form.

The Complete History of American Film Criticism is a chronicle of the lives and work of the most influential film critics of the past 100 years. From the first movie review in the New York Times in 1896 through the Silent Era, the pre- and postwar years, the Film Generation of the 1960s, the Golden Age of the 1970s, and into the 21st century, critics have educated generations of discriminating moviegoers on the differences between good films and bad. They call attention to great directors, cinematographers, production designers, screenwriters, and actors, and shed light on their artistic visions and storytelling sensibilities.People interested in what the great film critics had to say have usually been shortchanged as to their backgrounds, and just why they are qualified to sit in judgment. Using mini-biographies, placed within a chronological framework, The Complete History of American Film Criticism is the biography of a profession whose cultural impact has left an indelible mark on the 20th century’s most significant art form.

The Complete History of American Film Criticism is a chronicle of the lives and work of the most influential film critics of the past 100 years. From the first movie review in the New York Times in 1896 through the Silent Era, the pre- and postwar years, the Film Generation of the 1960s, the Golden Age of the 1970s, and into the 21st century, critics have educated generations of discriminating moviegoers on the differences between good films and bad. They call attention to great directors, cinematographers, production designers, screenwriters, and actors, and shed light on their artistic visions and storytelling sensibilities.People interested in what the great film critics had to say have usually been shortchanged as to their backgrounds, and just why they are qualified to sit in judgment. Using mini-biographies, placed within a chronological framework, The Complete History of American Film Criticism is the biography of a profession whose cultural impact has left an indelible mark on the 20th century’s most significant art form.

A fascinating retrospective on the life and career of one of Hollywood's most enigmatic actors, George Peppard.In George Peppard: A Life, Jerry Roberts offers the definitive biography of one of Hollywood’s most intriguing yet forgotten players, an A-list star known for his enduring performances in such essential touchstone films as Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), How the West Was Won (1963), and The Carpetbaggers (1964). A self-assured original whose individuality precipitated a fall from Hollywood grace, he achieved a career revival with the television show The A-Team (1983-87). Press-shy and tough to pin down Peppard was known for his loyalty and work ethic, as a ladies’ man and prodigious drinker, and as a loner who didn’t fit anyone’s idea of a Hollywood joiner or glad-hander, and as a family man who shielded his children from the limelight. Peppard was famously difficult to work with, distrusting producers, rewriting scripts, and offering unsolicited advice to directors. His leading ladies shared unfavorable opinions of him, and yet one of them married him—twice. In fact, Peppard married five times, and the alimony payments and other debts, plus increased drinking, sent him to rock-bottom in 1978, from where he believed dinner theatre might be his final chapter.Featuring exclusive interviews and filled with behind-the-scenes stories including contretemps on Breakfast at Tiffany’s; when the director of How the West Was Won was nearly fired and the final train shoot-out abandoned until Peppard threatened to walk off the picture; and a virtually unknown episode where actors were almost killed in a train accident and Peppard’s stunt double lost a leg and an eye, cinephiles and fans are sure to be entertained and to learn something new about one of Hollywood’s most authentic icons.