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John W. Harding, Author John W Harding

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  • HOME
  • CAST ASIDE
  • THE BEN-HUR MURDERS
  • THE DESIGNATED VIRGIN
    • Liquor & Flickers
    • The Contrarians
    • The McClellan Massacre
    • The Sealed Trunk
    • Videos
  • SHORT TAKES
  • SHORT FICTION
  • CONTACT

MGM

The Immortal Casting Couch
10 Jan 2018

The Immortal Casting Couch

by John Harding | posted in: Hollywood history | 1

Watching the body count rise from the backlash over sexual harassment in Hollywood, one might think the days of the “casting couch” are now over. But the phenomenon didn’t start with the movies and it won’t end with Harvey Weinstein’s … Continued

Ben-Hur, Casting couch, Irving Thalberg, MGM, morals in Hollywood, Norma Shearer, studio system, The Ben-Hur Murders
Movies and the American Character
26 Jul 2016

Movies and the American Character

by John Harding | posted in: Writer's notebook | 0

When I sat down to write “The Ben-Hur Murders,” one of the things I most wanted to do was dramatize Hollywood’s historically American roots. Early silent movies may have been pitched to immigrants but it was their vision of America’s … Continued

Ben-Hur Murders, Hollywood, John W. Harding, MGM
The True Costs of ‘Murder’
23 Jan 2016

The True Costs of ‘Murder’

by John Harding | posted in: Hollywood history, Writer's notebook | 0

Everyone understands the desire of artists to reach thrilling new peaks in art and entertainment. All of us who love motion pictures and show business in general can understand why stunt men and rodeo riders and circus performers put their … Continued

Ben-Hur, chariot race, Early Hollywood, Irving Thalberg, MGM, Norma Shearer, scandal, silent film
Prohibition and Early Hollywood
24 Jul 2015

Prohibition and Early Hollywood

by John Harding | posted in: Hollywood history | 0

In late 1919, just as motion pictures were attaining new heights both as an art form and as a business with global reach, Congress passed the National Prohibition Act. When the so-called Volstead Act became law on January 17, 1920, … Continued

1925, bootlegger, cowboys, D.W. Griffith, Erich von Stroheim, Hollywood, Irving Thalberg, MGM, Prohibition, studios, Volstead Act

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The BLOG

  • June Mathis: The Devil and Hollywood’s “Million Dollar Girl” 03/21/2022
  • Blowing Smoke: The Mating of Propaganda and Public Relations 12/07/2021
  • Fascism and Fairy Dust 07/17/2021
  • Mrs. Patrick Campbell and the Myth of the Female ‘Vampire’ 10/12/2020

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