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John W. Harding, Author John W Harding

Attending to details so that the bigger picture can emerge.

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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

Norma Shearer

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
A Voice From the Past
19 Sep 2016

A Voice From the Past

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

My novels about early Hollywood are verbal time machines designed to lift the reader into a bygone era. When that happens to be the silent film era, it can be a challenge finding the right fictional “voice” for a character, … Continued

Ben-Hur, D.W. Griffith, Francis X. Bushman, G.W. "Billy" Bitzer, Karl Brown, Mary Pickford, Miriam Cooper, Norma Shearer, The Ben-Hur Murders
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
Fiction and The Cyclops Queen
22 Aug 2015

Fiction and The Cyclops Queen

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

Non-fiction readers frequently look down on historical fiction as a mongrel breed that takes too many liberties with the truth. If it’s not well done or gets important facts wrong, it can indeed be hard to defend. But writers of … Continued

artisitic license, Ben-Hur Murders, D.W. Griffith, Florence Ziegfeld, Irving Thalberg, Norma Shearer
Power, power, who had the power?
10 Aug 2015

Power, power, who had the power?

by John Harding | posted in: Hollywood history | 2

Even if you don’t recognize the two famous people above and know nothing about their legendary Hollywood marriage, which of them would you guess held the power in that relationship? Putting the two photos side-by-side dramatically illustrates my belief that … Continued

Ben-Hur, D.W. Griffith, Florence Ziegfeld, Irving Thalberg, Louis B. Mayer, Norma Shearer

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The BLOG

  • Chasing Cines: On the Trail of Italy’s Lost ‘Ben-Hur’ Studio 12/14/2022
  • 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

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