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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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    • BEHIND THE SCENES
    • VIDEO SERIES: The Unspoken Ben-Hur Saga
  • THE DESIGNATED VIRGIN
    • Liquor and Flickers
    • The Contrarians
    • The McClellan Massacre
    • The Sealed Trunk
    • Videos
  • SHORT TAKES
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The Ben-Hur Murders

Before You Pull the Covers Over Your Head …
5 Apr 2020

Before You Pull the Covers Over Your Head …

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

Are you looking at this period of home detention as a golden opportunity to begin your novel? It is that, of course. But before you think seriously of getting started, here’s a word of advice: Make sure your subject will … Continued

D.W. Griffith, John W. Harding, Mack Sennett, Mary Pickford, Nrma Shearer, The Ben-Hur Murders, The Biograph Co., The Designated Virgin
The Spirits of Biograph: Moonshine and Prohibition in the Age of Griffith
8 Aug 2018

The Spirits of Biograph: Moonshine and Prohibition in the Age of Griffith

by John Harding | posted in: Early moving pictures | 13

January 16 marks the 100th anniversary of the law establishing Prohibition. Few people today can understand the grassroots fervor that made the 18th Amendment the law of the land on January 16, 1920. But it did not happen overnight, and … Continued

18th Amendment, A Drunkard's Reformation, A Fool and a Girl, alcohol addiction, alcoholism, Biograph Co., Carrie Nation, cinema, D.W. Griffith, Edison Studio, Edwin S. Porter, Florence Lawrence, John R. Cumpson, Jonesy comedies, Mack Sennett, Mr. and Mrs.Jones, Mrs. Jones Entertains, Pathe, Prohibition, Temperance, Temperance League, Ten Nights in a Bar Room, The Ben-Hur Murders, The Curtain Pole, The Designated Virgin, Victims of Alcoholism, Volstead Act, What Drink Dead
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
Who knows what?
4 Feb 2015

Who knows what?

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

The question of “Who knows what?” is not just a question for writers of whodunnits. What does the reader know and when does he know it is crucial to success in every genre of storytelling.   In early drafts, it … Continued

narrative voicce, The Ben-Hur Murders
The Price of Forgetting
28 Jan 2015

The Price of Forgetting

by John Harding | posted in: Writer's notebook | 1

A lot changes in the course of shaping a novel. Early in the writing of “The Ben-Hur Murders,” I put more emphasis on the ex-cavalry soldier, Buddy Ardale. He had ridden with the Rough Riders in Cuba, but by the … Continued

Ben-Hur, cavalry, fiction writing, horse soldier, John W. Harding, The Ben-Hur Murders
For the love of history
24 Jan 2015

For the love of history

by John Harding | posted in: Writer's notebook | 1

I’ve always loved historical fiction. Historical fiction takes us as close as we can get to the people who actually lived through past events. Historians can’t do that; in fact, it’s not their job to do that. But within the … Continued

Ben-Hur, Hollywoodland, John W. Harding, silent film, The Ben-Hur Murders

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