Good Dames

by James Robert Parish

Encore Film Book Classics #24.

Part of the Encore Film Book Classics series, this is a reprint of the original text to Good Dames by James Robert Parish.
The faces, the voices, and the acting styles of Eve Arden, Agnes Moorehead, Angela Lansbury, Thelma Ritter, and Eileen Heckart have long been familiar to many people, but how many star-watchers could match the name to the performer? These five talented women are celebrated for their fine “supporting character” roles, but often the public has been ill-acquainted with them as people. Good Dames delves into the remarkable careers of these extraordinarily creative women, providing new insight into their professional and personal lives. Each of the five actresses has a full chapter devoted to her, and each chapter contains a detailed filmography of the subject’s impressive output of movies.
In addition, this volume provides a comprehensive survey of each actress’s stage, radio, and television careers, with reviews of these ventures and quotations by the women themselves.
These ladies have been seen for many years in films and on television, and this book celebrates their many impressive career achievements. These “Good Dames” have been among the most highly respected and best paid character players in show business, yet often they have not received the full critical attention or publicity of less talented actresses. In Good Dames each of these unique performers receive a long-needed appraisal of their extraordinary careers.

462 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 13, 2016

About the author

James Robert Parish, a former entertainment reporter, publicist, and book series editor, is the author of many published major biographies and reference books on the entertainment industry including Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You; The Hollywood Book of Extravagance; It’s Good to Be the King: The Seriously Funny Life of Mel Brooks; The Hollywood Book of Breakups; Fiascos: Hollywood’s Iconic Flops; The Hollywood Book of Love; Jet Li; The Encyclopedia of Ethnic Groups in Hollywood; The Hollywood Book of Death; Gus Van Sant; Whoopi Goldberg; Rosie O’Donnell’s Story; The Unofficial “Murder, She Wrote” Casebook; Today’s Black Hollywood; Let’s Talk! America’s Favorite TV Talk Show Hosts; Prison Pictures from Hollywood; Prostitution in Hollywood Films; The Great Cop Pictures; Ghosts and Angels in Hollywood Films; Pirates and Seafaring Swashbucklers on the Hollywood Screen; Gays and Lesbians in Mainstream Cinema; Hollywood’s Great Love Teams; and The Fox Girls. Mr. Parish is a frequent oncamera interviewee on cable and network TV for documentaries on the performing arts. The author resides in Studio City, California.