My Hollywood Diary (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A British Screenwriter's Candid Diary of Early Hollywood, Silent Films, Studio Power, and Silver-Screen PersonalitiesBy Edgar Wallace
Length5h 6m
About this audiobook
In *My Hollywood Diary*, Edgar Wallace records his encounter with the American film capital with the alertness of a novelist, journalist, and professional observer. The book combines travel writing, social reportage, memoir, and anecdotal criticism, moving between studio culture, screen personalities, production practices, and the theatrical glamour surrounding them. Wallace's brisk, conversational prose resists solemn cultural analysis: its effect comes from juxtaposition, irony, vivid impressions, and an instinct for the revealing detail. Read in the context of early-1930s Hollywood, the diary captures an industry negotiating celebrity, mass entertainment, technological change, and the transition from silent cinema to sound, while also preserving the period's assumptions and vocabulary as objects of historical interest. Wallace brought to this subject an unusually broad experience of popular culture. A prolific British novelist, journalist, screenwriter, and creator of internationally successful thrillers, he understood both the mechanics of narrative and the demands of a commercial audience. His professional interest in film, together with his reputation for rapid production and sharp characterization, gave him a distinctive vantage point from which to assess Hollywood's studios and personalities. The diary reflects the curiosity of a writer examining a powerful rival medium from within its own imaginative machinery. This book will reward readers interested in Hollywood history, celebrity culture, transatlantic literary exchange, and the evolution of screen storytelling. It is especially valuable not as a systematic industry history, but as an intelligent, lively primary account: a portrait of Hollywood at a formative moment, filtered through Wallace's skeptical eye, narrative energy, and instinctive understanding of popular appeal.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreOther
Length5 hrs 6 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateAug 10, 2022
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1My Hollywood Diary (Annotated)
16MY CHRISTMAS IN HOLLYWOOD
2Introduction
17MORE WORK—AND THE STUDIO
3Synopsis
18PLANS THAT MISCARRIED
4Historical Context
19WORK AND PLAY
5AT SEA
20RACING IN MEXICO
Show all chaptersShow less
6AT NEW YORK
21FULL DAYS
7THE IRON ROAD TO CALIFORNIA
22HOME—OR RE-ENGAGEMENT?
8HOLLYWOOD—FIRST IMPRESSIONS
23A NEW CONTRACT
9IN BEVERLY HILLS
24INDISPOSED
10PREPARING TO SET UP HOUSE
25THE LAST LETTER
11I MEET FRIENDS
26THE END
12HOUSE-WARMING
27Analysis
13* * * * *
28Reflection
14WORK ON FIRST FILM PLAY
29Memorable Quotes
15HOLLYWOOD PREPARES FOR CHRISTMAS
Der Brigant: KriminalromanEdgar Wallace6h 50m3.8 (57)$1 · $0.00
Der Frosch mit der MaskeEdgar Wallace10h 48m3.8 (531)$1 · $0.00
Christmas Mystery SpecialEdgar Wallace, Arthur Conan Doyle, Algernon Blackwood, G. K. Chesterton, R. Austin Freeman, Fred M. White, Arthur Cheney Train, Wilkie Collins, Robert Barr, O. Henry, Emmuska Orczy, Thomas Hardy, Robert Louis Stevenson, Saki, Sabine Baring-Gould, M. R. James, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Charles Dickens, Fergus Hume, Louisa M. Alcott, Frank R. Stockton, Grant Allen, James Bowker, Jerome K. Jerome, J. M. Barrie, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, George MacDonald, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, E. F. Benson55h 34m4.1 (12)$1.99 · $0.00
Die Millionengeschichte: KriminalromanEdgar Wallace5h 17m3.7 (40)$1 · $0.00
Der Derbysieger: KriminalromanEdgar Wallace6h 29m3.8 (40)$1 · $0.00
A.S. der Unsichtbare: KriminalromanEdgar Wallace8h 18m3.7 (213)$1 · $0.00
THE DOOR WITH SEVEN LOCKSEdgar Wallace7h 48m3.7 (1.6K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Twelve African Novels (A Collection)Edgar Wallace84h 2m4.3 (118)$2.99 · $0.00
The Smithy & Nobby Collection: 6 Novels & 90+ Stories in One EditionEdgar Wallace23h 11m$1.99 · $0.00
Das geheimnisvolle Haus: Mystery-KrimiEdgar Wallace7h 32m3.4 (553)$1 · $0.00
Das indische Tuch: KriminalromanEdgar Wallace7h 35m3.9 (248)$1 · $0.00
Unter Buschniggern & Hüter des FriedensEdgar Wallace17h 27m$1 · $0.00
Der Mann von Marokko (Detektivroman)Edgar Wallace8h 2m3.8 (126)$2 · $0.00
Überfallkommando (Detektivroman)Edgar Wallace9h 41m3.5 (109)$1 · $0.00
THE SCI-FI COLLECTION OF EDGAR WALLACEEdgar Wallace17h 30m$2.99 · $0.00
Gesammelte Werke von Edgar WallaceEdgar Wallace375h 18m4.4 (133)$2.50 · $0.00
Edgar Wallace: 69 Kriminalromane & Detektivgeschichten in einem BandEdgar Wallace299h 46m4.4 (104)$1 · $0.00
Die seltsame Gräfin: KriminalromanEdgar Wallace7h 58m3.3 (317)$1 · $0.00
Die Schuld des Anderen: KriminalromanEdgar Wallace6h 10m3.5 (69)$1 · $0.00
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Bad Fat Black GirlSesali Bowen6h 32m4.7 (2.8K)$24 · $0.00
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Faiths CheckbookCharles Spurgeon12h 44m4.7 (3.2K)$11 · $0.00
Ten Things I Wish You Knew About Your Child's Mental HealthDr. Billy Garvey4h 53m4.7 (2.4K)$20 · $0.00
Designing Terry Pratchett’s DiscworldPaul Kidby3h 52m4.7 (343)$20 · $0.00
The Chosen Book OneAmanda Jenkins, Kristen Hendricks, Dallas Jenkins3h 8m4.6 (4.9K)$10 · $0.00
The Lives of BrianBrian Johnson9h 45m4.6 (3.5K)$29 · $0.00
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