American Classic Screen Profiles

First appearing in 1976, American Classic Screen was the publishing arm of the National Film Society. Intended for scholars and general readers interested in films from the golden age of cinema and beyond, the magazine ran for a decade and included original interviews, profiles, and articles that delved deep into the rich history of Hollywood. Contributors to the magazine included noted academics in film studies, as well as independent scholars and authors eager to expand the world of cinema. Since the periodical's demise, however, many of the essays and articles have been difficult to find at best, and in some cases entirely unavailable.

In American Classic Screen Profiles, editors John C. Tibbetts and James M. Welsh have assembled some of the most significant biographical sketches written for the magazine during its ten-year history. This collection contains rare insights into some of the brightest stars of yesteryear, as well as gifted filmmakers, directors and craftsmen alike, including Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Diana Sera Cary ("Baby Peggy"), Warner Baxter, Ralph Bellamy, Beulah Bondi, George M. Cohan, Cecil B. DeMille, Boris Karloff, Jayne Mansfield, Marilyn Monroe, Eleanor Powell, Robert Redford, Mickey Rooney, William Wellman, and Natalie Wood.

This compendium of profiles recaptures the spirit and scholarship of that time and will appeal to both scholars and fans who have an abiding interest in the American motion picture industry.

John C. Tibbetts is associate professor of film and theater at the University of Kansas. He is coauthor of The Encyclopedia of Novels into Film (2005) and author of Composers in the Movies (2005).
James M. Welsh is cofounder of the journal Literature/Film Quarterly, as well as coeditor of The Literature/Film Reader (2007) and coauthor of The Francis Ford Coppola Encyclopedia (2010), both published by Scarecrow Press.