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 Interviews, editors John C. Tibbetts and James M. Welsh have assembled some of the most significant and memorable interviews conducted for the magazine during its
ten-year history. This collection contains rare conversations with some of the brightest stars of yesteryear, as well as gifted filmmakers, celebrated animators, and highly. revered historians,
including Fred Astaire, Kevin Brownlow, Frank Capra, Stanley Donen, Olivia de Havilland, Irene Dunne, Joan Fontaine, Friz Freleng, Margaret Hamilton, Winton C. Hoch, Henry King, Mervyn LeRoy,
Fred MacMurray, Glen MacWilliams, Rouben Mamoulian, Clarence "Ducky" Nash, Paul Newman, Hermes Pan, Robert Preston, and Jane Withers.
This compendium of interviews 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.
