BearManor Media 2020

Dottie Ponedel knows how to amuse with rouge. Her autobiography, the story of a pioneering woman make-up artist, whose career spanned the entire length of Hollywood’s Golden Era from silent movies to the great films of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, puts a new foundation on the stars.

Sinners and saints without greasepaint make for memorable close-ups. Enjoy Dottie’s confidential revelations about Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, Mae West, Carole Lombard, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Joan Blondell, Paulette Goddard, Barbara Stanwyck, and others.

“No stranger is going to pat this puss,” Mae West once declared. Mae, and Dottie’s other clients, often demanded her services, but tomcats and contracts seldom blended. Dottie constantly fought all-male make-up departments at the studios to get the recognition she deserved. Amazing challenges facing a woman at the top of her craft play poignantly against her straight-talking, heartwarming, hilarious encounters with famous faces. 

Dottie Ponedel. The designer with eye liner.

“The Cannon Film Guide is the greatest book anyone could ever write about the greatest movie studio that ever was. And is.”

—Mike McPadden, author of Teen Movie Hell and Heavy Metal Movies

The Cannon Film Guide Volume I explores forty films and franchises produced by The Cannon Group, the most prolific b-movie studio of the 1980s, during the company’s first five years under the command of cult film legends Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus. Through in-depth studies and behind-the-scenes stories from the people who made them, this volume examines such beloved, VHS-era classics as the Breakin’, Missing in Action, Hercules, and Death Wish movies, Revenge of the Ninja, Ninja III: The Domination, The Apple, Bolero, Exterminator 2, The Last American Virgin, and many more.

“If you're a fan of Cannon films, or even not a fan, you will be fascinated by Austin Trunick's deep dive into the studio's output. This is an under-reported part of cinema history and this book will delight both film buffs and casual devotees of action-packed movies. This book added to my knowledge, not to mention my testosterone level.”

—Frank Conniff, comedian, TV’s Mystery Science Theater 3000

"A joyful, knowledgeable ode to one of the great film companies of all time, a sprawling epic full of fun stories, interviews, and images, and it delivers on its promise to be the ultimate guide to The Cannon Group and their releases."

—david j. moore, author of The Good, the Tough, and the Deadly and World Gone Wild

A trailblazing pioneer, acclaimed actress, artist, and designer, Irene Tsu has helped break barriers for Asian-Americans in her long and storied career in Hollywood. Along the way, she’s worked (and played) with many legends of the silver screen: Elvis Presley, John Wayne, Doris Day, Jimmy Stewart, Jeff Bridges, Bette Miller, Nick Nolte. Irene knew them all, and many more… some more intimately than others! But none more intimately than the Chairman of the Board himself, Frank Sinatra, with whom Irene shared a passionate and adventurous two-year relationship.

Now she finally opens up about her journey from a tumultuous childhood in Shanghai, to New York and dreams of being a prima ballerina, and finally to catching the acting bug and moving to Hollywood. She reveals secrets about those fascinating relationships and the many opportunities that make up her compelling and inspiring tale. More than just a Hollywood tell-all, Irene also shares deeply personal moments and shows how she’s always been able to move with the ebb and flow of life, making the most of it and celebrating it like a true water color artist.

The massive biography of Zorro and Lost in Space star, Guy Williams. Author Antoinette Girgenti Lane's honest, loving account of Disney's dashing TV star contains the first ever detailed information on the man behind the legend!

All rights but English and Spanish available.