Rathbone: A One-Person Play in Two Acts (The Hollywood Legends) - Softcover

Druxman, Michael B.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1482007002 ISBN 13: 9781482007008

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013

Synopsis

To the average moviegoer, the name of Basil Rathbone conjures an image of fiction’s most famous detective – Sherlock Holmes. Certainly, of all the actors who have played the Baker Street sleuth, his interpretation was the most definitive. Yet, for the true aficionado of the cinema, the actor was much more than the personification of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation. He was also Mr. Murdstone in DAVID COPPERFIELD, Richard III in TOWER OF LONDON, Louis XI in IF I WERE KING, Tybalt of ROMEO AND JULIET, Captain Estaban Pasquale in THE MARK OF ZORRO, Sir Guy of Gisbourne from THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD and, of course, the SON OF FRANKENSTEIN. For most of his years in motion pictures, Rathbone was the victim of type-casting. During the 1930s, he was known as the screen’s ultimate villain – constantly in demand by producers to carry out dastardly deeds. Later, he assumed the guise of Sherlock Holmes and his past accomplishments were virtually forgotten. However, the fame that accompanied that role came at a high price: in a twist of fate, the role of a lifetime managed to irrevocably damage Rathbone’s career. Michael B. Druxman’s RATHBONE joins the actor near the end of his life while, because of his troubled financial condition, he is working on still another less than memorable film. The play delves into Rathbone’s “dark side,” exploring his relationships with his first wife, the son he virtually abandoned and Ouida, the divisive woman to whom he was married for over forty years, yet perhaps never really knew.

About this title

About the Author:

Michael B. Druxman is a veteran Hollywood screenwriter whose credits include CHEYENNE WARRIOR with Kelly Preston; DILLINGER AND CAPONE starring Martin Sheen and F. Murray Abraham; and THE DOORWAY with Roy Scheider, which he also directed. He is also a prolific playwright, his one-person play, JOLSON, having had numerous productions around the country. Other produced stage credits include one-person plays about Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Spencer Tracy and Orson Welles. Additionally, Mr. Druxman is the author of thirteen other published books, including several nonfiction works about Hollywood, its movies, and the people who make them (e.g., BASIL RATHBONE: His Life and His Films, MAKE IT AGAIN, SAM: A Survey of Movie Remakes, ONE GOOD FILM DESERVES ANOTHER: A Survey of Movie Sequels, MERV [Griffin] and THE MUSICAL: From Broadway to Hollywood). He has written two novels, NOBODY DROWNS IN MINERAL LAKE and SHADOW WATCHER, plus the humorous revisionist history, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD: From the Secret Files of Harry Pennypacker, and FAMILY SECRET, a non-fiction book co-authored with Warren Hull, which reveals the true facts behind the 1947 murder of mobster “Bugsy” Siegel in Beverly Hills. An acknowledged Hollywood historian, he has also written television documentaries and has been interviewed for various retrospective featurettes that have accompanied DVD releases of classic films (e.g. THE MALTESE FALCON, etc.). Mr. Druxman is a former Hollywood publicist of 35 years experience who has represented many film and television stars, as well as noted directors, producers and composers. One of his Academy Award campaigns is often mentioned in books dealing with Oscar’s history. He has taught various dramatic writing and film appreciation courses in an adult university and is the author of How to Write a Story...Any Story: THE ART OF STORYTELLING, which has been used as a text in several colleges. A native of Seattle who graduated from Garfield High School and the University of Washington, Mr. Druxman moved with his wife, Sandy, from Los Angeles to Austin, TX in 2009. His memoir, MY FORTY-FIVE YEARS IN HOLLYWOOD AND HOW I ESCAPED ALIVE, is published by Bear Manor Media.

About this edition

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1482007002
• ISBN 13: 9781482007008
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 76