Escape Artist: The Life and Films of John Sturges (Wisconsin Studies in Film)
“We don’t need more books on Bette Davis or Joan Crawford, but we do need more books like Glenn Lovell’s reasoned, insightful biography of John Sturges, one of American movies’ best directors of character-driven action movies. Sturges was the successor to accomplished directorial pros like Victor Fleming and Henry Hathaway, and films likeThe Magnificent SevenandThe Great Escapewere his best testament . . . until Lovell’s book.”—Scott Eyman, author ofLion of Hollywood: The Life of Louis B. Mayer“Glenn Lovell takes us onto the movie sets and into the life of John Sturges, one of the outstanding directors of twentieth century films.  Sturges’s major worksBad Day At Black Rock,Gunfight At The O.K. Corral,The Magnificent Seven, andThe Great Escapeare covered in great detail.  His many other films are also discussed providing a fascinating fabric of movie making in the Golden Age for both film students and movie lovers.”—producer Walter Mirisch, author ofI Thought We Were Making Movies, Not History