Book Description
When he was summoned before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1951, Abraham Lincoln Polonsky (1911-1999) was labeled "a very dangerous citizen" by Harold Velde, a congressman from Illinois. Lawyer, educator, novelist, labor organizer, radio and television scriptwriter, film director and screenwriter, wartime intelligence operative, and full-time radical romantic, Polonsky was blacklisted in Hollywood for refusing to be an informer. The New York Times called his blacklisting the single greatest loss to American film during the McCarthy era, and his expressed admirers include Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Sidney Lumet, Warren Beatty, and Harry Belafonte. In this first critical and cultural biography of Abraham Polonsky, Paul Buhle and Dave Wagner present both an accomplished consideration of a remarkable survivor of America's cultural cold war and a superb study of the Hollywood left.
The Bronx-born son of immigrant parents, Polonsky--in the few years after the end of World War II and just before the blacklist--had one of the most distinguished careers in Hollywood. He wrote two films that established John Garfield's postwar persona, Body and Soul (1947), still the standard for boxing films and the model for such movies as Raging Bull and Pulp Fiction; and Force of Evil (1948), the great noir drama that he also directed. Once blacklisted, Polonsky quit working under his own name, yet he proved to be one of television's most talented writers. Later in life he became the most acerbic critic of the Hollywood blacklist's legacy while writing and directing films such as Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1970).
A Very Dangerous Citizen goes beyond biography to help us understand the relationship between art and politics in American culture and to uncover the effects of U.S. anticommunism and anti-Semitism. Rich in anecdote and in analysis, it provides an informative and entertaining portrait of one of the most intriguing personalities of twentieth-century American culture.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting but meandering.......2004-04-10
Arguably the Renaissance man of the Leftist movement, Abe Polonsky made his mark in the worlds of education, radio, film and television. A Very Dangerous Citizen documents in detail Polonsky's participation in socialist causes -- as well as his other public activities -- that ultimately led to his head-on collision with the U.S. government during the Red Scare of the late 1940s and 1950s. The list of Americans who have been labeled "a very dangerous citizen" on the floor of the United States Congress is a short one, and Polonsky earned that label due to his membership in the Office of Strategic Services during World War II.
Authors Paul Buhle and Dave Wagner have studied the blacklist extensively -- Buhle as the co-author of Tender Comrades: A Backstory of the Hollywood Blacklist and Wagner as the political reporter for the Arizona Republic. Together they have produced a thorough if somewhat clinical study of the American Communist movement through the life of one of its staunchest advocates.
The book begins slowly, as the authors devote several chapters to setting the stage for Polonsky's great triumphs in Hollywood by examining his past and the shaping influences in his life. While good biographic work, these scene-setting passages slow down the overall narrative to the point of distraction until the narrative arrives at Polonsky's best-known works, Body and Soul and Force of Evil.
These films, produced in 1947 and 1948, respectively, are the primary reason Polonsky is remembered today. Here, the parallels between his work and his politics are clearly defined. Body and Soul, considered the standard bearer for later boxing films such as Raging Bull, establishes the postwar persona of John Garfield (also a later blacklistee) and presents a full-blown condemnation of the system that compromises an individual's morality. Force of Evil, also with John Garfield, is a noir classic that takes the next step in exposing how American society breeds those who would operate beneath the law. In each case, Garfield's character embodies values that Americans of the period would find both reprehensible and admirable. Buhle and Wagner dissect the scripts and the production value of these films in their attempt to get into Polonsky's head, and are extremely competent in their analysis.
Once Polonsky is blacklisted, there isn't too much left to tell. His acerbic condemnation of those who perpetrated the blacklist as well as the popularity of his films overseas served to keep him active, but his later films were mere curiosities, known more for their creator than their content. This is not to say that Buhle and Wagner don't have fodder to continue their thesis. Indeed, they follow Polonsky through the '50s and his later return to Hollywood to work with newer stars like Robert Redford. Unfortunately, beyond his two great masterworks, Polonsky was no longer regarded as a pioneering voice in cinema, but rather as a historical curiosity.
To those who don't possess at least a moderate interest in the history of American cinema and Hollywood, A Very Dangerous Citizen can read like a doctoral thesis. In the end it is interesting purely for the fact that its chosen subject matter was a man who led a mythic, almost clichéd, struggle for his art and beliefs. Polonsky himself tried to tell his story with the original screenplay for the film Guilty By Suspicion. Surprisingly, or perhaps not so, Buhle and Wagner demonstrate how Guilty By Suspicion in its final form is nothing like Polonsky's vision. Given his radical activities, they make a convincing argument that even a mainstream Hollywood exposition on the blacklist could not measure up with Polonsky's real story, though Buhle and Wagner have done so successfully.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Labour/Le Travail, published by Canadian Committee on Labour History on September 22, 2004. The length of the article is 1672 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Paul Buhle and Dave Wagner, A Very Dangerous Citizen, Abraham Lincoln Polonsky and the Hollywood Left.(Book Review)
Author: Mike Wayne
Publication:
Labour/Le Travail (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2004
Publisher: Canadian Committee on Labour History
Issue: 54
Page: 314(3)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Oral History Review, published by Oral History Association on June 22, 2002. The length of the article is 815 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: A Very Dangerous Citizen: Abraham Lincoln Polonsky and the Hollywood Left.(Book Review)
Author: Dan Georgakas
Publication:
The Oral History Review (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 2002
Publisher: Oral History Association
Volume: 29
Issue: 2
Page: 170(3)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Cineaste, published by Cineaste Publishers, Inc. on September 22, 2001. The length of the article is 2559 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: A Very Dangerous Citizen: Abraham Lincoln Polonsky and the Hollywood Left.(Review)
Author: James Naremore
Publication:
Cineaste (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2001
Publisher: Cineaste Publishers, Inc.
Volume: 26
Issue: 4
Page: 84
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
- easy to use
- Useful book
- Wonderful product
- one of the better harmonica songbooks
- Quite Good for Beginners
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Instant Harmonica: Quick and Easy Instruction for the Beginner (Instant)
Patrick Byrne
Manufacturer: Hal Leonard Corporation
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Rock n' Blues Harmonica: A World of Harp Knowledge, Songs, Stories, Lessons, Riffs, Techniques and Audio Index for a New Generation of Harp Players (Includes ... book and 74 minute stereo CD Jamming Buddy)
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Book Description
Instant Harmonica is the book that makes learning harmonica fun and easy. In no time at all, students will be blowing a variety of tunes on their harp. The book includes a combination of tablature and EZ-Play notation and over thirty all-time great country and folk songs. Works with any ten-hole harmonica.
Customer Reviews:
easy to use.......2007-05-16
My father, who is 70, was delighted to get this book. He's had a harmonica for years, and has actually started playing again. He says he should be able to use this book easily.
Tonja Taylor, author of LEGACY: Crafting Your Child's Future With Words
Useful book.......2007-03-20
This approach is the best I've seen for teaching harmonica, especially to those with no prior music education.
Wonderful product.......2007-01-19
My son just received a harmonica for Christmas - he is a law student at LSU - I bought him the book so that he could learn to play - he stated that the book was easy to follow and moved quickly - he loves it! It was shipped promptly and in excellent shape - thanks!
one of the better harmonica songbooks.......2006-07-17
good product for the price; I memorized 2 of the tunes in it already, and I can easily follow a few more or the advanced ones in the book. contains some recognizable favorites; the authors system/tablatuure is easy to follow
Quite Good for Beginners.......2006-03-01
No real advanced harmonica lessons in this little book, but the price is right and it a good start for the harp beginner. Also going for it, the book has a lot of songs set in simple harmonica notation.
Book Description
This complete guide shows how to position the instrument, play a repertoire of songs and maintain the harmonica. Pictures demonstrate proper technique and the cd allows the beginner to play along with professional backing tracks.
Average customer rating:
|
Harmonica Primer
Manufacturer: Cassette & Video Learning Systems
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1893907309 |
Product Description
Quickly learn to play scales, chords and songs with techniques such as vibrato, bending, and crossharp. Includes audio CD with more than 30 songs.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book!.......2007-04-04
This book is a great book if you are just learning to use the harmonica. I highly recommend it!
Customer Reviews:
A good place to start learning blues rhythms and licks.......2004-01-14
I enjoyed this book along with the companion Blues Harmonica Licks because the one page lessons focusing on one lick were simple enough to feel like you were accomplishing something. This layout fosters confidence in harmonica playing such that by the end of the book I was comfortable improvising to the backing music with the numerous riffs and techniques learned in this book. The shortcoming of the book is that the volume 1 stops right at bending. This wouldn't be that bad, but as I understand it, volume 2 was never finished or published. Without bending, you really are not playing the blues. I would still recommend this book over other beginner books because it sticks to teaching licks without all the goofiness of books like Gindicks. I am left though to ponder how much less of a struggle learning to bend would have been had they published volume 2.
For harmonica beginner with no previous music experience.......2000-08-31
This book is perfect for a beginner to blues harmonica who is also a beginner to music theory. The tunes in this book are easy and progressively get more challenging. I could play decent sounding stuff from the first attempt but had to work hard to do the harder stuff later in the book.
If you already play another instrument and/or can read music another book would be better as this one doesn't use standard notation. This book is best for someone who has no musical experience. Also, If you have no experience playing with other musicians the CD is very helpful - you play along with other musicians (drums, guitar, bass, keyboard etc) on the CD so that you will learn correct timing and rhythm. And with the CD you can listen to the harmonica on the CD, play with it and then play on your own as the CD leaves a verse or two free from harmonica for you to play along.
Great value for a harmonica beginner who is also a musical theory beginner. I also have the accompaning book "Blue Harmonica Licks Vol.1 - it has more of the same but doesn't feature bending notes. Some of the tunes are simple and you may want to move onto something by David Barret or Jerry Portnoy later.
Book Description
Please see the Homespun Listen & Learn section of this catalog for a complete description.
Customer Reviews:
John Sebastian - Harmonica Instruction.......2007-05-14
You know John Sebastian as an accomplished harpist. What you may not be familiar with is his unique ability to teach. Mixing instruction with humor, he communicates many years of experience in a way which is easily accessible without being dry. This course is definely recommended for beginners who want to get started. It could have been called "Everything You Need To Know - Blues Harp 101".
Average customer rating:
- A Must For Learning To Play The Harmonica
- If You Really Want To Learn The Harmonica, Buy This Book!
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The Natural Blues and Country-Western Harmonica: A Beginners Guide
Jon Gindick
Manufacturer: Music Sales Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Customer Reviews:
A Must For Learning To Play The Harmonica.......2002-01-24
There are a plethora of books out there on how to learn to play the harmonica. Jon Gindick, one of America's best harmonica teachers has written a book that will definitely set you on the right track for learning how to play this wonderful little instrument.
The book is divided into sections that will walk you carefully through the first steps of learning about the harmonica. These sections are broken into smaller, easier-to-digest pages which will make is simple to understand the basic concepts of playing. By the time you have worked your way through the book you will have a solid foundation in the instrument and will be ready to play with other musicians or to work on more complex forms of music.
Either way I found this book enjoyable to read and would even suggest that more experienced players go through the lessons in order to hone their basic skills. This book is a definite must for any harmonica player.
If You Really Want To Learn The Harmonica, Buy This Book!.......1999-12-22
Sometime in the mid-80's, I took a delivery job with a small company. I had alot of time on my hands between deliveries; to break the tedium, I decided to learn to play the harmonica. Fortunately, I came across "The Natural Blues/Country Harmonica". Of all the books for beginner harp players, this is by far the best. Without taking himself too seriously, the writer lulls the student into a calm, relaxed approach to playing the harmonica, which is perfect for this instrument. With the helpful illustrations and clear instructions, students new to the harmonica will find they can play with confidence before they even realise how much they have learned. This is a must buy as a gift for young harpists, or if you are giving a beginner their first harmonica.
Product Description
This book shows you all the techniques, including vibrato, wah-wah, note-bending and cross-playing, which are necessary to become a great blues player. The companion CD demonstrates all the exercises, solos and techniques that are in the book. There is a full band backing the harmonica playing.
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