Old Hollywood: Silent Stars, Deadly Secrets (2007) (TV)

User Rating:

9.6/10   

Director:

Scott Colthorp

Writers:

Zak Weisfeld (writer) &
Geoffrey Proud (writer)

Release Date:

16 January 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

A look at the 1920s murder of Hollywood director William Desmond Taylor, which officially remains unsolved. Many historians, biographers, and a few survivors are interviewed. |

Cast

Sidney Kirkpatrick	...	Himself
Jennifer Niven	...	Herself
Brandon K. Hogan	...	Himself
Gloria Stuart	...	Herself
Duncan St. James	...	Himself
Marc Wanamaker	...	Himself
Charles Higham	...	Himself
Betty Lasky	...	Herself
Johnny Grant	...	Himself
Laurie Jacobson	...	Herself
Bruce Long	...	Himself
Raul Moreno	...	Himself
Ellen Strain	...	Herself
Paul Winfield	...	Narrator

Runtime:

USA:120 min (with commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (color and black & white archive footage)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

Jupiter Entertainment

Trivia:

Paul Winfield's last project.

Goofs:

Factual errors: One important fact about murder victim William Desmond Taylor, which was quite a revelation when it was uncovered during the official investigation, was that back East he had walked out on his wife and children, whose existence was heretofore unknown in Hollywood, and assumed the phony name of Taylor en route to California. This is not acknowledged at all in this program.

"Old Hollywood" not premiered on Biography Channel...

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The original production of "Old Hollywood" aired on the A&E Network within a few months of principal photography in the Fall of 2000. It was not premiered on Biography as previously suggested. This show was a two-hour City Confidential special, therefore it looks and feels like the other CC shows. The late Paul Winfield narrated all of the City Confidential programs until his death in 2004. This episode was particularly difficult to produce due to the time since the murder occurred. Many documents were misplaced or had been destroyed. Most people with any first hand knowledge had passed away and the majority of relevant locations had been remodeled or demolished so that they were unusable for photographic purposes. In my humble opinion, this show turned out very well considering all of the obstacles which had to be overcome by the production staff and very informative as well as entertaining. On a final note; If you want the extreme factual detail typically associated with a book on subjects like these, then you should buy a book. If you are looking for something entertaining and informative with a historical slant to watch on TV (or video), then you may have just found what you are looking for.