Forty years after the 1921 murder of distinguised silent film director William Desmond Taylor, another famed director, King Vidor, ferreted out Taylor's murderer. The full story of this sensational true crime can now be told in all its shocking details of sex, starlets, drugs, greed, passion and corruption.
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Forty years after the 1921 murder of distinguised silent film director William Desmond Taylor, another famed director, King Vidor, ferreted out Taylor's murderer. The full story of this sensational true crime can now be told in all its shocking details of sex, starlets, drugs, greed, passion and corruption.
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Add this copy of A Cast of Killers to cart. $1.28, fair condition, Sold by Once Upon A Time Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tontitown, AR, UNITED STATES, published 1987 by Penguin Books.
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Fair. This is a used book. It may contain highlighting/underlining and/or the book may show heavier signs of wear. It may also be ex-library or without dustjacket. This is a used book. It may contain highlighting/underlining and/or the book may show heavier signs of wear. It may also be ex-library or without dustjacket.
Add this copy of A Cast of Killers to cart. $1.68, good condition, Sold by Jenson Books Inc rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Logan, UT, UNITED STATES, published 1986 by Dutton Books.
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This item shows signs of wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact, but may have aesthetic issues such as small tears, bends, scratches, and scuffs. Spine may also show signs of wear. Pages may include some notes and highlighting. May include "From the library of" labels. Satisfaction Guaranteed.
Add this copy of A Cast of Killers to cart. $1.99, very good condition, Sold by Jenson Books Inc rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Logan, UT, UNITED STATES, published 1986 by Dutton Books.
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Very good. A well-cared-for item that has seen limited use but remains in great condition. The item is complete, unmarked, and undamaged, but may show some limited signs of wear. Item works perfectly. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine is undamaged.
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I found this in a B&B in Naples Maine and ordered it to finish it. It was a very good tale from the era of Errol Flyn and Valentino.Pre- DNA mystery.
drednm
Oct 21, 2007
What a story!
Sidney Kirkpatrick pieces this story together from notes and files left by film director King Vidor after his death.
Vidor had always been fascinated by the unsolved murder of the actor/director William Desmond Taylor in 1922. The headline-driven murder case was one of several Hollywood scandals of the era and involved not just the famous victim, but an array of big stars, sex, drugs, blackmail, corruption, and a failed justice system.
Vidor and long-time friend Colleen Moore (a major star of the silent screen) attempted to produce a film based on the murder, and Kirkpatrick uses Vidor as the protagonist in this story as he attempts to find the truth and solve the murder.
What Vidor discovers is an amazing case of studio interference, police corruption, lies, blackmail, and death threats that went on for deacdes after the murder. Vidor discovers vital evidence that is hidden and never introduced in court, other evidence that is planted at the scene of the crime, newspapers that printed all kinds of outrageous stories and veered investigators away from the truth, a manipulative stage mother, and 2 actresses who saw their careers end because of the endless implications of their involvement in the crime.
Mabel Normand and Mary Miles MInter were accused in headlines of being involved in the murder. Their film careers virtually ended. Minter's mother, Charlotte Shelby is exposed as being a monster. Taylor himself is discovered to have had all kinds of secrets. Vidor interviews still-living witnesses, police, and Hollywood contemporaries of the principals, including Gloria Swanson.
The story is incredible and beyond anything a Hollywood writer could have dreamed up. Although Vidor and Moore never mounted this story as a film, Vidor did a great service in solving the case and exposing the corruption. Vidor finally clears the great Mabel Normand of any wrong doing. The interview between Vidor and MInter in her rotting mansion is haunting.
This could still be a great movie. The book is a terrific read for anyone who likes mystery stories, old Hollywood, or just a fascinating story.
