DVD Corner

Hollywood Cats Book Review

“Hollywood Cats” is a charming piece of history.

“Hollywood Cats” (which is a companion piece to last year’s “Hollywood Dogs”) is a new Antique Collector’s Club book that offers up more photographs from the John Kobal Foundation. In this particular hardcover release, readers can expect to see hundreds of pictures of classic Hollywood stars and starlets with cats of various breeds. The photographs included here are a mixture of set photos and publicity photos with some of the pictures containing images of celebrities with their own pets. Of course, not all the felines presented here are merely housecats as you will find stars such as Gloria Swanson pictured with a very BIG cat (a lion to be exact). Images of other big kitties such as Cheetahs and Leopards are also included here.

While the majority of the pictures are cute glossy B&W images of stars such as Sophia Lauren, Laurel and Hardy, Lauren Baccall, Marlon Brando, Laurence Olivier, Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Natalie Wood, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, Groucho Marx, Charlie Chaplin, Vincent Price and Peter Lorre, there are a few striking color images (including one with Elizabeth Taylor). In case you can’t place all of the celebrities, worry not as there is a handy caption accompanying each and every picture.

Last, but not least, there is a 4 page introduction by Gareth Abbott in which he chats about cats in cinema, Pepper the Cat, famous big screen cats, the PATSY Awards, etc.

While “Hollywood Cats” may just be a coffee table picture book, there’s no denying that it’s an incredible collection of one of a kind photos of the Hollywood movie stars and starlets of yesteryear. How can you not crack a smile seeing Mary Pickford with a kitty perched on her shoulder or a Walt Disney amusingly holding a framed image of Mickey Mouse next to a cat? Looking through these photos is like taking a trip back in time to a different era of the movie biz and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

November 29, 2014 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Book review | Antique Collectors' Club, Hollywood Cats Book Review