Infamous Players

Infamous Players (2011) by Peter Bart. From 1967 to 1975, Bart was an executive at Paramount Pictures. In this book, he presents an insider's account of the producers, the actors and actresses, the directors -- all the ingredients that go into the making of motion pictures. As the old saying goes, motion pictures are like sausages -- you'll enjoy them a lot more if you don't see them being made. The subtitle of this book is "A Tale of Movies, the Mob, (and Sex)." Bart details the Mob connections that go into the production of movies like "The Godfather," and discusses the sexual peccadilloes of the producers and actors who make the films. It's a short book, around 250 pages, but very entertaining -- at least to a movie buff like me. It's just one man's viewpoint, but it's fascinating. I recommend it. Grade: A-