A Cast of Killers

Rating:
Summary: Spellbinding Mystery
Review: "A Cast of Killers" was the first book I read some years ago about the murder of Hollywood director William Desmond Taylor. I've read other books on the same subject over more recent times but this one is still the most entertaining by far. I agree with another reviewer who said that the description of King Vidor's meeting with Mary Miles Minter who had become a sad recluse by the 1960s was a great piece of writing.I felt that I was actually sitting in that gloomy "Norma Desmond Style" house with King Vidor as he gazed around at all the photos Mary had of herself. The author paints a fascinating portrait of a once great silent movie star whose life spun out of control.By the end of that part of the book you can't help but to feel extremely sorry for Minter who became a victim of fame . A spellbinding true life mystery.

Rating:
Summary: One more chapter...
Review: An EXCELLENT book on probably the most baffling Hollywood murder "mystery", excluding the Black Dahlia" case, in that town's history.

Such a GOOD book that I own THREE copies, knowing that it would become a classic and quickly fall into the hard-to-find genre! Rare is the occasion when I let a copy leave my home!!

I can't believe that it has never been considered as a viable film project!! A MUST BUY book!!!

Rating:
Summary: Alvarodo Street and Murder
Review: In 1922, director William Desmond Taylor was found shot to death in his home, and two celebrated stars fell under suspicion. The case was never solved, and lingering questions about the crime spelled finish for the careers of the brilliant comic actress Mable Normand and the popular ingenue Mary Miles Minter. But in Hollywood, old sins cast long shadows: the case continued to be investigated off and on over subsequent decades, providing considerable fodder for the tabolid press. In time, it became a legend, and in the the late 1960s director King Vidor--who had been acquainted with most of the individuals involved--began his own investigation in hopes of developing the story into a film.

Vidor eventually set his findings aside, and after his death biographer Sidney D. Kirkpatrick uncovered his extensive notes on the Taylor case. The result is A CAST OF KILLERS, a book which purports to solve the case for once and for all. Although he writes with a somewhat superficial tone, Kirkpatrick spins out his story with considerable conviction. What emerges is an extremely distasteful portrait of greed. According to Kirkpatrick, the studios decided to protect themselves even to the extent of implicating innocent parties while the Los Angeles Police Department preferred to extort money from the killer instead of bringing the case to court. But more disturbing than this is the portrait Kirkpatrick paints a profoundly dysfunctional family, the head of which was dominated by a need for money, fame, and absolute control.

Ultimately there is no hard proof for Kirkpatrick's conclusions, but--and in spite of several errors that have crept into the work--he makes an extremely convincing case for their validity. While A CAST OF KILLERS is far too popular in content to satisfy students of the crime (described as Taylorologists), it is largely in line with current theory re this famous murder, and it makes for a fascinating read. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic Hollywood Mystery
Review: In 1922, director William Desmond Taylor was found shot to death in his home, and two celebrated stars fell under suspicion. The case was never solved, and lingering questions about the crime spelled finish for the careers of the brilliant comic actress Mable Normand and the popular ingenue Mary Miles Minter. But in Hollywood, old sins cast long shadows: the case continued to be investigated off and on over subsequent decades, providing considerable fodder for the tabolid press. In time, it became a legend, and in the the late 1960s director King Vidor--who had been acquainted with most of the individuals involved--began his own investigation in hopes of developing the story into a film.

Vidor eventually set his findings aside, and after his death biographer Sidney D. Kirkpatrick uncovered his extensive notes on the Taylor case. The result is A CAST OF KILLERS, a book which purports to solve the case for once and for all. Although he writes with a somewhat superficial tone, Kirkpatrick spins out his story with considerable conviction. What emerges is an extremely distasteful portrait of greed. According to Kirkpatrick, the studios decided to protect themselves even to the extent of implicating innocent parties while the Los Angeles Police Department preferred to extort money from the killer instead of bringing the case to court. But more disturbing than this is the portrait Kirkpatrick paints a profoundly dysfunctional family, the head of which was dominated by a need for money, fame, and absolute control.

Ultimately there is no hard proof for Kirkpatrick's conclusions, but--and in spite of several errors that have crept into the work--he makes an extremely convincing case for their validity. While A CAST OF KILLERS is far too popular in content to satisfy students of the crime (described as Taylorologists), it is largely in line with current theory re this famous murder, and it makes for a fascinating read. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect Mystery
Review: In my opinion, "A Cast of Killers" is the perfect mystery. It grips the reader from page one and will not let go until the book's conclusion, principally because the plot has more twists and turns than a belly dancer at the county fair.
The haunting psychological portrait of the elderly Mary Miles Minter has been indelibly etched in my mind. I really don't think any reader will ever forget that.
This book is one instance in which a potential buyer stands a very good chance to recieve much more than their money's worth.

Rating:
Summary: Alvarodo Street and Murder
Review: King Vidor was a legendary film director largely forgotten by Hollywood at the time of his death. Sydney Kirkpatrick came to Vidor's home after his death to research a well deserved biography but instead discovered a buried box full of notes for a project planned but put aside by Vidor due to the explosive nature of his findings. This book is based on what Kirkpatrick found in that box. It is full of mystery and murder, love and lust, and in the end, sadness at the solving of one of the most famous and sensational scandels in the history of tinsletown. It is a mesmerizing journey into the early days of Hollywood and the lengths it would go to to cover up its secrets.

In 1922 the murder of director William Desmond Taylor was so filled with scandel it ruined careers and nearly destroyed Hollywood. If the absolute truth had been known, it might have. King Vidor had been a part of this Hollywood in its formative years and planned to make his comeback film by telling the story of it. Kirkpatrick could have turned this into a pulp type expose but instead, and to his credit, takes a respectful and nostalgic tone, both for Vidor and a time gone by. He uses Vidor's notes and findings to let this murder mystery unfold just as it did for Vidor.

For every film buff with a fascination for old Hollywood this is a book you can't put down. It is juicy but never tawdry, Vidor sifting through the misinformation of Hollywood and the corruption of the police to slowly get a picture of the truth he himsef couldn't yet tell because some of the players were still alive. The homicide and the aftermath is filled with names like Mabel Normand, Alan Dwan, James Kirkwood, Gloria Swanson, Claire Windsor, and Charlette Shelby and her waif like daughter Mary Miles Minter, an early rival of Mary Pickford.

Vidor's reputation and the fact he had been a part of this Hollywood way back when gave him weight and would prompt many to open up and talk to Vidor in a way in which they would not have someone else. He would even get to look at police files that would contradict most of what was reported at the time, raising even more questions. As Vidor plays detective in order to write the screenplay that he hoped would put him back on top Kirkpatrick lets us see a man who was once a vital part of the film industry fighting to be remembered. During his investigation he would come into contact with old flame Coleen Moore, a lovely silent star with a fine career of her own. It was a happy coincidence and would force Vidor to make decisions affecting the rest of his life.

A Cast of Killers is a fun, fast read tinged with sadness, as Vidor somehow knew it would be. Before beginning, Vidor himself likened it to an old bottle of wine. If you love a good mystery, and or Hollywood, this is one you have to read.

'I realized it was vintage stuff-the rarest vintage of all: a murder that has never been solved. One opens such a bottle at his own peril.....'
King Vidor, 1967

Rating:
Summary: Beyond Reasonable Doubt
Review: Mr. Kirkpatrick lays out a compelling version of the likely killer of William Desmond Taylor. His attention to detail and a superb flowing style that makes the reader not want to put the book down makes this a excellent choice for anyone's "must read" list.

Rating:
Summary: My favorite book of all time!!
Review: This book has everything- murder, mystery, and a love story. Best of all, it's all true!!! While there are some errors in the story itself, none take away from King Vidor's solution of one of Hollywood's first scandals. I first read this book ten years ago and have read it again and again. Not until I got a second copy was I willing to loan it out. Find a copy, sit back, and settle in for a great read!

Rating:
Summary: Solving one of Hollywood's most scandalous murders
Review: This is a fine book on a fascinating story. I thought he research was exceptional and while I like how he overlayed it on his personal life, the conclusions drawn in his relationships were not developed and therefore intrusive.

If you like a mystery read, this is a good book but didn't bring me to the edge of my seat.