Magnificent Scoundrel is IN PRINT!

After four years of research, writing and waiting, Warren William: Magnificent Scoundrel of Pre-Code Hollywood is PUBLISHED AND IN PRINT! McFarland Books has listed it as being “available for immediate shipment,” although some other on-line retailers might be lagging behind them a bit. Barnes & Noble has it scheduled for a November 21st release (possibly the lag until they receive books from McFarland), and Amazon has not listed it as “just published” quite yet. To get a copies, go to: McFarland, Amazon or Barnes and Noble (who are now offering a 10% discount). At signings, I’ll be offering the book with an exclusive author plate featuring artwork by yours truly.

At home in a boardroom or a bedroom, a conglomerate or a con game: the late, great Warren William.

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Ebook and print editions

I just heard that the ebook version of Magnificent Scoundrel will be available through Kindle, although just WHEN it will be available is another matter. They can drag their feet quite a bit, I’m told. It will also be available through Google Editions, when that long-delayed service is up and running. The print edition is on press as we speak, and will hopefully be available by next week!

William and Davis: Enemies, A Love Story

Here’s another FREE episode of the classic radio series Gulf Screen Guild Theater featuring Warren William. The story is “A Woman’s Face” also with Bette Davis and Conrad Veidt, based on the 1941 movie starring Joan Crawford. Follow the link and click on episode 100: A Woman’s Face

And, to explain the title of this post:

Much has been made of the supposedly stormy relationship between Bette Davis and Warren William, mostly by Miss Davis herself. In various places she and her biographers have characterized him as a wolf, a letch and a ego-maniacal Satyr, something utterly alien to any other observation of the man I have encountered. The real story may never be known, but in Magnificent Scoundrel I do my best to cover the available facts, and there is simply nothing to corroborate Ms. Davis’ story about Warren’s behavior. I can tell you this; her antipathy towards him – dating from 1932 – did not stop her from working with him many more times (inside and outside the industry), including this 1942 production. Check the book (now slated for early November release) for more details.

This publicity shot for "Satan Met a Lady" visualizes Bette Davis' image of her co-star, Warren William.

Amazon pre-orders

By the way – Magnificent Scoundrel is back up for pre-order at Amazon.com. You can get your copy here: WWATAMAZON

Going to Press

Magnificent Scoundrel is going to press as early as this Monday, October 25th. Once I have a solid street date, I’ll advise here and on Twitter. Sign on to the handle “magnificentcad” at  Twitter for updates.

Amazon pre-orders of Magnificent Scoundrel

Just a quick line to let everyone know that Warren William: Magnificent Scoundrel of Pre-Code Hollywood will be out within a few short weeks. Amazon recently cancelled pre-orders for the book, presumably because it missed thier own arbitrarily generated in-house release date by more than six weeks! FEAR NOT – I’m working with McFarland to get it back up as soon as possible, and I hope you’ll all re-pre-order in the coming days. More info as it becomes available!

The Wolf Man on AMC, October 24th

The Wolf Man is almost certainly the Warren William film most frequently seen by modern audiences,  but sadly very few remember him in it. Whenever I’m wrangled into a conversation about Warren William, people invariably get a blank look on their face and ask “what was he in?” My first choice (depending on the age of the person) is usually to mention The Wolf Man. It appears on TV every Halloween with metronomic regularity and Warren is billed second, only behind Claude Rains. It’s no wonder people forget him though – he has an utterly thankless role. As Dr. Lloyd he walks on, pontificates about psychiatry or lycanthropy for a few moments, then disappears for long stretches of the narrative. It isn’t until I prompt people – “His throat! RIPPED out by the bite of powerful teeth!” – that they shake their heads in semi-cognizant recognition. If you want to catch a great cast (Warren, Claude Rains, Lon Chaney Jr., Ralph Bellamy and Maria Ouspenskaya) in a horror classic, tune in to AMC this Sunday, October 24th at 6:15 AM (EST), for The Wolf Man!

Warren William radio drama

During Warren William’s 17 years in Hollywood he spent a lot of time on the infant medium of broadcast radio. Besides his 1940’s series Strange Wills, Warren appeared on the Fleishman’s Yeast Hour, the Kraft Music Hall, the Shell Chateau Program and many others. The Gulf Screen Guild Theater was among his favorites, appearing there three times (1940, 1942 and 1947). The program often featured the top film stars of the day recreating their screen successes for radio audiences. Most stars (Warren included) donated their appearance fees to the Motion Picture Relief Fund, which operated the Motion Picture Home for retired actors and actresses. Through the magic of the internet, you can hear at least two of Warren’s classic Gulf programs for free, with just the click of a button. Today’s long unheard Warren William performance is from Winter in Paris, also featuring two of Warren’s movie co-stars, Don Ameche and Maureen O’Sullivan. The original broadcast is from March 3rd, 1940.  GULF’S “WINTER IN PARIS” 

And check back for a link to Warren’s appearance with Bette Davis in A Woman’s Face later this week!

Twitter feed: magnificentcad

Although I am just a simple neophyte, you can now follow the progress of Warren William: Magnificent Scoundrel of Pre-Code Hollywood on Twitter! I’ll have periodic updates, announcements of signings and screenings, and links to other Warren William news! Check it out on twitter at: magnificentcad

10 Questions about Warren William

A few months ago I was prevailed upon to answer a few questions about the upcoming biography, Warren William: Magnificent Scoundrel of Pre-Code Hollywood. The mini-interview appeared over at warrren-william.com. and was conducted by fellow WW maven Cliff Aliperti. Click here to check out 10 Questions about Warren William.