Reagan: The Hollywood Years - Hardcover

"Eliot's book is poised to provide something interesting: a fresh look at subject matter well worth dusting off....tracing Reagan's Screen Actors Guild role and evolving political ideology....the genesis of Reagan's later public persona is closely charted here."
--The New York Times

"Eliot does a nuanced job charting the actor's metamorphosis from Roosevelt liberal to fierce anti-communist conservative."
--Newsweek

"Film critic and historian Marc Eliot has dug up even more about young sportscaster "Dutch" Reagan, his journey west to Hollywood, his b-movie career...his relationship with super agent Lew Wasserman and his rocky marriage to his first wife, actress Jane Wyman...to Reagan fans this may feel like familiar ground. Not that familiar ground isn't a comforting place to spend a few hours."
--USA Today

"Reagan: The Hollywood Years provides a glimpse of Reagan's life before he became a political icon."
--Roll Call

"Many books have shown us what sort of man Ronald Reagan the politician was; this one shows how he got that way."
--Booklist

"Eliot chronicles Reagan's film career, from his numerous 'B' pictures, such as Girls on Probation, to the image-enhancing Knute Rockne All American, which contained Reagan's future political rallying cry: 'Win one for the Gipper.' .... Extensively researched, this biography is an accessible and eye-opening read."
--Publishers Weekly

From the Hardcover edition.

MARC ELIOT is the New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen books on popular culture, among them the highly acclaimed biographies Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart, the award-winning Walt Disney: Hollywood’s Dark Prince, Down 42nd Street, Take It from Me (with Erin Brockovich), Down Thunder Road: The Making of Bruce Springsteen, To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles, and Death of a Rebel. He has written on the media and popular culture for numerous publications, including Penthouse, L.A. Weekly, and California Magazine. He divides his time among New York City, Woodstock, New York, and Los Angeles.