{"product_id":"killin-generals-isbn-9780806542416","title":"Killin' Generals","description":"\u003cb\u003eAn explosive inside look at \u003ci\u003eThe Dirty Dozen\u003c\/i\u003e, the star-studded war film that broke the rules, shocked the critics, thrilled audiences, and became an all-time classic . . .\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe year was 1967. A cinematic blockbuster exploded across American popular culture. \u003ci\u003eThe Dirty Dozen\u003c\/i\u003e didn’t just reinvent the “men on a mission” war story, it blew the genre to pieces. Like its ragtag team of misfits, it defied authority, mocked the military, and still managed to deliver action, adventure, and no-holds-barred Nazi-killing. It also received four Oscar nominations, launched the careers of many Hollywood legends, and inspired generations of filmmakers like Sam Peckinpah, Quentin Tarantino, and James Gunn.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBased on exclusive interviews with the surviving cast and crew, friends and families of the stars, and other Hollywood insiders, \u003ci\u003eKilling Generals\u003c\/i\u003e is a riveting must-read for film buffs, military fans, and anyone who loves a down-and-dirty adventure tale. Detailed, insightful, and gossipy, Epstein’s homage spotlights the movie’s endless barrage of cinematic gold.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDuring a time when America was reeling from turmoil, Hollywood held an indelible mirror up to a changing society. Films like \u003ci\u003eBonnie and Clyde\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Graduate\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eCool Hand Luke\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eIn the Heat of the Night\u003c\/i\u003e would define the era. But it was a gritty, violent, darkly comic World War II movie called \u003ci\u003eThe Dirty Dozen\u003c\/i\u003e that would really strike a chord with audiences—and become the year’s biggest box office success. Heading up the all-star cast were Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, John Cassavettes, Charles Bronson, Donald Sutherland, Jim Brown, Robert Ryan, Clint Walker, and at his most terrifying best, Telly Savalas, propelling many of them to stardom.\u003cb\u003ePraise for KILLIN' GENERALS by Dwayne Epstein\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Rollicking…. Best-selling biographer and self-avowed \u003ci\u003eThe Dirty Dozen\u003c\/i\u003e geek Epstein (\u003ci\u003eLee Marvin: Point Blank\u003c\/i\u003e) offers an elaborately researched and detailed valentine to the 1967 film. The saga of shooting the film, including both pre- and post-production accounts, The Dirty Dozen’s reception, and its enduring legacy are all covered in exquisite detail. Generously infused throughout Epstein’s narrative are priceless anecdotes about the film’s cast (including Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, John Cassavetes, Telly Savalas, Clint Walker, Jim Brown, and Ernest Borgnine) and director Robert Aldrich. \u003cb\u003eVERDICT\u003c\/b\u003e For all cinematic history collections. War-movie buffs are going to love this.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal, \u003c\/i\u003eSTARRED REVIEW\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“It's not surprising that film historian Dwayne Epstein has compiled the ultimate history of \u003ci\u003eThe Dirty Dozen\u003c\/i\u003e. As the author of the definitive Lee Marvin biography, \u003ci\u003eLee Marvin: Point Blank\u003c\/i\u003e, he's tackled Marvin's most popular role, and the result is an amazingly colorful book teeming with fascinating facts, observations and insights.  What a terrific film history book for the ages!”\u003cb\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eSteven Jay Rubin\u003c\/b\u003e, Author \u003ci\u003eCombat Films: American Realism 1945-2010\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Dwayne Epstein has recaptured the joy, the thrills, and the community of those who celebrate \u003ci\u003eThe Dirty Dozen.\u003c\/i\u003e He infuses the incidents that led to the making of the film with a sense of drama and adds a fan’s knowledge.  \u003ci\u003eKillin’ Generals\u003c\/i\u003e rekindles not only the excitement of seeing \u003ci\u003eThe Dirty Dozen\u003c\/i\u003e but explains why it is still one of the greatest audience pictures of all time.”\u003cb\u003e —Nat Segaloff\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Exorcist Legacy: 50 years of Fear\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSay Hello To My Little Friend: A Century of Scarface\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Action-flick fans with a passion for Lee Marvin and \u003ci\u003eThe Dirty Dozen\u003c\/i\u003e will find a kindred spirit in author Dwayne Epstein. Epstein’s \u003ci\u003eKillin’ Generals\u003c\/i\u003e is an enthusiastic and deeply researched plunge into what is perhaps modern Hollywood’s most influential war movie.” \u003cb\u003e—Beverly Gray\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eSeduced by Mrs. Robinson:  How \u003c\/i\u003eThe Graduate \u003ci\u003eBecame the Touchstone of a Generation\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I'm not saying I'd follow him on an actual suicide mission, but I'm happy to be led by Dwayne Epstein through the story of how an iconic film about a suicide mission was made.  A rich chronicle of big personalities, grand ambitions, and a way of making movies that we'll never see again.\"  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eShawn Levy\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Castle on Sunset\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePaul Newman: A Life\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eIn on the Joke\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Killin’ Generals \u003c\/i\u003eis a remarkably engrossing dissection of Robert Aldrich's classic World War II drama, The Dirty Dozen. Author Dwayne Epstein does a superb job of laying it all out, from the wartime episodes (real and invented) that inspired E.M. Nathanson’s novel, to the creation of the script by legendary screenwriter Nunnally Johnson (though it was rewritten), to the actual production and release of the film - and beyond.  It’s filled with enormously entertaining and revealing reminiscences and anecdotes by the cast, crew, and their family members. A great read.”\u003cb\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eSteve Stoliar\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eRaised Eyebrows: My Years Inside Groucho’s House \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eSalamis \u0026amp; Swastikas: Letters Home From A G.I. Jew\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePraise for Dwayne Epstein:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   \u003cbr\u003e \"A well-paced, thoughtful examination of [Marvin's] work that influenced film portrayals of violence in subsequent decades.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e on \u003ci\u003eLee Marvin: Point Blank\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   \u003cbr\u003e \"This is the kind of biography Lee Marvin deserves. It's a good Hollywood bio, focusing on its subject's public and private lives without descending into the sort of gossip and rumor that typify many celebrity life stories.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e on \u003ci\u003eLee Marvin: Point Blank\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   \u003cbr\u003e \"Unforgettable... a surprisingly intelligent and heroic figure springs from the page... Epstein looks at a complicated figure and presents him in a full-length, three-way mirror. And it is absolutely impossible to look away.\" \u003cb\u003e—Stefan Kanfe,\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eTough Without A Gun: The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of Humphrey Bogart\u003c\/i\u003e on \u003ci\u003eLee Marvin: Point Blank\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   \u003cbr\u003e \"Epstein masterfully lays out and puts together all the pieces of the Marvin puzzle without moralizing or salivating, the twin bad angels of movie biographers. All future writing about Lee Marvin will be measured against Point Blank, which gives us the man.” \u003cb\u003e—Bill Krohn\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eHitchcock at Work\u003c\/i\u003e on \u003ci\u003eLee Marvin: Point Blank\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eDwayne Epstein\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller \u003ci\u003eLee Marvin: Point Blank\u003c\/i\u003e and other acclaimed biographies. Prior to writing biographies, Epstein contributed articles to \u003ci\u003eFilmfax Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eCahiers Du Cinema\u003c\/i\u003e's “Serious Pleasures,” and film reviews for Hearst Community Newspapers. Epstein was born in New York’s Coney Island and moved west with his family at age eight, spending the rest of his childhood in Cerritos, California. Epstein currently resides in Long Beach, California. When he is not writing, he enjoys watching and reading about movies and collecting soundtracks.","brand":"Citadel","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303605358821,"sku":"NP9780806542416","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780806542416.jpg?v=1767730727","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/killin-generals-isbn-9780806542416","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}