Out of the Past is a classic film blog covering films from the 1920s to the 1960s and beyond. Raquel reviews movies, discusses stars of the classic Hollywood era, shares her classic film related life experiences, watches her favorite films on the big screen and reviews books.
Greetings fellow readers! I'm back with another curated list of new and upcoming classic film books. This list has everything from memoirs from the biggest celebrity names, lots of biographies, genre books, deep dives on individual films and plenty from the BFI and Turner Classic Movies. Of course you'll also find your usual offerings about Alfred Hitchcock, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and…
Happy New Year! Another year, another roundup of classic film books. This is my twelfth year doing these lists and I'm grateful that publishers continue to recognize the market for books about film history. 2026 marks Marilyn Monroe's centennial so you'll see plenty of titles about her here (with more coming in the second half of the year!). The BFI has increased their output of their BFI Film…
Greetings fellow readers! I'm proud to introduced the newest classic film related books publishing in the second half of 2025. There is a great mix of titles here and lots of different subjects and plenty of returning authors too. And per usual you'll find new titles on Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Alfred Hitchcock and John Wayne because the industry hasn't run out of ideas on books about them.…
L.A. Coroner Thomas Noguchi and Death in Hollywood by Anne Soon Choi Third State Books Hardcover ISBN: 9798890130075 April 2025 256 pages Amazon — Barnes & Noble — Powell's “Gentlemen, you’re about to enter fascinating sphere of police work. The world of forensic medicine.” — Quincy M.E. When a major celebrity passes away under mysterious or violent circumstances, it’s natural for the public to…
Thank you to everyone who reached out to me in anticipation of the new roundup of classic film books! I've been hard at work on this list and I finally have something to share. I was quite impressed with the new offerings and happy to see names like Marya Gates, Alex Kittle, Lies Lanckman, Mary Mallory and Alicia Malone out with new books. I was also thrilled to see new biographies and memoirs on…
On the latest episode of The CineHistorians Podcast, Dr. Carl Sweeney and I discuss Gillian Armstrong's film My Brilliant Career (1979) in depth and explore the Australian Film Revival. Make sure you subscribe to The CineHistorians on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can find all of the audio platforms here. There is also a video version of the podcast on The…
Catch the latest episode of The CineHistorians Podcast. On this episode, Dr. Carl Sweeney and I discuss the British New Wave and Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960), directed by Karel Reisz and starring Albert Finney, Rachel Roberts and Shirley Anne Field. In this episode we also discuss various other films from the British New Wave, including my personal favorite A Taste of Honey (1961). You…
I've been away for some time but that's because I've been working on something pretty amazing. Dr. Carl Sweeney and I have launched a new venture called The CineHistorians Podcast. What is The CineHistorians Podcast? I'm so glad you asked. The CineHistorians podcast explores the history of cinema from across the globe. Hosted by Dr. Carl Sweeney and Raquel Stecher, each season of the podcast…
I've returned with an exciting new edition to my classic film book round ups. Every time I curate these lists I worry that this will be the one that disappoints. But they never do. I really like this selection of memoirs, coffee table books, scholarly texts, reissues and paperbacks. There is really truly something for everyone here. Are you new to my list? Here are the details. The books include…
Forbidden Cocktails Libations Inspired by the World of Pre-Code Hollywood by André Darlington Foreword by Mark A. Vieira TCM and Running Press Hardcover ISBN: 9780762485208 248 pages May 2024 Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Powell’s “Pre-code movies are like forbidden fruit—especially when spiked with that harbinger of mischief, the cocktail.” — André Darlington I thoroughly enjoyed Eddie Muller's…
New year, new books! 2024 is your year to read more film books and there are plenty of new ones coming out for you to enjoy. There is lots here for those of you who enjoy Oscar history, fashion, Westerns, film noir, etc. There are 80+ new titles featured so plenty options to consider! Are you new to my list? Here are the details. The books include biographies, memoirs, scholarly texts, coffee…
Christmas in the Movies 35 Classics to Celebrate the Season Revised and Expanded Edition by Jeremy Arnold TCM and Running Press Hardcover ISBN: 9780762481040 280 pages October 2023 Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Powell's — Larry Edmunds "When we view [Christmas movies], we journey back to our childhoods, laugh at our quirks, and lose ourselves in tales of love and compassion. There's nostalgia in…
Ladies They Talk About (1933) is one of the original women-in-prison films and is perfectly suited for the Pre-Code era. Directed by Howard Bretherton and William Keighley for Warner Bros., Barbara Stanwyck stars as Nan Taylor, a glamorous gun moll and a member of a bank robbing gang led by Don (Lyle Talbot) and Lefty (Harold Huber). Nan is a career criminal and has her job down pat. She's just…
photo credit: Museum of Modern Art Film Stills Archive Undercrank Productions, Library of Congress Beverly of Graustark (1926) stars Marion Davies as Beverly Calhoun, cousin to Oscar (Creighton Hale), the prince heir of the fictional kingdom of Graustark. Beverly has intimate knowledge of the family and specifically Oscar with whom she was raised almost as sibling. Graustark is expecting his…
AKA Lucy The Dynamic and Determined Life of Lucille Ball by Sarah Royal Foreword by Amy Poehler Running Press Hardcover ISBN: 9780762484263 240 pages October 2023 Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Powell's “Lucy is one of America’s greatest works of art.” — Amy Poehler Lucille Ball was a force of nature. Her\ chaotic energy combined with her feminine aura created her unique brand of charisma that made…
Raymond Griffith: The Silk Hat Comedian Blu-ray from Undercrank Productions presents a double-feature of newly restored 7-reel comedies starring silent film comedian Raymond Griffith. A little background on Raymond Griffith. He was born in 1895 in Boston, Massachusetts and was raised by a theatrical family. Bby the time he was a toddler he was already performing on stage. Griffith unfortunately…
Jameson Thomas and Anna May Wong in Piccadilly (1929) Directed by E.A. Dupont, Piccadilly (1929) stars Anna May Wong as Sosho, a beautiful young woman who works as a dishwasher at the Piccadilly nightclub in London. Piccadilly is run by Valentine Wilmot (Jameson Thomas), a man as keen on making his business a success as he is seducing his leading lady. He's fallen for his star talent Mabel (Gilda…
George Hurrell's Hollywood Glamour Portraits 1925-1992 Revised Edition by Mark A. Vieira Foreword by Sharon Stone Running Press September 2023 Paperback ISBN: 9780762484607 406 pages Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Larry Edmunds — Powell's "The dreamlike world of silent pictures had created a stary system based on personalities who were bigger than life. The naturalism of talking pictures diminished…
Despite the title, there are no vampires in this movie. It's not even horror. Instead, El vampiro negro/The Black Vampire (1953) is a brilliant Argentine film noir adaptation of Fritz Lang's M (1931). It takes the original story of a whistling serial killer who roams the streets looking for young girls to kill and adds some new characters—most notably some interesting female characters—and…
Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey TCM Kid Noir by Eddie Muller and Jessica Schmidt illustrated by Forrest Burdett Running Press Kids and TCM Hardcover ISBN: 9780762481682 32 pages 4 years and up September 2023 Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Powell's "My name is Kitty Feral. I was a gumshoe with no shoes, but I quit that racket. But when I overheard Cora talking about the missing…
And that's a wrap on the 2023 Classic Film Reading Challenge! Congratulations to all of the participants who read books and submitted reviews. I'm very proud of you all. Please know that I read/watched and shared every single review. It's always a joy to see what you all are reading. If you're interested in participating next year, please see the note at the bottom of this post as the challenge…
Designing Hollywood Studio Wardrobe in the Golden Age by Christian Esquevin Hardcover ISBN: 9780813197913 August 2023 University Press of Kentucky 256 pages Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Powell's "Modern glamour was born in Hollywood, where the combination of beautiful stars dressed in glimmering gowns traveled in movies and photos around the world." — Christian Esquevin Author and researcher…
Ida Lupino: A Biography by William Donati Paperback ISBN: 9780813196480 January 2023 University Press of Kentucky 360 pages Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Powell's “Emotionally, Ida was a jumble of contradictions, infused with the polarity often present in intensely creative individuals.” — William Donati Ida Lupino is one of the great outliers of the film industry. In a time when there were limited…
For anyone who loves the 1940s music, dance and overall style, discovering Soundies is an absolute treat. What is a Soundie you may be asking? The Soundie was a precursor to the music video. These bite-sized musical short films were the length of a song and featured performers singing, dancing and even acting out skits. Soundies were produced specifically to be played in a Panoram, a coin-operated…
This was originally published in the former The Classic Film Collective Patreon. Nazimova: A Biography by Gavin Lambert University Press of Kentucky Paperback ISBN: 9780813153421 432 pages Amazon — Barnes and Noble “When I first came to America I had so much luck it frightened me… And then the luck turned.” — Nazimova With her dark and wild hair, her downturned eyes and her incredible confidence,…