Five authoritative works on Hollywood

Jeanine Basinger's latest book is I Do and I Don't: A History of Marriage in the Movies.

One of her five best authoritative works on Hollywood, as told to the Wall Street Journal:

The Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Book
by Arlene Croce (1972)

The artistry of Fred Astaire alone has inspired many well-written, intelligent books, but none better than dance critic Arlene Croce's graceful masterpiece, which focuses on his delightful films paired with Ginger Rogers. Croce fully appreciates Astaire's perfection as a soloist, but she never neglects Rogers. Calling them "the la belle, la perfectly swell romance" (using lyrics from "Never Gonna Dance" in "Swing Time"), Croce says that, without Rogers, Astaire inhabits "a world of sun without a moon." Croce also knows their movies have other things to offer. Things like romance, fashion, comedy, poetic song lyrics, art deco design, colorful character actors, and a kind of fresh and unpretentious charm that seems to have disappeared off the modern movie screen. With a complete description of every movie, detailed commentary on each song and dance, and full background production notes, this book could serve as a classroom text, but it's so much more. Croce caught the rhythm, the pace, the beat of the heart and the tap of the toe, plus all the elegance and style that make up the enduring legacy of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Read about the other entries on the list.

The Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Book is one of Michael Wood's top ten books on film.

--Marshal Zeringue