David W Menefee

A biography by his son William Thomas, the man known as "Buckwheat," one of the most beloved characters in the history of the Our Gang and Little Rascals films, rose from obscurity to become an American icon. Billy's heritage grew to be more than the ninety-three comedies in which he appeared as Buckwheat. He was a husband, father, and soldier. Several generations have come to know Buckwheat as if he was a real person, but few knew Billy, the man behind the myth. In "Otay " The Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas Story, William Thomas, Jr., Billy's son, joins with acclaimed author David W. Menefee to brush back the sands of time and unearth the facts beneath the fable. For the first time, the true story is told how producer Hal Roach, Sr. plucked three-year-old Billy from hundreds of children and raised him on a pedestal before an adoring public. For a decade, Billy was the most prominent Black American in motion pictures, but World War Two brought an end to the famous comedy series and a halt to his film career. Billy went on to live a private, nearly normal life, married, fathered an adorable child, and then answered the call to arms and enlisted in the US Army during the Korean War. Years later, imposters attempted to steal his limelight, but Billy forgave the offense with his characteristic, childlike good humor. In an era when most Black American actors were struggling to gain a foothold in Hollywood, Billy achieved a lasting legacy. Enjoy the timeless tale of a baby superstar, who once shown brightly on movie screens during Hollywood's "Golden Years" and still fascinates audiences today.

Can adventurous Axle Lidenbrock II retrace his great uncle's footsteps to the land of Shambala at the center of the Earth and rescue his father? In Pulitzer-nominated author David W. Menefee's sensational sequel to Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth, a hijacked airplane sets the stage for a desperate expedition into a futuristic subterranean kingdom that holds a horrifying secret never before revealed. Join a crusty reporter, a blind detective stowaway, and a condemned murderer on a voyage to the ultimate destination and mankind's final foe. Book One in The Questionable Olga Schumaker trilogy, followed by ZION and Ra.

Could a romance on this next Valentines Day be as unforgettable as Allison Webster's romance with the King of Rock and Roll? What do a hit song, a hep singer, and a hot fried peanut butter and banana sandwich have in common? For stunningly attractive Allison Webster, struggling to make a name in the glitzy advertising world, they spell infatuation and desire. They are the first notes in the love song she hears when she can't help falling in love with her King of Rock 'n' Roll. When the Memphis Mafia rudely invades her affair with the most eligible bachelor in the country, no one can tell which way the records will spin. Singer, songwriter, actor, and author Carol Dunitz and Pulitzer-nominated author David W. Menefee lay down the tracks in this unforgettable romance that's topping the charts as the year's most musical love story. This is the first book in the Allison Webster trilogy, followed by the tantalizing funny and unforgettable continuation, COME AWAY TO PARADISE.

In Pulitzer nominated author David W. Menefee's brilliant new novel, secret soldier Isador Messing lives up to the title "Master of Disguise." Terror strikes suddenly when Hitler's SS troops arrest his fianc on the day they plan to escape Nazi occupied Berlin. Mr. Messing believes that love, determination, and ingenuity can overcome all obstacles, and he lights the fuse for a countdown battle of good against evil. Alone and stoic in the face of malevolence, he launches a daring and desperate plan to liberate her from Auschwitz by impersonating different men during his journey across Europe. Can the remarkable Mr. Messing triumph against all odds in a war-torn world gone mad and rescue her from certain doom? SECRET SOLDIER MASTER OF DISGUISE is the new expanded version of the novel previously published as THE REMARKABLE MR. MESSING.

While making sweet memories in a world of make-believe, Mary Pickford discovers that love appears brightest when she least expects. Pulitzer-nominated author David W. Menefee's new fiction novel presents a memoir by Charlotte Pickford, Mary's mother, who vividly reveals their ambitions, triumphs, and tears. Thrill to the dazzling all-star cast of characters in the enduring story of an indomitable girl's vision of victory, and her mother's untiring endeavors to achieve those dreams no matter what the cost. Before Mary Pickford became famous as a silent movie star, she was Gladys Smith, a little girl from Toronto, who earned her family's bread and butter by portraying children long after her own childhood passed. Sweet Memories fades in on Mary after ten years of touring the back roads of Broadway, when the sixteen-year-old, lovely as a spring rose, faces the greatest challenge of her life. Caught on a merry-go-round making movies, worldwide adulation elevates her onto an unsteady pedestal as The Biograph Girl, where labor and love mix like oil and water. During the tempest of adoration, only Charlotte stands by her side, and only Owen abides in her heart. Together, they join a band of independent filmmakers in Cuba, but none of them suspect that they have unwittingly set sail on an explosive adventure that will take a lifetime to forget. David W. Menefee is the Pulitzer nominated author of WALLY: THE TRUE WALLACE REID STORY (Foreword by Robert Osborne), and THE RISE AND FALL OF LOU-TELLEGEN, both of which were named among the Best Silent Film Books of 2011 by Thomas Gladysz in the San Francisco Examiner's annual ranking. David's other popular works include the monumental SARAH BERNHARDT, HER FILMS, HER RECORDINGS (Foreword by Kevin Brownlow), RICHARD BARTHELMESS: A LIFE IN PICTURES (named one of the Top Film Books of 2009), and THE FIRST FEMALE STARS: WOMEN OF THE SILENT ERA.

A living legend. A theater superstar. A phenomenon. Discover the world's greatest actress in the most extensive book on her life, her stage roles, her films, and her sound recordings. Exhaustive research in every major archive of the world has unearthed the complete story revealing Sarah Bernhardt's nearly forgotten films and recordings, including story synopsis, cast, production notes, contemporary reviews, and her unknown film of the death scene from Daniel (1921). Her rediscovered recordings have been painstakingly transcribed from their ancient wax cylinders and shellac discs and translated from French into English for the first time by Professor Alissa Webel and Sheila Soman. 444 pages. Illustrated. Index. Bibliography. Forward by Academy Award-winning film historian Kevin Brownlow. ". . . an amazing artist's fascinating life story . . . what make this volume particularly lovely are the lavish photographs of Bernhardt in performance on stage and in her films. They are stunningly reproduced in beautiful detail and add immeasurably to the book's overall quality." -Catherine Ritchie, Theatre Librarian Fine Arts Division Dallas Public Library. "This handsome, richly detailed book is a great pleasure to read. There are detailed analyses of all of her films and recordings and many rare and wonderful illustrations. We follow with interest her many careers: on the stage, in vaudeville, in the movies, in the recording venues of her time. We also learn much about her character, her incredible courage and energy in the face of events and trials that would have easily defeated almost anyone else . . . David W. Menefee has done us a real favor in this latest of the considerable number of books on film that he has authored." -Roger O. Williams

In the history of the movies, thousands of men, women, children, and even animals have tried to find success as a movie star. They were drawn from theater, opera, sports, and every type of entertainment venue, and some even came from out of nowhere. They took valiant stabs at entrancing audiences with their faces, personalities, or peculiarities. A precious few achieved greater popularity than anyone could have ever dreamed, but others vanished beneath the sands of time along with the films they so lovingly made. They gave us their most audacious efforts, but they did not find any lasting success, or having enjoyed a brief blush with triumph, they returned home to their true m tiers. Some simply never found a second chance. This book celebrates the memorable attempts of ten who tried to be a movie star. They shot across silver screens like comets, but they all disappeared like falling stars. Pulitzer nominated author David W. Menefee searched the major archives of the world to uncover the true behind-the-scenes stories of ten of Hollywood's most legendary headliners. He returned with this fascinating anthology that includes detailed analyses of their attempts at films, plot synopses, casts, contemporary reviews, production notes, and hundreds of rare photographs that capture the glamour and excitement of Hollywood's Golden Era. Enjoy this engaging compilation featuring Helen Keller, Enrico Caruso, Mary Garden, Babe Ruth, Otis Skinner, Anna Pavlova, Eleonora Duse, Lottie Pickford, Harry Houdini, and Maude Adams. Pulitzer nominee David W. Menefee is the author of: Sweet Memories, Sarah Bernhardt, Her Films, Her Recordings, Wally: The True Wallace Reid Story, George O'Brien: A Man's Man in Hollywood, The First Female Stars: Women of the Silent Era, The First Male Stars: Men of the Silent Era, Richard Barthelmess: A Life in Pictures, "Otay " The Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas Story, The Rise and Fall of Lou-Tellegen, Charlie O'Doone's Second Chance, and the Margot Cranston detective series.

What happens when twin boys are sold into slavery during the American Civil War? Matthew lives with traveling actors in the North, Mark lives on a dreadful plantation in the South, and the elusive road to freedom separates them. Mark escapes into the Underground Railroad and follows the North Star toward liberty. Matthew is mistaken as a Union soldier and captured by his own forces as an enemy. Only his brother can save him from hanging . . . if he can find him. From the Amistad rebellion to the Emancipation Proclamation, African-American history comes alive when their search for each other takes them on an unforgettable journey with Frederick Douglass, John Brown, Harriet Tubman, John Wilkes Booth, and Abraham Lincoln. One brother's hopes are shattered, his twin's dream become a nightmare, and a war ignites the fuse for an explosive adventure in the fiery valleys of a war-torn nation. Can these brothers of the storm reunite before tyranny destroys them?

Can a Jew in Germany in World War Two rescue his fianc from the clutches of doom at Auschwitz? Isador Messing attempts the impossible, as he carries the torch of resistance into clandestine operations and disrupts German aggression. Alone and stoic in the face of malevolence, he enacts a bold and daring plan to triumph against all odds in a world gone mad.