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A Cast of Killers: The True Story of the
by Sidney Kirkpatrick
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Dutton Books (1986-06)
ISBN: 5551541355
EAN: 9785551541356
Hardcover: 301 pages
SKU: 40677
Condition: New
Comments: THE HARDBACK BOOK! DUTTON, 1986. THE UNABRIDGED 1ST EDITION. WITH GREAT PHOTOGRAPHS! HARDCOVER WITH GILT LETTERING, DUST JACKET AND PAGES ARE NEW! SHIPS IMMEDIATELY. Air Mail. YW.RD
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Customer Reviews
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A page-turner for amateur sleuths
Rating  (4)
Date: 2008-04-26
3 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
This is an unusual and rather special book which successfully combines factual and dramatic writing, while at the same time attempting to solve one of Hollywood's most puzzling and notorious murder cases of all time. The special and - for me - most appealing aspect of this book is that it is, in effect, written by two people: author-journalist Sidney Kirkpatrick and famous Hollywood director, King Vidor, whose extensive notes and research Kirkpatrick used in constructing this story. It is fair to say, therefore, that without King Vidor's original thorough research in 1967 into a cold case already over forty years old, this book would not have been written. On the other hand, without Kirkpatrick's own interest in the life of King Vidor, whose authorized biography he was about to write shortly after Vidor's death, this story also might never have been told. Looking for new material for a screenplay, King Vidor returned to the infamous 1922 murder of his contemporary, director William Desmond Taylor, and the cast of suspects which included actresses at the height of their careers at the time. He spent the whole of 1967 researching and interviewing people, as if perhaps he, as a Hollywood insider, might find the missing clues or evidence the police could not. Such fascination or perhaps even obsession for an unsolved crime is understandable, and also quite contagious: not only was Sidney Kirkpatrick compelled to re-open Vidor's investigation, but surely everyone else who begins reading Kirkpatrick's book will find it hard to put down. This is so regardless of whether one believes all the statements, accounts and interviews presented in this book because the style of writing is vivid, captivating and suspenseful. Having found King Vidor's hidden box and files on the Taylor murder, Kirkpatrick verified as much of the evidence and information as he could, and then set about telling the story through King Vidor's eyes instead of his own. This fascinating angle allows the reader to get to know Vidor himself as well as the lives of other well-known stars of the silent era, recounting meetings and conversations in the dialogue style of dramatic fiction writing in the way it may have actually happened. This reconstruction makes the book read like a classic whodunit mystery thriller which would already appeal to the general reader of this genre, but being based on facts as well as involving big names of early Hollywood, this becomes a book any true-crimes reader and especially a silent film enthusiast would absolutely relish. True to its reputation, this Hollywood murder mystery seems to have it all, from the murdered director with a dark, mysterious past, the famous comedienne with an alleged cocaine habit, the child star controlled by her domineering mother who wrote love letters to her director, as well as non-Hollywood suspects such as the director's houseman and secretary, each with their own suspicious backgrounds. Come to think of it, this cast of possible killers sounds even too preposterous for a Hollywood screenplay, but they do say `truth is stranger than fiction', and perhaps this book proves it! In fact, the amateur armchair detective might feel like giving up a few times while reading "A Cast of Killers", at which point I suggest simply continuing to read the book as an entertaining novel until more clues and revelations shed light on a possible lead - or not. In any case, this book can be whatever the reader wants it to be, including King Vidor's solution of the case.
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An Old Hollywood Mystery
Rating  (5)
Date: 2008-04-07
3 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
King Vidor was a legendary film director largely forgotten by Hollywood at the time of his death. Sydney Kirkpatrick came to Vidor's home after his death to research a well deserved biography but instead discovered a buried box full of dynamite. In the box were notes for a planned project which was to be the director's comeback film. But the explosive nature of his findings had prompted Vidor to bury it, literally.
This book is based on what Kirkpatrick found in that box. It is full of mystery and murder, love and lust, and in the end, sadness at the solving of one of the most famous and sensational scandels in the history of tinsletown. It is a mesmerizing journey into the early days of Hollywood and the lengths it would go to to cover up its secrets.
In 1922 the murder of director William Desmond Taylor was so filled with scandel it ruined careers and nearly destroyed Hollywood. If the absolute truth had been known, it might have. King Vidor had been a part of this Hollywood in its formative years and planned to make his comeback film by telling the story of it. Kirkpatrick could have turned this into a pulp type expose but instead, and to his credit, takes a respectful and nostalgic tone, both for Vidor and a time gone by. He uses Vidor's notes and findings to let this murder mystery unfold just as it did for Vidor.
For every film buff with a fascination for old Hollywood this is a book you can't put down. It is juicy but never tawdry, Vidor sifting through the misinformation of Hollywood and the corruption of the police to slowly get a picture of the truth he himsef couldn't yet tell because some of the players were still alive. The homicide and the aftermath is filled with names like Mabel Normand, Alan Dwan, James Kirkwood, Gloria Swanson, Claire Windsor, and Charlette Shelby and her waif like daughter Mary Miles Minter, an early rival of Mary Pickford.
Vidor's reputation and the fact he had been a part of this Hollywood way back when gave him weight and would prompt many to open up and talk to Vidor in a way in which they would not have to someone else. He would even get to look at police files that would contradict most of what was reported at the time, raising even more questions.
As Vidor plays detective in order to write the screenplay that he hoped would put him back on top, Kirkpatrick lets us see a man who was once a vital part of the film industry, fighting to be remembered. During his investigation he would come into contact with old flame Coleen Moore, a lovely silent star with a fine career of her own. It was a happy coincidence and would force Vidor to make decisions affecting the rest of his life.
A Cast of Killers is a fun story of Old Hollywood, shaded in sadness, just as King Vidor knew it would be. Before beginning, the legendary director likened it to an old bottle of wine. If you love a good mystery, and or Hollywood, this is one you have to read.
"I realized it was vintage stuff-the rarest vintage of all: a murder that has never been solved. One opens such a bottle at his own peril."
King Vidor, 1967
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A GOOD BOOK BUT PREDICTABLE
Rating (4)
Date: 2008-03-08
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
A Cast of Killers is an account of the murder of William Desmond Taylor and director King Vidor who is on the trail of who murdered Taylor. Vidor wants to make a film about the Hollywood scandal in which the the police were involved in the case. Along with Colleen Moore, King Vidor researches this case involved with a lot of cover-ups. It also tells about Taylor's life and the life of some of the other characters as well. It is interesting to read about them though.
You can go through this book in a day because the story is intriguing, and fast moving. After reading this book you will get to know who William Desmond Taylor, Mabel Normand, Mary Miles Minter, or King Vidor are. You will enjoy this book but it is predictable as to who murdered Taylor.
I liked it though so I would rate it 4.5 stars. It is worth reading though
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We'll Never Know
Rating  (3)
Date: 2005-09-28
4 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
A Cast of Killers is a fascinating account of the murder of William Desmond Taylor and a sleuthing director King Vidor on the trail of who murdered him. Vidor wants to make a film about the Hollywood scandal which turned up no results and left an open case for the police. Along with Colleen Moore, lover and business partner, Vidor researches a case filled with contradictions and cover-ups.
This book's print is rather large, and it makes the 300 pages go back rapidly with aid from the intriguing story. It is also highly suspenseful and entertaining. Even if the reader has no idea who William Desmond Taylor, Mabel Normand, Mary Miles Minter, or King Vidor are, he or she will still most likely enjoy the book.
The afterward is outdated by now because the book was published in 1986. All of the Hollywood names mentioned are no longer living, and it is doubtful that any of the others are alive anymore.
Even under the assumption that the story is true, one finds it hard to believe because of the format of this book. It reads like a fiction mystery novel or an episode of the popular television show Law and Order. However, this book is hardly credible. The "facts" in it are said to be from private papers King Vidor had together that were set aside for his film project. These documents consist of transcripts illegally obtained from the police and interviews from witnesses or friends to witnesses that are not deceased. None of these documents are properly cited; there is a lack of a bibliography or an appendix. The only citation states that the information was received from Vidor's son who made his father's notes available to the author. The claims the author makes about this book being the "true story of Hollywood's most scandalous murder" seem strange considering how much effort Vidor put into attempting to prove his theory. Kirpatrick seems to have made no such effort.
Other questions come to mind when regarding the validity of this book. How did Kirpatrick come across the information that Vidor knew who killed Taylor and why were the findings so easily given to him after Vidor decided NOT to publish the information in fear of hurting people? And if the book were published because the author felt that no one alive who remembered or was attributed to the case would be negatively affected, why then did the police department not confirm the accusations in the book as being valid and close the case?
This book is controversial, even today. If it were less sloppy, it could have been a major breakthrough in the case of William Desmond Taylor. As it is, A Cast of Killers is a highly entertaining and enjoyable work of fiction. Taken literally, it is only comparable to such trash as Hollywood Babylon.
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