Hollywood Legends: Up Close and Personal

Joan Kramer and David Heeley drop by to discuss In the Company of Legends, their behind-the-scenes book about the marvelous movie star documentaries they've worked on together. Starting with their award-winning profiles of Fred Astaire in 1980, Kramer and Heeley produced film portraits of the lives and careers of many Hollywood legends including Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda, Paul Newman, Judy Garland and Humphrey Bogart, This dynamic duo established a reputation for finding the un-findable, persuading the reluctant, and maintaining unique relationships long after the end credits rolled. This interview is a must-hear for true movie addicts everywhere!  

The late great Robert Osborne, famous host of Turner Classic Movies, calls In the Company of Legends one of the best reasons ever for curling up with a book, and talk show host Dick Cavett says the Kramer/Heeley memoir was so hard to put down that he ate with one hand while reading it. Osborne goes on to praise the book because it’s about dazzling personalities told by people who actually knew the celebrities they write about, worked with them and, further, socialized with them, aware of their foibles and strengths from first-hand knowledge, not hearsay.

Among the Kramer and Heeley documentaries are: Katharine Hepburn: All About Me; Bacall on Bogart; The John Garfield Story; The Adventures of Errol Flynn; The Spencer Tracey Legacy; James Stewart: A Wonderful Life; Fonda on Fonda; Fred Astaire: Puttin’ on His Top Hat; Fred Astaire: Change Partners and Dance.