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TY, Thel: Films of Thelma Ritter

TY, Thel: Films of Thelma Ritter - Paperback

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Availability:In StockContributor:Bernie DowlingSeries:Classic Hollywood Snapshots #IIPublish date:5/14/2026Pages:114
Languages:EnglishPublisher:Bent Banana BooksISBN-13:9781763810075ISBN-10:1763810070UPC:9781763810075Book Category:Biography & Autobiography, Performing ArtsBook Subcategory:Entertainment & Performing Arts, Film, Acting & AuditioningBook Topic:Guides & ReviewsSize:9.21 x 6.14 x 0.24 inchesWeight:0.173Product ID:SCH4APE71Z

Book Two in the Classic Hollywood Snapshots series.

Featuring 280 curated photographs, this definitive archive celebrates the unforgettable career of a brilliant Hollywood character actor.

More than just a tribute, this book is a rallying cry to award Thelma Ritter the Academy Honorary Award she deserves-57 years after she died.

Thelma Ritter was in her mid-forties when she appeared in her first film, the perennial Christmas favourite Miracle on 34th Street 1947. Ritter was "Every Mother," and she crafted a career playing working-class women, usually speaking in the vernacular of her beloved New York borough of Brooklyn.

In an extraordinary career, Ritter received a record six Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actress. And she won . . .

. . . None.

Award-winning film noir cultural analyst Bernie Dowling is campaigning to set the record straight. TY, Thel is the campaign documentation.

What you'll find inside:

    • 280+ Eye-catching Photographs: A stunning collection of Thel, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and the creators of classic Hollywood.
    • Deep-Dive Film History: Reviews of eighteen seminal films, including:
    • All About Eve 1950: This noir satire does for theater what Sunset Boulevard did for film.
    • Pickup on South Street 1953: A travesty that Ritter did not win the Oscar for one of the greatest character roles in the history of film noir.
    • Rear Window 1954: Ritter plays a nurse and budget philosopher in this Alfred Hitchcock thriller.
    • Pillow Talk 1959: Doris Day trades naughty banter with Rock Hudson and Ritter.
    • The Misfits 1961: The cowboy neo-noir featuring a sparkling duo of Ritter and Marilyn Monroe.
    • Birdman of Alcatraz 1962: Ritter's character arc as the mother of the never-to-be-released Birdman is as fine a piece of acting as you will see.
    • How the West Was Won 1962: This blockbuster Western had some of the biggest stars in the business, and Ritter held her head high with the best of them.
    • The Forgotten Period Piece: A look at Thelma's second-to-last film-a 1960s social-issues neo-noir about a New York train ride from hell.
Throughout, Dowling's sly humor and sharp cultural analysis make this campaign for a Ritter Academy Honorary Award a fitting tribute to a legendary support player.

Essential reading for cinephiles and film students who understand that the heart of cinema beats in the work of the character actor.

Languages:EnglishPublisher:Bent Banana BooksISBN-13:9781763810075ISBN-10:1763810070UPC:9781763810075Book Category:Biography & Autobiography, Performing ArtsBook Subcategory:Entertainment & Performing Arts, Film, Acting & AuditioningBook Topic:Guides & ReviewsSize:9.21 x 6.14 x 0.24 inchesWeight:0.173Product ID:SCH4APE71Z
Dowling, Bernie: - Bernie Dowling is an Australian writer working in journalism, fiction, and non-fiction. His first novel is the neo-noir Iraqi Icicle. His non-fiction Maaate! Bribe Proofing The Public Purse Against Good Blokes is about corruption in local government. From 2023-25, the author published an award-winning four-picture-book series on film noir: Noir Dirt Cheap, Film Noir Fate Vs The Working Stiff, Starry Starry Noir Rebels and Censors, and Three Faces of Noir Curse Crime Cringe.Man Of A Thousand Fails appeared in March 2026 and reviewed the films of legendary noir character actor Elisha Cook Jr.
Publisher: Bent Banana Books

Contributor(s)

Bernie Dowling

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