{"product_id":"man-of-a-thousand-fails-bernie-dowling-9781763810051","title":"Man Of A Thousand Fails: Film Noir of Elisha Cook Jr.","description":"\u003cp\u003eIf you love classic Hollywood crime films and their famed yet not famous character actors, this book is for you.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAward-winning Film Noir cultural analyst Bernie Dowling makes a deep dive into the career of legendary character actor Elisha Cook Jr. Cookie stunned generations of film fans with remarkable support roles as the perpetual loser, the man of a thousand fails.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's Inside: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReviews of twenty-five Cook films, and more than 250 photographs of Elisha, classic Hollywood films, and the people who created them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe forgotten masterpiece: \u003c\/strong\u003e Dowling examines the 1937 proto-noir with Elisha and Lana Turner as bit players in a genre in which they would craft careers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eStranger on the Third Floor\u003c\/em\u003e 1940: \u003c\/strong\u003e The true first film noir, 60 minutes of saturation in German Expressionist acting, direction, photography, set design, and music. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Maltese Falcon\u003c\/em\u003e 1941: \u003c\/strong\u003e The film that launched the great expeditions into the dark of noir by director John Huston and actors Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, and Elisha Cook Jr.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Big Sleep\u003c\/em\u003e 1946: \u003c\/strong\u003eThe film that gave us Bogie and Bacall at their most magnificent, and Elisha as Harry Jones in the most compelling seven minutes of screen time of a bit player ever recorded.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBorn to Kill\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e1947: \u003c\/strong\u003e A film so dark, even by tough noir standards, that critics refuse to recognize it as the masterpiece that it is.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Killing 1956: \u003c\/strong\u003eThe noir that gave Stanley Kubrick the discipline to temper his arthouse elitism to become one of the greatest cinematic auteurs in history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThroughout, Dowling's sly humor and sharp cultural analysis make this more than just a film history book-it's a reverential applause for Elisha, the actor named after a miracle worker.\u003c\/p\u003eA treat for cinephiles who understand the essence of the bit player in noir. Entry through a different door of perception for cinema students. Essential reading on the journey into the heart of noir.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Bernie Dowling\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1763810054\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781763810051\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Bent Banana Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/04\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 128\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.44lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.43h x 6.28w x 0.27d","brand":"Bernie Dowling","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48454421643519,"sku":"9781763810051","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_23b64878-6f06-4113-ad9a-ba2f8947d3aa.jpg?v=1777306141","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/man-of-a-thousand-fails-bernie-dowling-9781763810051","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}