Those Were the Days is Paul Macnamara's fascinating and entertaining reminiscence of his work as director of advertising and publicity for David O. Selznick in the 1940s. Macnamara paints a vivid and highly personal portrait of the legendary Hollywood producer, recalling his endless memoranda, his quixotic behavior, his marriage to actress Jennifer Jones, and his determination to market her as an international star. Among the films discussed by Macnamara are Duel in the Sun, The Paradine Case, Portrait of Jennie, and Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. A flight to New York is delayed to await Selznick's arrival, films are pulled from release at his whim, and when Macnamara meets the producer for the last time, he is planning a musical version of Gone With the Wind. While David O. Selznick is the focal point of the book, it also contains remembrances of many other personalities, including William S. Paley, Gloria Swanson, Howard Hughes, Alfred Hitchcock, Tennessee Williams, and Cary Grant. Macnamara remembers his dealings with William Randolph Hearst and the newspaper gossip columnist Louella Parsons. He writes of planning Shirley Temple's marriage, and of the making of A Streetcar Named Desire and The Moon Is Blue. Those Were the Days will delight anyone interested in Hollywood's golden age with its unique look at the work of a major industry publicist. It is an insider's view of Hollywood that will appeal to both insiders and outsiders.
