Reeling through Hollywood: How I Spent 40 Fabulous Years in Film and Never Made a Nickel

Dan Bessie
Blue Lupin Press (2006)
ISBN B000IEW4C0
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (10/06)

Bessie wrote “Reeling through Hollywood” to offer insight into how to survive for people who want to break into show business.  He has spent forty years surviving in what he calls a “deliciously rewarding profession.”  He learned to recognize success by enjoying the process of doing what he loves.   By enjoying the creative process along the way you will “nourish your creative soul.”   To make it in this business, dedication and persistence are required.  Hard work won’t guarantee success, sometimes people make it just by dumb luck. 

Bessie’s story is about the process.  It begins in his childhood where he describes his first movie experience.  His dad was in the business, so as a child, he got to meet the stars.  As he writes about his life in the industry, he shares some really enjoyable anecdotes about things that happen along the way.  In addition to it being interesting to read about the stars that he encountered, it is also interesting to learn about the tricks of the trade.  I really enjoyed his story about filming “Peter and the Wolf,” and learning about how they got the animals to do their tricks.  His stories are humorous and heartwarming.  Cartoons and pictures are included to illustrate the story.  There are also footnotes that tell more about the person or movie being mentioned.

Bessie got his start as a cartoonist.  He had to deal with years of unstable employment while trying to raise a family and pay a mortgage.  He also had to deal with the additional stress and heartache of having a daughter with a disability.  Parents of children with disabilities will really relate to his anguish of having to try to do the best you can for a disabled child.

While Bessie wrote this book for people to enjoy and to help people learn about show business, I feel that his message of not giving up and learning to enjoy the process along the way, crossed over for those of us whose main interest in show business is finding a comfortable seat at a theater.  I admire Bessie for not giving up on his dreams even when times were rough.  So many of us get so stuck on the idea of being secure that we lose sight of our dreams and aren’t willing to take the risks that we need to get there.  Bessie took those risks over and over again.  Sometimes they paid off, other times they didn’t, but he still seemed to enjoy the experience.  “Reeling through Hollywood” is a great book for everyone to read. 

Make comment on weblog