“…. very interesting book…… if you want to know the biggest movie star in the history, just read this book.” – Laurent
“Bruce Cogerson has written an excellent resource on top movie stars for film lovers. This book is jam packed with statistics on 50 top movie stars on their highest ranked movies by award recognition, top 25 box office hits, critical review scores and overall UMR scores. This takes out bias by personal preference. I have put stars next to my favourite titles and check marks next to other titles I have seen and will use it to keep track of films I love and need to see. This guide will have a treasured spot in my library.” – Flora
Buy The Book On This Amazon Link
Our paperback book is now available for sale. The Amazon link is on the right of the page.
Attention UMR Hall of Fame contributors. We know many of you bought the e-book……we (WoC and I) would like to send you a free copy of this book. Send your address to cogersonmoviescore@gmail.com and we will send you a copy. Thanks for all of your support over the years.
As I said in a previous post your book has arrived! I am of course delighted but since at my age acrobatics are out of the question, my not being Arnie, Harrison or Sly I will not heed your suggestion to “Jump for joy with Myrna Loy!”
I will though certainly quietly celebrate the many excellent things about the book. Here are just a few-
1/I like its compact form.
2/The contents are set out and indexed in a clear and orderly manner with explanations of your procedures, sources and methods easy to follow.
3/The information provided is diverse and comprehensive.
4/The type is easy to read – crucial for these “ageing eyes”!
5/See also Part 2
“If you have tears prepare to shed them now. For Brutus was Caesar’s angel” MY BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT IN THE BOOK. My Richard not even rating an honorable mention. Widmark is in fact my very top idol of all time
MY MOST THRILLING EXPERIENCE IN THE BOOK Seeing Mr Mumbles at No 27 outranking a Cogerson Queen at No 30! I wonder if The Master is turning in his grave at that and proclaiming “Eu tu Brute!”
The book will be a valuable source of reference for every movie buff who has access to it and I predict it will build a strong following over time as a unique work on the movies. As Steve would say “Voted Up!”
Hey Bob….glad the book has arrived…and glad it seems to have arrived a little earlier than you were thinking. Wow….you now have a Hirschhorn and a Cogerson book….you have to up the security at the old homestead…lol. Funny that you mention the “Jump for joy with Myrna Loy!”. That was our second picture for her, our first Loy picture seemed like it had some potential copy right issues so we abandoned that one at the last minute…and picked this one.
I appreciate the feedback on the book…glad you like the setup. I have enjoyed reading this book myself….it is a fun book to glance through. I know I have a very biased opinion…..lol.
Sorry about Richard Widmark….at least he has some movies in the book. I did try and squeeze your “Deanna” into the book…..but I failed there too. Glad you like the Brando ranking. If only the 1960s had not been so rough on him…then he would be even higher. Thanks for the vote up and for the review. Good stuff.
Actually approx 40% of the stars that I MOST like to one degree or another are in your Top 50 and I consider that a very good ratio. Furthermore only 6 of my VERY top idols are excluded from the Top 50 – Deanna and Babs Streisand [neither made enough movies anyhow]; Julia Roberts and Laddie [both got an honourable mention] Charlie Bill Stuart [but maybe he’ll get to be a Cogerson Top 50 guy in the next life!] and Richard Widmark.
Poor Dickie got no Master love either but as well as Flora and I though there must be must others who admired Richard because an airport is named after him near where he once lived in Green City Missouri. Anyway Take care and have a good weekend.
Bruce, I have to agree with Flora you should have found a place in the book for Kirk Douglas, one of the all time greats. IMO the biggest flaw in your otherwise excellent book. For instance Bob Mitchum is included but wasn’t as iconic in my opinion. Maybe in a future revised edition (with foreword by Bob and afterword by Flora) 😉
Looking at the fifty I would have removed Morgan Freeman. A valuable supporting actor but he has rarely toplined a movie.
HI STEVE I do agree with you and Flora that Kirk is generally perceived as a greater legend than Big Bob – their rankings in AFI’s Legends list are 17th and 23rd respectively.
However there are arguments for supporting Work Horse’s stance. For example –
1/Mitchum’s overall box office is much greater than Douglas’ –
2/Initially underrated as an actor Mitch ultimately came to be appreciated by critics and his peers alike: “Robert Mitchum crept up on us.”-Katie Hepburn.
I personally find it hard to split Bob/Kirk as both were such towering screen presences. I’ve mentioned before how Jim Mitchum was allowed onto the set to watch Big Bob and the Duke film El Dorado together in 1967 and Jim later said to an interviewer “Sitting behind the cameras and watching Wayne and my brother walking towards me I thought I was seeing 3 men instead of just 2!”
So in recognition of WH’s extremely difficult task in concluding his ‘final cut’ let’s leave the last word to Rufus Ryker in the classic western when he offers Shane employment and is asked what will happen to others, ie the ranchers that Ryker plans to dispossess of their property and Rufus replies “Be reasonable – there are only so many hands in a deck of cards.”
Hey Bob….thanks for the stats on Mitchum and Douglas….both are all-time greats…and as you say both have the AFI Legend tags. I like the quotes you have used. Especially the one from Katie Hepburn. I also agree with your “Be reasonable – there are only so many hands in a deck of cards.” I think Olivier, Pacino and Douglas are awesome….I wish they had made the Top 50…sadly…just not enough cards….thanks for the feedback.
HI BRUCE Thanks for feedback. I’ve been down with the flu and am just back on my feet today so your comments have cheered me up. Shows you how bad I was because I couldn’t even read the book when I was in bed. Good job Steve took a break this week or I would have a lot of catching up to do and I’ll have a bit of time to start on some of your latest pages before he comes back, presumably on Monday.
Your book seems to have magical powers beyond those that spellbind its actual readers like me because – you know what? – when I retired to my sick bed I had left it in an upstairs study but when I looked for it again today it seemed to have made its way downstairs on its own and snuggled up beside Joel’s book on my bookcase.
Just kidding – so fans of Twilight Zone needn’t get excited! W o Bob’s always tidying up and must have put Top 50 Stars on the bookshelf and as The Master’s 1983 Book of Terror is the one I keep nearest to hand these days for reference purposes –must NEVER forget to consult the Oracle!- when I’m doing my Cogerson posts it was logical your book would end up beside his. Still, you’ll no doubt take what you can get and, coincidence or not, what I’ve just told you will make your day, I’m sure!
Hey Steve…..thanks for the feedback on the book. I like Kirk Douglas….so I can understand your, Flora and others feelings on his exclusion from the list. That being said……when look at his Top 25 UMR movies (his best combo of gross, reviews and awards)….he really only has two stat classics….Spartacus and 20,000 League Under The Seas.
His Top 10 is pretty stout statistically…..but movies 11 through 25 are not too impressive when compared to the greatest of the great. I love The War Wagon (13th place) but it is not one of my favorite Wayne westerns. The Walls of Jericho (14th place) is almost a forgotten movie. Fury (18th)…got it’s box office juice because of movies like The Exorcist and The Omen….but is rarely talked about these days. In Harm’s Way is ranked Kirk’s 21st best movie….while it barely cracked John Wayne’s Top 50 (comes in at #49 for the Duke). Strangers When We Met (24th) almost has the lowest “good” review percentage possible while #23 Ulysses is actual under 60% when looking at the reviews.
He only had one of his movies earn a Best Picture nomination…..that is a really really low number for a actor’s career that lasted 7 decades. His best movies IMO opinion, Out of the Past, Paths of Glory and The Bad and the Beautiful alll got great reviews….and they are classic movies….but at the box office they were modest hits…and almost ignored by Oscar voters. He was a great actor and star for years…..just statistically he does not have the stats to bump others out of the Top 50. He is listed in the Honorable Mentions…and he is pretty close to the Top 50.
Sorry it took so long to respond to this comment….two reasons for the delay (1) I like Kirk….and this comment sounds like I am not a fan of his…..so I was reluctant to share this thoughts and (2) I knew it was going to take some time to put all of this down in a comment….heck…it took me longer to do this comment than it does to create a new page. Good stuff from you….and thanks for buying the book.
UMR Hall of Fame Roll Call – We Are Willing To Buy Our New Book For You. You are listed on page 278 of the book.
Steve Lensman – has the book
Flora – has the book
BERN1960 – has two books
BryRog57 – has the book
Soren – been absent for awhile
Chris – no word on if he wants the book or not
Helakoski – has the book
Laurent – been absent for awhile
KTCat95 – book is on the way to the house
Bob – book is on the way to the house
SteinHoF16 – has the book
John – Been silent for a couple of years now….not thinking he is going to get book
Dan – no word on if he wants the book or not
Lyle – been absent for awhile
PhilHoF17 – no word on if he wants the book or not
Lupino – been absent for awhile
Pierre – been absent for awhile
bob cox – no word on if he wants the book or not
G. Vandross – has autographed copy
Sunshine – book is on the way
Hey Bruce, sorry for not responding earlier to your question on the Christopher Reeves page, I was away for a few days. Thanks for your very kind offer, but I actually placed an order for the book. Should be coming in a week or so.
Hey PhilHoF17…thanks for purchasing the book….would be very interested in your thoughts on the book. When we did the e-book….I was originally pretty happy with it…..it however, did not take look for me to view it as a sub-par attempt. I felt like Stanley Kubrick….after he had the success of The Killing and Paths of Glory….he wanted Fear and Desire and Killer’s Kiss destroyed and lost forever. Yes…I realized comparing myself to Kubrick is a huge jump……but I do feel that way about the e-book. The book….has been locked for almost a month…and I am still very happy about it. Thanks again for the support.
Hey Flora…..glad the book arrived. If you like it….a review on Amazon….would be greatly appreciated. It got there a couple of days early. After spending money on the book cover, figured we need to make the book better….so the Top 10s went away…..and the Top 25 by category made the book. Peck’s spot did not change in the edition. Actually at one point he made it to 7th….but a last minute formula correction moved him back to 8th. Sorry Richard Widmark did not get a mention. Thanks for the kind words about the book.
I tried to leave a review on Amazon, but it said that I did not meet the minimum eligibility requirements to write a review on the book. Apparently, I have not spent enough money there within the last year to do so. I don’t understand.
However, if you can figure out a way to get my review on Amazon, here it is:
‘Bruce Cogerson has written an excellent resource on top movie stars for film lovers. This book is jam packed with statistics on 50 top movie stars on their highest ranked movies by award recognition, top 25 box office hits, critical review scores and overall UMR scores. This takes out bias by personal preference. I have put stars next to my favourite titles and check marks next to other titles I have seen and will use it to keep track of films I love and need to see. This guide will have a treasured spot in my library.”
Hey Flora….this is a great review….I appreciate you did that for us. Sorry that it would not let you do the review. Seems, they have lots of rules…I tried to include George’s review….but they rejected it…..but I will try yours….hopefully it will work. Glad you are having fun with the book….sounds like your longer glance was a good one as well. Thanks once again.
BRUCE/FLORA
I have just received my copy of the book and will be writing separately to The Work Horse when I have had a reasonably good comb through it, but my initial impression along with my knowledge of the internet version of the book inclines me to agree that Flora’s review is quite accurate and that it is a pity Amazon didn’t accept it.
However Amazon don’t accept just anything and whilst I think that Flora’s review is above the average standard of the ones that I’ve seen I doubt that for example any of Joel Hirschhorn’s stuff would have been accepted by Amazon.I hope Bruce’s efforts to have Flora’s published work
The book has arrived! Thanks again for providing me with a copy of the book. I’ve only had a cursory glance so far, but it looks excellent. I love how you decided to change it from top 10 films to top films by category. Thanks for the mention of me in the acknowledgments.
I’m thrilled that Gregory Peck made 8th place.
For me, the person not in the top 50 that deserves to be in it the most is Kirk Douglas (since many people have mentioned people who just missed the list.)
This will be a wonderful reference book.