Q&A on the Movie Girls book
Bear Manor Media: What exactly is Movie Girls: Lillian and Dorothy?
Ben Urish: Well, it’s a picture book about The Gish Sisters, and how they met future star Mary Pickford, the great director D.W. Griffith, and got involved in the early days of movies.
Bear Manor Media: So, it’s a children’s book, then?
Ben Urish: Partly, I suppose. It is geared for young readers, but anyone interested in films would enjoy it. It is great story of family bonding, discovering your talents, and the development of technology, an artform, and a business.
Bear Manor Media: Who’s Rick Geary?
Ben Urish: Rick Geary is one of the most well-respected illustrators of the last 60 years or so. He has a direct, evocative style of black and white drawing. He did about 15 images for the book. I wanted him on the project from the start.
Bear Manor Media: So, like the classic Gish films, it is in black and white?
Ben Urish: The paperback version has Geary’s trademark black and white drawings. But we have some color surprises in the e-book and hardback versions!
Bear Manor Media: Here are Bear Manor Media, we are familiar with the author of Movie Girls, Jan Wahl. We published Dear Stinkpot, his collection of letters with the iconic actress Louise Brooks.
Ben Urish: Yes, you also published a collection of scary short-stores, plus his memoir Through a Lens Darkly. Jan wrote over 100 children’s books, several of them now considered classics of the field.
Bear Manor Media: How did this book come about?
Ben Urish: Jan was also a film historian and film collector. He and I discussed how biographies were getting popular in the children’s book market, and his book on Hedy Lamaar was just about to be published. He sent me the Movie Girls manuscript saying he planned for it to be his next book.
Bear Manor Media: I see, so he was sort of combining his career interests.
Ben Urish: Yes, exactly. And he had hosted screenings of classic films from his collection for many years at a theater honoring the Gish Sisters on the Bowling Green State University campus. In fact, that’s how I met him.
Bear Manor Media: Ah. Please go on.
Ben Urish: OK, so after Jan passed away, his relatives settled his affairs and gave me permission to try and get this manuscript published. I was very familiar with Rick Geary’s work and approached him about doing the illustrations, thinking he would be perfect for this story of young sister’s struggles, perseverance, and triumphs. Fortunately, he liked the manuscript and quickly agreed.
Bear Manor Media: And how did Bear Manor Media become involved?
Ben Urish: Jan had told me he liked working with Bear Manor Media, as have a couple other authors I know. The book’s topic seemed appropriate for Bear Manor Media. So, it seemed a natural.
Bear Manor Media: You were right about that!
Ben Urish: And now we have this wonderful volume that tells how two young sisters helped to create an artform and an industry through their family strengths and personal talents.