In it to win it

I have no idea why I don’t seem to be able to get anything done this morning but I promise you I do have an “Overlooked Films on Tuesday” post in the works.  (The irony is that I even got the Mayberry Mondays segment done early Sunday evening so I could devote my free Monday time to it.)  I did, however, want to take a sharp intake of breath and announce the winners in the Behind Blue Eyes book contest.  Noir devotee/cocktail fancier/bon vivant and longtime Thrilling Days of Yesteryear supporter Vince Keenan will be receiving a free copy of the Barbara Sinatra book (he e-mailed to tell me he is powerless to resist any tome on Francis Albert, so good luck on his win) as will another TDOY cheerleader, Facebook compadre Peggy, who’s just a stone’s throw across the state line from me in South Carolina.  The heartiest of congratulations go out to both of these folks, and while I’m admittedly a week behind in mailing out some earlier prizes I swear I will have everything at the USPS by the end of the week.  (Thanks again to Christina Foxley at Crown/Random House for generously bestowing upon me the freebies...she is da bomb!)

That will just about do it for what I have in the TDOY prize closet for a while…but I’m working on getting some more swag soon, so keep it right here for further announcements!

Behind Blue Eyes

Got a full plate in front of me for most of this week, but I did mention Saturday that there was another fabulous Thrilling Days of Yesteryear giveaway in the works starting today, and it comes courtesy of our good friends at Crown/Random House:

Thirty years after she first heard his voice singing on the jukebox at her local drive-in, Barbara Ann Blakely heard Frank Sinatra take the wedding vows that began his fourth, final, and most enduring marriage.

In Lady Blue Eyes, Barbara Sinatra’s first public love letter to the husband she adored, she celebrates the sensational singer, possessive mate, sexy heartthrob, and devoted friend that she found in Frank.  For more than two decades, Barbara was always by his side, traveling the globe and hosting glittering events for their famous friends, including presidents, kings, queens, Hollywood royalty, and musical legends.  Among them were Sammy Davis, Jr., Princess Grace of Monaco, Bob Dylan, and Ronald Reagan.  Each night, as Frank publicly wooed his bride with love songs from a concert stage, she’d fall in love with him all over again.

You can check out a snippet from this book here, but I have even better news: Crown’s Christina Foxley was generous enough to provide two free copies of this book, Lady Blue Eyes, and I want to give one each to two lucky TDOY contest entrants.  (What do I need to do, I hear you asking…and it can’t be the voices in my head, because they’re not nearly tinny enough.) Just shoot me an e-mail at igsjrotr(at)gmail(dot)com with the subject header “Barbara Sinatra book” by next Monday (March 19) at 11:59pm.  Tuesday morning, I’ll draw two names via The Amazing Random Number Generator(!) at Random.org, and ship out the books to the winners posthaste.  (You don’t need to provide your snail mail address right away if you so desire.  If you’ve been fortunate to win free swag here in the past, all I ask is that you sit out a thirty-day grace period to let others have a shot at getting goodies.)

The record shows…he took the blows…and did it his way.  And you can read all about from the perspective of Mrs. Chairman of the Board, Barbara Sinatra, in this fabulous new book.  Enter today…Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, where the winning tradition continues!

Winning: Dead or Alive

First of all, I want to thank everybody who entered Thrilling Days of Yesteryear’s Steve McQueen Giveaway—the response was so large that it actually convinced me for one brief moment there are people out who read this blog on a regular basis.  (Okay, I am joking about that.  My sisters skim it to make sure I’m not badmouthing them.)  I only wish I had been able to hand out copies of Marc Eliot’s Steve McQueen: A Biography to all who did enter, but I’m guessing the people at Crown/Random House might have difficulty getting on board with that.

Anyway, the winners of the contest were Dan O. of Port Moody, BC, Canada and Quinn J. of Sioux Falls, SD…a copy of Mr. Eliot’s book will be mailed out to them within the week and I think we should all give them a round of applause during their victory laps.  Don’t be disappointed, however; because tomorrow I’m going to announce another giveaway of free swag to commemorate an eight-year anniversary (something I have trouble believing myself).  Stay tuned for further details!

The clock is ticking…

Just wanted to give you a brief reminder that you have until 12:00 midnight EDT tonight to get in on the latest Thrilling Days of Yesteryear free swag giveaway—courtesy of Crown/Random House, I have two copies of Marc Eliot’s Steve McQueen: A Biography to hand out to two lucky TDOY readers…and all you have to do is shoot me an e-mail at igsjrotr(at)gmail(dot)com with the “deets” and “Steve McQueen Giveaway” in the subject header before the witching hour tonight.  I shall pick two winners at random tomorrow morning and mail them their fabulous prizes…but you will not have the opportunity to become one of those fortunate people unless you get your entry in less than six hours from now.  The usual rules apply—one entry per family, and the names of the winners will be exploited for my own evil purposes…no, I’m kidding about that; I don’t usually reveal secret identities of people unless they specifically ask me to “Make me famous, damnit!”  So be sure to get your entry in!

Fabulous prizes!

Since the last time I gave away any free swag here on the blog was back in April, I figured it was high time that I grant the Thrilling Days of Yesteryear faithful the opportunity to get in on a little literary largess courtesy of Christina Foxley and Crown/Random House.  Crown has just released Marc Eliot’s Steve McQueen: A Biography, a hardcover tome about the life of the actor, known for such films as The Sand Pebbles, The Reivers and The Getaway…and of course, the classic TV oater Wanted: Dead or Alive.

Steve McQueen remains one of America’s legendary movie stars.  Known for his anti-hero persona in now-classics such as The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, The Thomas Crown Affair, and Bullitt, McQueen was one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 70s.  His unforgettable physical beauty, his soft-spoken manner, his tough but tender roughness and his aching vulnerability had women swooning and men wanting to be like him. In 1974 he became the highest-paid movie star in the world. Although McQueen was combative with directors and producers, his popularity put him in high demand in Hollywood and enabled him to command exorbitant salaries. He was wild and rebellious and “the King of Cool.” Yet few know the truth of what bubbled beneath his cool exterior and shaped his career, his passions, and his private life. 

Now, in  STEVE McQUEEN: A Biography  (Crown Archetype; On Sale October 25, 2011; Hardcover), New York Times bestselling author, acclaimed biographer and film historian, Marc Eliot brilliantly captures the complexity of this Hollywood screen legend by examining the intertwining arcs of his complex life and his fascinating career in film. Filled with original material, rare photos, and new interviews with McQueen’s publicist and long time friend, David Foster, and McQueen’s manager, Hilly Ekins,  STEVE McQUEEN: A Biography breaks new boundaries in the understanding of the life and the work of Steve McQueen, providing a full portrait of the “King of Cool,” including:

• A complete reassessment of McQueen's films and early television work.

• McQueen’s tumultuous life both on and off the screen, from his hardscrabble childhood to his rise to Hollywood superstar status.

• McQueen’s struggles with alcohol and drugs, and his obsession with racing fast cars and motorcycles.

• His obsession with Paul Newman and how it shaped his career

• The intimate details of McQueen’s passionate yet failed marriages to Neile Adams and Ali MacGraw as well as his numerous affairs.

• McQueen’s eternal search for his real father and his uneasy relationship with his mother.

• Inside information behind his incredible yet often perplexing career that ranged from great films to embarrassing misfires.

With meticulous detail, Eliot redraws the landscape of McQueen's life from a filmmaker’s perspective, making this book at once a revisionist look at McQueen's life, as well as the world and business of making movies that McQueen toiled in up to  and until his untimely death at the age of 50.  STEVE McQUEEN is the first fully comprehensive biography of Steve McQueen.

Thanks to the generosity of Christina and the folks at Crown, I have two copies of this book to give away…and if you’re interested in entering for a chance to score a copy, simply shoot me an e-mail at igsjrotr(at)gmail(dot)com (with “Steve McQueen Giveaway” in the subject header) with your name and snail mail address, and you’ll be good to go.  Now, if you’re squeamish about my having access to this address before you’ve actually won anything (I would like to say that those stories of my selling people’s addresses to companies for DVD money has been completely blown out of proportion), you can certainly leave that out until you get confirmation—and the winners will be notified on the morning of November 3rd (next Thursday) when I pick two names via Random.org.  This book would make a splendid gift for any classic movie fan on your Christmas list…or if they’ve been particularly naughty this year you can put it on your own shelf while they try to figure out who put all that coal in their stocking.  So be sure to enter today and keep an eye peeled for future free swag at Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, where the winning tradition continues!