Hollywood Dinosaur Chronicles

Hollywood's love affair with the dinosaur, which began with the 1909 animated short "Gertie the Dinosaur" and continues to this day (Disney's 1985 Baby is one of the most recent entries), is examined in this interesting look at dino film lore, hosted by Doug McClure. Following Gertie's cartoon debut, the most significant development in Hollywood dinos corresponded with a great leap forward in film itself: the stop-motion animation techniques (using models) of Willis O'Brien, who in 1914, brought out The Dinosaur and the Missing Link, and is best remembered as the technical genius behind the later King Kong. The 50s and 60s, of course, were dino heaven for filmmakers, as Ghidrah, Reptilicus, and perennial favorite Godzilla made their screen debuts. During this time, Sinclair oil adopted the dino for its logo, and Life magazine devoted a cover to dinosaurs. Interviews with paleontologists, as well as special effects people, chronicle both the realism (or more often, lack of it) in Hollywood dinos, and therefore toss in a little education with the fun. Since we're talking major topic of interest to young library patrons, it goes without saying that this will be very popular. Recommended. (Available from most distributors.)