Did you know the notoriously grumpy W.C. Fields was actually a secret philanthropist? Or while visiting Hollywood scientist Albert Einstein was mistaken for a film director ? Or that on the set of “Grand Hotel” (1932), Greta Garbo got a scare out of The Three Stooges? You will find stories and anecdotes such as these in author Stephen Schochet 's book "Hollywood Stories.”

"Hollywood Stories" is a very well-organized book with fifteen chapters, thirteen of which are dedicated to the stories Schochet researched and compiled. It can be opened to any page and the reader will find an interesting, if not, hilarious tidbit about Hollywood. It is so jammed pack with trivia, you won’t stumble upon the same story twice!

Schochet’s stories and anecdotes are diverse and interesting, spanning from the earliest days of Hollywood to where he gives us doses of the greats like Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy and The Marx Brothers to today’s Hollywood with Angelina Jolie and director James Cameron. The author is also gracious enough to share some of his own stories about working as a tour guide in Hollywood. In one such tale, Schochet briefly illustrates his encounter with comedian George Burns on his guided tours during Burns’ golden years.

Schochet not only covers the expansive and assuming hard task of movie trivia but he also ventures into television and music as well. Oftentimes, after the reader is given a main piece of trivia, Schochet makes a wonderful connection between seemingly two different types of show business in the “extras” he provides in the book.

“Hollywood Stories” is a book that is easy to read whether you are a film fanatic or a buff of any entertainment kind. You will always find something you did not know, and perhaps even some pieces of trivia you did know but are expanded on, by Schochet.

Our review of this enjoyable book is one that we consider worth reading for anybody who has the slightest interest on what goes on off-screen and in the real world of the famous people, places, and films of Hollywood.

* A copy of the book was sent to me by the author for the review. *