B Movies: An Informal Survey of the American Low-Budget Film 1933-1945 (Vintage Paperback) by Don Miller

No one ever paid much attention to the bottom half of double-features in the 1930s and ‘40s... except movie enthusiast Don Miller, who had a photographic memory. This unique and invaluable book traces the history of Hollywood’s cinematic step-children, the low-budget movies that came from fly-by-night producers as well as the major studios.

From Bela Lugosi to Charlie Chan, they’re all here in this comprehensive and entertaining. Whether your interest is the early work of directors like Anthony Mann and Budd Boetticher or the roots of film noir, you’ll find what you’re looking for in Don Miller’s lively, encyclopedic book. Introduction by Leonard Maltin.