From award-winning actress Illeana Douglas comes a memoir about learning to survive in Hollywood while staying true to her quirky vision of the world.
 In 1969 Illeana Douglas' parents saw the film Easy Rider and were transformed. Taking Dennis Hopper's words, "That's what it's all about man" to heart, they abandoned their comfortable upper middle class life and gave Illeana a childhood filled with hippies, goats, free spirits, and free love. Illeana writes, "Since it was all out of my control, I began to think of my life as a movie, with a Dennis Hopper-like father at the center of it." 
I Blame Dennis Hopper is a testament to the power of art and the tenacity of passion. It is a rollicking, funny, at times tender exploration of the way movies can change our lives. With crackling humor and a full heart, Douglas describes how a good Liza Minnelli impression helped her land her first gig and how Rudy Valley taught her the meaning of being a show biz trouper. From her first experience being on set with her grandfather and mentor-two-time Academy Award-winning actor Melvyn Douglas-to the moment she was discovered by Martin Scorsese for her blood-curdling scream and cast in her first film, to starring in movies alongside Robert DeNiro, Nicole Kidman, and Ethan Hawke, to becoming an award winning writer, director and producer in her own right, I Blame Dennis Hopper is an irresistible love letter to movies and filmmaking. Writing from the perspective of the ultimate show business fan, Douglas packs each page with hilarious anecdotes, bizarre coincidences, and fateful meetings that seem, well, right out of a plot of a movie. 
I Blame Dennis Hopper is the story of one woman's experience in show business, but it is also a genuine reminder of why we all love the movies: for the glitz, the glamor, the sweat, passion, humor, and escape they offer us all.

I Blame Dennis Hopper: And Other Stories from a Life Lived In and Out of the Movies

Biographies & Memoirs

Douglas, Illeana

Arts & Literature

Flatiron Books

I Blame Dennis Hopper

With its proximity to New York City, abundant playhouses to nurture new talent, and primary residences for many actors, writers, directors, and producers, Connecticut has been the subject of and/or the backdrop for nearly 200 feature films. From Sherlock Holmes (1916), to Mystic Pizza (1988), to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), the state has had an impressive amount of cinematic attention for its small size. In this book actress and writer Illeana Douglas not only explores the reasons for this, but also identifies the film genres derived from how the state is perceived: the New England rural fantasy as depicted in Christmas in Connecticut (1945) and Holiday Inn (1942); the home-grown drama of Long Days Journey Into Night (1962 and 1996); the suburban angst of The Ice Storm (1997); the social deconstruction of The Stepford Wives (1972 and 2004); and several others from horror to slapstick comedy. The book also includes photos of film locations then and now, and short biographies of Connecticut natives who have made names for themselves in film. Throughout the book Douglas's love for both the movies and her native state shine through, making this a keepsake for denizens of the state and a resource for film buffs everywhere.

Connecticut in the Movies: From Dream Houses to Dark Suburbia

Humor & Entertainment

Movies

LYONS PRESS+

In 1969 Illeana Douglas's parents saw the film Easy Rider and were transformed. Taking Dennis Hopper's words "That's what it's all about man" to heart, they abandoned their comfortable upper-middle-class life and gave Illeana a childhood filled with hippies, goats, free spirits, and free love. Illeana writes, "Since it was all out of my control, I began to think of my life as a movie, with a Dennis Hopper-like father at the center of it." I Blame Dennis Hopper is a rollicking, funny, at times tender exploration of the way movies can change our lives. With crackling humor and a full heart, Douglas describes how a good Liza Minnelli impression helped her land her first gig and how Rudy Valley taught her the meaning of being a show biz trouper. From her first experience being on set with her grandfather and mentor-two-time Academy Award-winning actor Melvyn Douglas-to the moment she was discovered by Martin Scorsese, to starring in movies alongside Robert DeNiro, Nicole Kidman, and Ethan Hawke, to becoming an award-winning writer, director, and producer in her own right, I Blame Dennis Hopper is an irresistible love letter to movies and filmmaking.

I Blame Dennis Hopper: And Other Stories from a Life Lived in and Out of the Movies

Tantor Media, Inc.

In 1969 Illeana Douglas's parents saw the film Easy Rider and were transformed. Taking Dennis Hopper's words "That's what it's all about man" to heart, they abandoned their comfortable upper-middle-class life and gave Illeana a childhood filled with hippies, goats, free spirits, and free love. Illeana writes, "Since it was all out of my control, I began to think of my life as a movie, with a Dennis Hopper-like father at the center of it." I Blame Dennis Hopper is a rollicking, funny, at times tender exploration of the way movies can change our lives. With crackling humor and a full heart, Douglas describes how a good Liza Minnelli impression helped her land her first gig and how Rudy Valley taught her the meaning of being a show biz trouper. From her first experience being on set with her grandfather and mentor-two-time Academy Award-winning actor Melvyn Douglas-to the moment she was discovered by Martin Scorsese, to starring in movies alongside Robert DeNiro, Nicole Kidman, and Ethan Hawke, to becoming an award-winning writer, director, and producer in her own right, I Blame Dennis Hopper is an irresistible love letter to movies and filmmaking.

Tantor Audio

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Douglas, Illeana. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Douglas, Illeana

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Douglas, Illeana. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

I Blame Dennis Hopper: And Other Stories from a Life Lived In and Out of the Movies

I Blame Dennis Hopper

Connecticut in the Movies: From Dream Houses to Dark Suburbia

I Blame Dennis Hopper: And Other Stories from a Life Lived in and Out of the Movies

I Blame Dennis Hopper: And Other Stories from a Life Lived In and Out of the Movies