Hollywood is less a place than a fantasy world, where myth and reality are often so entangled that few can tell them apart. In Hollywood Myths, veteran film critic Joe Williams draws on first-person knowledge and thorough research in film history archives to distinguish what really happened from the fictions that studios and tabloids created to sell tickets and magazines. Myths discussed range from the well-known—Marilyn Monroe’s troubled life, Tom Cruise’s bizarre couch-jumping—to stories that would surprise even the most ardent cinephile, such as an account of the mysterious ties between the FBI and Jean Seberg, just before the Breathless actress’ death. Illustrated throughout with historical and color photographs, Hollywood Myths is as fascinating, shocking, captivating, and fun as the movies we love.