Shooting Montezuma »

In 1962, Mr. Jan Merlin appeared in John Huston's murder mystery THE LIST OF ADRIAN MESSENGER, playing six mysterious characters in masks. Merlin was born and raised in New York City. At the outset of World War II, he enlisted in the United States Navy, serving as a torpedo-man aboard destroyers in the Atlantic and Pacific fleets and accumulated ten battle stars before entering with the first Occupational Force group into Japan. Upon returning to civilian life, he enrolled in the prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater, and he made his Broadway debut in MISTER ROBERTS. Twice nominated for an Emmy, Mr. Merlin won as a writer. His professional acting career includes starring or being featured in numerous plays, several hundred live and filmed television appearances, and more than thirty motion picture films. He currently writes novels and has retired from acting.

In the tradition of SUNSET BOULEVARD, THE PLAYER, FEDORA, TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN, and THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, comes another look a the world of Hollywood SHOOTING MONTEZUMA: A HOLLYWOOD MONSTER STORY, takes fans of cinema deep into the studio bowels to share the intricacies of special effects, make-up wizardry, and the business of creating a movie. With celebrated stars, a legendary director, and an egotistic makeup artist extraordinaire, the tale unfolds. On location in Brazil, one man dies. Another man kills. Scandals, feuds, power-plays, all surround the production of a major film with a gimmick..and the secret about it they found unable to keep. For those who revel in the magic of movies, this novel will intrigue you. For those who know the tricks of the trade, this will confirm their suspicions. Written by Jan Merlin, film star and Emmy-winning writer, the tale exposes the reader to a perspective that only first hand experience could provide. Literally 'scripted' about a movie in which the audience is to see a variety of characters unmask at the end to reveal themselves as uncredited surprise celebrities, this book allows a reader to learn how a film is ingeniously made, and how it affects those involved in it.