Rungs on a Ladder looks at part of the movie industry from a unique perspective. Christopher Neame, son of director Ronald, started his career (in the early 1960s) at the very bottom, but determinedly made his way to the top. Neame fondly recalls his learning years at Bray Studios and beyond. Simply and often amusingly, he recounts his days with Hammer Films and observes many of the characters both in front of and behind the camera--names synonymous with those classic tales of Gothic horror: director Terrence Fisher, producers Anthony Hinds, Michael Carreras and Anthony Nelson Keys,...

As the grandson of actress Ivy Close and son of director Ronald Neame, Christopher Neame's roots in the film business were already firmly established by the time he joined the family profession. In Principal Characters, Neame provides brief intimate portraits of the many important film figures he has worked with during his illustrious career. In this charming collection of anecdotes, he asks and answers questions about the stars that reveal both their carefree and vulnerable moments alike.