The Hollywood B-Film offers readers a concise overview and compelling analysis of the so-called B-film in the United States between the late 1920s--when the emergence of the double-feature film exhibition format led to the creation of motion pictures intended for the bottom half of a theater's dual bill--and the contemporary period, when an increasing number of distribution channels and exhibition outlets for commercial feature films have shifted the B-film's traditional definition but not its cultural importance or pervasiveness.

Based to a significant degree on original, primary...