The ‘Reel’ Hollywood: The San Fernando Valley - A Century of Filmmaking and Filmmakers Paperback – March 15, 2026

“Martin Cooper’s new book tells the fascinating story of how the San Fernando Valley became the hub of the motion picture industry. It is a story of creative excellence, economic development, and individual achievement. This is a book of important historical achievement. Martin Cooper’s book reads like fiction, but it’s all fact.”- Bob BlumenfieldLos Angeles City Councilmember, District 3 (San Fernando Valley), Former Member, California Film Commission“Martin Cooper has a researcher’s instinct for finding great stories and the scribe’s talent for sharing them with gusto and delight. If you’re old enough, The ‘Reel’ Hollywood: The San Fernando Valley will take you back to the many images of the Valley in film and TV; and if you’re too young to be old enough, it will give you a chance to look at this wonderful part of Los Angeles in a fresh and exciting way.”- Bob BeitcherPresident and CEO, Motion Picture Country Home“The Valley finally gets its due with Cooper’s engaging book! Largely because of a real estate sign, Hollywood has falsely overshadowed the San Fernando Valley’s embrace of film production and talent from its earliest days. Alongside those orange groves were Egyptian columns, Western bars and cattle rustlers.”- John PtakFilm producer and former talent agent“No one knows the San Fernando Valley and the movie industry better than Martin Cooper. Put those two strengths together and even the knowledgeable cinephile or local history buff will find many hidden historical gems. His encyclopedic knowledge and research uncovers little-known facts found nowhere else. You won’t put it down!”- Bob RawitchFormer Executive Editor, Los Angeles Times Valley Edition and 75-year resident of the San Fernando Valley “Martin Cooper’s latest book tells how the San Fernando Valley wasn’t Hollywood’s backyard – it was its center stage, the fascinating arena where countless movies and television shows were filmed simultaneously. Familiar names like Casablanca, Walt Disney, Warner Brothers and Roy Rogers populate the pages, and their stories unspool naturally in Martin’s witty and readable linear fashion. It is astounding that the Valley’s central role in filmdom has never really been told, but in this book the Valley finally gets its close-up.”- Charles CrumpleyJournalist and former Editor and Publisher, San Fernando Valley Business Journal Read more