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Photographer Phil Stern in World War II
BB's Stage Door Canteen

Liesl Bradner presents “Snapdragon: The World War II Exploits of Darby's Ranger and Combat Photographer Phil Stern”

5:00 p.m. Happy Hour in The American Sector Restaurant & Bar | 6:00 p.m. Presentation | 7:30 p.m. Book Signing

Before Phil Stern’s long and successful career photographing Hollywood stars, his WWII combat photography earned him the nickname “Snapdragon” from his fellow soldiers.

Described by Vanity Fair editor David Friend as the “Chronicler of Cool,” photographer Phil Stern is noted for his iconic portraits of Hollywood stars including James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, and Marlon Brando. Less known is his remarkable work as a combat photographer during World War II, during which he served with Darby's Rangers in the North African and Italian campaigns.

Prior to Stern's death in December 2014, an original, unfinished, tattered manuscript was discovered stashed away in an old folio box in his cluttered Hollywood bungalow. In Snapdragon, completed by author Liesl Bradner after Stern’s death, catchy 1940s lingo, honest and intimate observations, and humor transport the reader 70 years back in time to experience the key battles of the Mediterranean theater. With his lens and pen, Stern introduces readers to the hardscrabble Rangers, the desert oases of Morocco and Algeria, and the muddied beaches of Mussolini's Italy. Snapdragon is an artifact of that time, told not by a man reminiscing in his twilight years but by a young soldier fresh from the battlefields.

ABOUT THE COAUTHOR: An award-winning journalist, Liesl Bradner has contributed to respected national publications such as The Los Angeles Times, The New Republic, The Guardian, Truthdig, Variety, and World War II Magazine. In addition to Phil Stern, with whom she forged a strong bond, Bradner has interviewed more than 100 artists, actors, screenwriters, authors, politicians, and photographers. In May 2016, she was part of a team of writers at Truthdig that won the 2015 Maggie Award for best regularly featured web column (Book Review). Bradner lives in Los Angeles.

A book signing will immediately follow the presentation. Shop for Snapdragon at the Museum Store.

For more information or to register, call 504-528-1944 x 484.

Date:
Time: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

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