This book was published in 1973, at a time when the movie industry was facing significant changes. As colour television became more widely available and affordable, the film industry and cinemas were no longer the main source of screen entertainment.
In fact a year later the compilation film 'That's Entertainment' produced by MGM to celebrate it's 50th anniversary was the last major film to be shot on it's world famous Hollywood backlot.
The Magic Factory chronicles the creation of 'An American in Paris' during the golden age of screen musicals, interweaving interviews with cast and crew at every stage of the production process, it is a fascinating insight into the incredibly complex world of filmmaking and specifically The Freed Unit (producer Arthur Freed, not to be confused with the shoemaker Frederick Freed), who were responsible for some of the greatest musicals of all time.
It also contains some rather charming advise about renting a 16-mm print of the film for nontheatrical exhibition from a company in Illinois; whilst colour televisions may have become readily available in 1973, the domestic VCR was still at least a decade away.
Luckily in this digital age we have more viewing options; the film is available on DVD and also to buy or rent digitally.
This book is a rather specialist item, your local library may be able to locate you a copy. Alongside the usual high street and digital retailers, the advanced book exchange is also a very useful option for sourcing out of print books:
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