As the 1940s came to a close, the dream factory of Hollywood was in turmoil: McCarthyism was a dark shadow, television had begun to make inroads and there was the realism of post-war society. But five young actors came west: James Dean; Rock Hudson; Montgomery Clift; Elizabeth Taylor and Natalie Wood. They became the idols of their generation. As well as their stories, this book encapsulates the glamour, the hype, the delusions and scandals that was the Hollywood of the Fifties. With black and white photographs.