No Minor Chords

Academy Award-winning composer Previn's ( Music Face to Face ) story of his career in movies is sweet music for enthusiasts of Hollywood's golden years. He reveals, for instance, that Fred Astaire was as elegant and enchanting a person as he was a dancer, that Gene Kelly was ``extremely private'' and so sensitive about his singing ability that he had the vocals removed from his personal collection of his filmed dance numbers. Previn charms with telling anecdotes: he once heard Sam Goldwyn say, ``My wife's hands are so beautiful I think I'll have a bust made out of them''; a memo he received from Irving Thalberg read: ``No music in an MGM film is to contain a minor chord.'' Consistently clear and lively writing as well as several pages of interesting photos make Previn's fourth literary opus a completely satisfying experience. (Nov.)