"library journal" called his authorized biography of gene kelly "well-researched" and praised its "warmth and immediacy". writing in the "chicago tribune book world", richard christiansen named "the warner bros. story" a "bounteous treasure trove of information and entertainment" while remarked that hirschhorn's entries for the films were "frequently witty and even critical…they are reviews as much as they are narratives". "newsweek" admired "the hollywood musical" because hirschhorn "aims at a kind of completeness entirely in keeping with the grandiosity of his subject", a sentiment echoed by seymour peck in "the new york times book review", who noted that hirschhorn "sets himself the goal of absolute completeness…and seems to have achieved it."