Hollywood Biography recommendations

[The Shirt]

I am a member of a bookclub and we are getting a little bored with the type of books we have been reading, primarily period fiction. I thought it might be interesting to throw in a biography. I am interested myself in growing my knowledge of the golden era/Hollywood and thought perhaps an famous, saucy, charismatic type might be fun. However I cannot seem to decide on anything to recommend and so I humbly request from my fellow FLoungers some ideas. Something perhaps that has wide appeal and a lot of "action". My group is all 20-30 something young women if that helps.

I have gotten a little overwhelmed in the "what are you reading" thread to find something appropriate but if you want to merge - I understand completely.

 

[deadpandiva]

Life's A Banquet by Rosalind Russell or Being and Becoming by Myrna Loy. I have more I could suggest but those are my favorite. I also have a bunch I could lend you. Also Girl Singer by Rosemary Clooney. It was very moving and she was so candid about things.

There are two really good ones on Jean harlow. I'll have to look up the titles as there are quite a few bad ones as well.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

Clara Bow: Runnin Wild (EXCELLENT!)
Vamp: The Rise & Fall Of Theda Bara
Wisecracker: The Life And Times Of William Haines
Bombshell & Platinum Girl (both Jean Harlow bios)
Golden Images
Speaking Of Silents
Ginger, Loretta & Irene Who?

 

[deadpandiva]

Clara Bow: Runnin Wild (EXCELLENT!)
Bombshell & Platinum Girl (both Jean Harlow bios)

Those were the two I was thinking of.

 

[skyvue]

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPreston-Sturges-His-Life-Words%2Fdp%2F0671747274%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1204651820%26sr%3D1-1&tag=breyou-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Preston Sturges by Preston Sturges: His Life in Words</a> is a delight. He lived a remarkable life, even aside from his great success as a writer and director. My wife, who has yet to see even one of his films (aside from REMEMBER THE NIGHT, which he wrote but did not direct), really enjoyed it.

I also enjoyed Lee Server's <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FRobert-Mitchum-Baby-Dont-Care%2Fdp%2F0312285434%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1204652011%26sr%3D1-1&tag=breyou-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Robert Mitchum: "Baby I Don't Care"</a>.

And, though it's not a biography, Mick LaSalle's <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FComplicated-Women-Power-Pre-Code-Hollywood%2Fdp%2F0312284314%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1204652259%26sr%3D1-1&tag=breyou-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Complicated Women: Sex and Power in Pre-Code Hollywood</a> is a very accessible and interesting look at the impact the Hayes office's enforcement of the Breen Code had on the role of women in Hollywood, in which LaSalle offers a fair amount of biographical detail on a number of actresses of the day.

 

[imoldfashioned]

Anything by Barry Paris--his biography of Louise Brooks is one of my all time favorite books in any genre. I think his biography of Greta Garbo is the best one out there too.

Runnin' Wild and Bombshell by David Stenn are both great (about Clara Bow and Jean Harlow respectively)

As far as autobiographies go I loved Myrna Loy's Being and Becoming, Gloria Swanson's Swanson on Swanson, Lana Turner's Lana: The Lady, The Legend, The Truth. I was surprised by how much I liked Mia Farrow's What Falls Away. Colleen Moore's Silent Star was enjoyable too.

And this doesn't even get into the picture books (anything by Alexander Walker is great) or film critiques (anything by Jeanine Basinger especially A Woman's View: How Hollywood Spoke to Women 1930-1960 and Silent Stars) . I'm sure I'll think of more.

 

[Paisley]

There was a bio of Jimmy Stewart released a few years ago. I recommend it.

 

[The Shirt]

What interesting suggestions - Thank you all. I will have my hands full looking these up and trying to decide. Not only does it help for bookclub - but for some personal reading as well.

 

[Feraud]

Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot by Starr Smith was a very good read.
In Cagney by John McCabe, he(Cagney) gives some very insightful comments regarding the early days of the studio system. Cagney's comments about his co-stars, studio executives, and studio/social issues paints a particularly modern picture of the movie business. A fascinating read.

 

[Midnight Palace]

I highly recommend the book on Joan Blondell that I reviewed here:

http://www.midnightpalace.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=114

 

[skyvue]

I'm a few chapters into Donald Bogle's <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBright-Boulevards-Bold-Dreams-Hollywood%2Fdp%2F0345454197%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1204670254%26sr%3D8-1&tag=breyou-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325"> Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams: The Story of Black Hollywood</a> and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about the experiences of familiar and not-so-familiar African American actors in Hollywood, going all the way back to Madame Sul-Te-Wan in the silent era.

 

[JazzBaby]

Read a really good bio of Sinatra called 'Sinatra: The Man Behind The Myth' by J.Randy Taraborrelli, and found it very enjoyable.

 

[deadpandiva]

I'm a few chapters into Donald Bogle's <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBright-Boulevards-Bold-Dreams-Hollywood%2Fdp%2F0345454197%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1204670254%26sr%3D8-1&tag=breyou-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325"> Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams: The Story of Black Hollywood</a> and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about the experiences of familiar and not-so-familiar African American actors in Hollywood, going all the way back to Madame Sul-Te-Wan in the silent era.

I enjoyed his book Brown Sugar even though there was absolutly no mention of Theresa Harris. I'll have to check this one out. Hopefully it does mention Theresa.

And Midnight Palace, thans for mentioning the Joan Blondell book as you reminded me that i want to read it. I was eagerly awaiting it's release then I kind of forgot.

 

[skyvue]

I enjoyed his book Brown Sugar even though there was absolutly no mention of Theresa Harris. I'll have to check this one out. Hopefully it does mention Theresa.

As I mentioned, I've only just started it, but I checked the index -- it lists five instances where she is mentioned.

 

[katiemakeup]

SOME of my favorites:

Jean Harlow Bombshell
Edith Head- A MUST
Debbie Reynolds
Lucille Ball- Ball of Fire
Paulette Goddard- Often overlooked, but she was the original Liz Taylor (& Mrs. Charlie Chaplin)
Just Garland- A page turner
Joan Crawford- Any of the books
Rudolph Valentino, Dark Lover- Amazing
Clara Bow
Fred Astaire
Lauren Bacall- Her autobiography is really well written and very charming
Howard Hughes- I've read a few different books on him, all of them very interesting

 

[imoldfashioned]

Thanks for reminding me about Bacall's autobiography Katiemakeup--that's one of my favorites, although the recent update wasn't as good as the original in my opinion.

I love Paulette Goddard too--I'll have to find that book.

 

[deadpandiva]

A Rose For Mrs. Miniver was very good.

 

[Lulu-in-Ny]

<a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Lulu-in-Hollywood/Louise-Brooks/e/9780816637317/?itm=1">LuLu in Hollywood by Louise Brooks</a>. Her life, in her own words; great stuff.
<a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Star-Machine/Jeanine-Basinger/e/9781400041305/?itm=1">The Star Machine by Jeanine Basinger</a>. A really interesting book about how the Studio System effectively created actors in the Golden Era. It covers a lot of the less well-known actors of the day.
<a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Orson-Welles/Simon-Callow/e/9780140254563/?itm=6"> Orson Welles: The Road to Xanadu by Simon Callow</a>. Written by the actor Callow, this is the best I've read on Welles. (It's the first of a two-volume work).
They're all great; I'd start with the Brooks. I'd also wait for The Star Machine to come out in paperback.
Have fun!

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Gloria Swanson's autobiography, Swanson on Swanson, was a great read - from the early years of Hollywood up till the late 70's, her marriages & affairs and how the movie industry changed over the years. But it appears to be out of print. My mom saw her at The Broadway in LA shortly after the book came out one day. Swanson saw a display of her books & did a little rearranging & continued on. Mom said she did a double-take, and then quickly grabbed a copy and ran after her to have it autographed for me. Huge flamboyant script with "Michael, darling! Greetings from your friend, Gloria Swanson." How Mom kept the secret several weeks till my birthday, I don't know. I unwrapped it, looked at it, went to to flip through it and my jaw dropped, and Mom told the whole story.

 

[Fletch]

Another rec for Mark Eliot's bio Jimmy Stewart (not Bomber Pilot). It gave me some insights into one of my heroes that made me respect him more and know him better. Eliot deals with him on several levels - as Hollywood outsider and insider, military man, small-town boy, longtime bachelor, and artist. He made Jimmy real but didn't cut him down.