What are you reading?

[charliechaplinfan]

I will. I'll let you know how I get on with Hedy's biography too.

[mrsl]

.
I HAD to order three books to complete my 2 year commitment to the book club, so I got My Lucky Life; in and out of Show Business, by Dick Van Dyke. I loved it. His writing style is as quick witted as his verbal conversations. The book covers his whole life from childhood to now, including his marriages, tragedies, and triumphs. He doesn't pull any punches about his drinking, It's written in vignettes of 3 or 4 pages each which makes for a quick read. It's a perfect example of how a couple grows apart from being a high school couple through a certain amount of years of marriage yet remain friendly and loving toward each other. It's a very short book yet doesn't leave you feeling like you've been cheated.

The next one was This Time Together, by Carol Burnett. Everything I said about Dick Van Dykes book, also goes for Ms. Burnettes. Short, sweet, and to the point. Also a quick read, and fun to read at the same time. I've always been a fan of both Van Dyke and Burnette, so it was a hard choice of which to read first, yet I read both of them in a week.

Finally, the third book was Betty White's book and I am just starting that one. She is another U.S. treasure so I'm looking forward to it.
.

[charliechaplinfan]

I've just finished Hedy Lamarr The Most Beautiful Woman in film by Ruth Barton, she writes well and has a balanced view and plenty of references. I didn't know a great deal about Hedy and had only watched one of her films, something I've since corrected. It doesn't seem she was ever a happy woman but had a haughtiness that can be found in some women who are too beautiful. Married 6 times, with 3 children, 1 of whom she was estranged from. Possessing a great intelligence and patenting a system for torpedos which is now used in mobile phone technology. A massively complex woman.

[charliechaplinfan]

I've just read one of the most original and charming reminiscenes it's by Diana Rosso and called James Mason a Personal Biography. It's not the book to read if you want a chronological account of Mason's life and career. Rosso is the half sister of Pamela Kellino Mason, James's first wife, as such she knew James for 50 years and liked him immensley. Yes he was quiet, shy, diffident and could sometimes seem a little arrogant because of these traits. He was a conscientious objector yet it didn't seem to harm his career, at this time he was often the cruel lover in roles like The Man in Grey and The Wicked Lady. He pursued Pam even though she was married to his friend for a few years they went around as a threesome until the dymanics altered and Pam became Mrs Mason. Pam comes off terribly in this account by her own sister, a shrew who belittled her husband and he stayed for the sake of their two children, they both had affairs but when Pam decided on divorce James left the family home with the clothes on his back, she took him to court and took everything, he wouldn't fight her, he didn't want their children to read bad things in the papers. It's full of beautiful memories of James a man who finally found happiness and fulfilment in his second marriage and many testimonials from his friends and family.

Now I feel the need to find a book that will fill in the gaps and put everything in a chronoligical order.

[moira finnie]

I've just read one of the most original and charming reminiscenes it's by Diana Rosso and called James Mason a Personal Biography. It's not the book to read if you want a chronological account of Mason's life and career. Rosso is the half sister of Pamela Kellino Mason, James's first wife, as such she knew James for 50 years and liked him immensley. Yes he was quiet, shy, diffident and could sometimes seem a little arrogant because of these traits. He was a conscientious objector yet it didn't seem to harm his career, at this time he was often the cruel lover in roles like The Man in Grey and The Wicked Lady. He pursued Pam even though she was married to his friend for a few years they went around as a threesome until the dymanics altered and Pam became Mrs Mason. Pam comes off terribly in this account by her own sister, a shrew who belittled her husband and he stayed for the sake of their two children, they both had affairs but when Pam decided on divorce James left the family home with the clothes on his back, she took him to court and took everything, he wouldn't fight her, he didn't want their children to read bad things in the papers. It's full of beautiful memories of James a man who finally found happiness and fulfilment in his second marriage and many testimonials from his friends and family.

Now I feel the need to find a book that will fill in the gaps and put everything in a chronoligical order.

You might enjoy reading Sheridan Morley's fairly balanced bio, James Mason: Odd Man Out and Mason's own memoirs, Before I Forget. After reading those books I liked and admired the talented subject, but thought that he was a reticent person who may have sought out acting as an escape from his deep shyness. I don't think that great actors are necessarily interesting out of the spotlight, but Mason was one of the best on screen ever.

Maybe it was all an act in public, and we can never know what a person was really like, but I have never read anything that made me change the opinion of Pamela Mason that was formed after repeated viewings of her on the old Merv Griffin show when I was a kid (I had an aunt who liked to watch it in the '60s and '70s). Preening Pamela was a fixture on the program, and specialized in publicly excoriating men in general and her own ex-husband and the father of her two children in particular. She was ghastly at a distance, though I suppose her sharp tongue and constant harking back to her show biz connections may have stemmed from her own need to prove her self-worth, but to me, she seemed to lack compassion, subtlety and a sense of all proportion, never letting the past go. I can't imagine what it was like for her sister or any of her husbands to live with her.

[charliechaplinfan]

Your opinion fits the book Moira. I had no idea she had a career of her own until reading this book, although it doesn't really say much about what she did. One episode in the book that made me feel very sorry for him was when Diana visited in 1959. James was laid up in the library that was his sick room, Diana doesn't say what the problem was but I remember reading that he'd had a heart attack around this time, diana was appalled at the abuse he was suffering at the hands of Pamela. She sounds such a ghastly woman and he loved her very deeply. By all accounts the early years of the marriage were very happy ones, I think America changed them, he for the most part never felt at home there and Pamela loved it.

I was planning on looking for Sheridan Morley's book, I've read others by him and there generally good.

I agree with you about his shyness and acting being a way to deal with it. Some of the best actors do live quiet lives away from the camera, I rather like them for it.

I've started Stephen Jacobs book on Boris Karloff, this looks like one worth buying, lots of research and attention to detail and with plenty of pictures to illustrate.

[Libertine]

I've started Stephen Jacobs book on Boris Karloff, this looks like one worth buying, lots of research and attention to detail and with plenty of pictures to illustrate.

The first time I hear about that book. I looked it up, and noticed it is an "authorized biography". Nothing wrong with that, but, I have another book on him which is also authorized. Why I find that special? Well, it's rare to have authorized biographies at all. LOL

How do you like it? How's the writing?


I am reading Marlene Dietrich: Adressbuch at the moment. Only available in German. It's based on Marlene's address-books which she started in the 60s. She had a strange way of organizing them. Not by name, but by places... Switzerland, Berlin, Vienna, Russia, Australia, Rome, etc, etc. To almost every name there's a story about her relationship with these people. Illustrated with at times rare pictures from her estate. There are also facsimiles of the original address book, some letters and telegrams. It's bound in red velvet, like the original. It looks elegant, and is interesting. Worth the money... if you understand German, that is.

[MichiganJ]

I've started Stephen Jacobs book on Boris Karloff, this looks like one worth buying, lots of research and attention to detail and with plenty of pictures to illustrate.

Jacobs' book is the best Karloff biography I've read. For me it's definitely a keeper.

I'm currently reading Winchell: Gossip, Power and the Culture of Celebrity by Neal Gabler.

[ChiO]

In the category of "Websites That May Be of Interest," I just happened upon this one. Go and see if you can figure out how I found it (but there's more of interest as well).

http://chiseler.org/

[knitwit45]

oh, I see....the article about The Black Cat, right? and some crazy man named Tim????

[ChiO]

Oh...was there an article on Timothy Hutton? Or was it Dalton?

THE BLACK CAT and Robert Siodmak were just frou-frou on the cake and icing that is Carey.

[charliechaplinfan]

I've started Stephen Jacobs book on Boris Karloff, this looks like one worth buying, lots of research and attention to detail and with plenty of pictures to illustrate.

Jacobs' book is the best Karloff biography I've read. For me it's definitely a keeper.

I'm currently reading Winchell: Gossip, Power and the Culture of Celebrity by Neal Gabler.

The Karloff book is a very good biography, it's very much a labour of love from a huge fan. I hired it from the library, it is a keeper so I've ordered my own. In terms of it being another authorised biography, I think Sara authorised a biography some years ago which is authorised but was taken aback by the author's enthusiasm, dedication and respect and authorised this version too, from her foreword I think this is now her definitive version. It is long, goes into details, not only about Karloff's films but about the social event in Hollywood and the setting up of the actors union which Karloff had a big hand in. He sounds such a lovely man, despite a penchant in his early years for marrying and discarding wives. I would highly recommend it.

[Ann Harding]

I'm currently reading Winchell: Gossip, Power and the Culture of Celebrity by Neal Gabler.

What a funny coincidence! I saw yesterday a Pre-Code based on Walter Winchell. I mentioned it here.

[MichiganJ]

What a funny coincidence! I saw yesterday a Pre-Code based on Walter Winchell.

Okay America sure does sound very interesting.
After finishing the biography, I plan on re-watching Sweet Smell of Success …followed by a long shower.

[charliechaplinfan]

I finished reading Stephen Jacobs book on Boris Karloff, a great, well researched biography about the nicest man in films, well that's how I feel after reading the book. Yes, Stephen Jacobs is a big fan of Karloff and is going to think that but there is plenty of documentary evidence to support this. All his costars had good words to say about him, he was no grandstanding big star, he did his job well and thought about everyone around him. He was instrumental in setting up the Screen Actors Guild, drumming up members whereever he could, in whichever movies he was in. A big supporter of Holywood charity work, once appearing at a charity baseball game leading men against comedians as Frankenstein's monster. The comedians won that game, although looking at the list of who was playing I think there m,ust have been some mischief a foot. He helped set up the Hollywood cricket club and was part of the Hollywood British set. Also a broadway star, Arsenic and Old Lace, losin out on the movie role because the show was still running on Broadway and some of the cast members had to stay behind, I wish he'd starred in it and so did he. He also played captain Hook and played in The Lark with Julie Harris. Married often, especially in his early years, it was only as he reached middle age that he found some contentment and was married only twice more. It's at odds with everything else we know about him, quite an anomaly and the only one not really explained. A fantastic book, one worth buying.