LETTERS FROM HOLLYWOOD
Inside The Private World of Classic American Moviemaking
Compiled and Edited by Rocky Lang & Barbara Hall [Abrams]
This impossible-to-put-down book sprouted from a sensational concept -- collecting correspondence from some of the key figures of the filmmaking community. It spans the silent era through the 70s.
Compiled by writer/producer Rocky Lang (son of studio mogul Jennings Lang) and film historian/archivist Barbara Hall, this handsome book offers us the opportunity to study the very private letters of captivating people -- actors, directors, writers, producers, studio execs, censors, gossip columnists and more.
Through these marvelous missives, some hand-written, some typed, we can learn much about the industry, as well as the individuals involved. It allows us to share in intimate, revealing thoughts and feelings.
You'll read a letter from Harry Houdini describing his aspirations to build a career in action films. A note from Fox's head of production chides silent star Madge Bellamy about her need to go on a diet.
Ronald Colman gives his opinion on the rise of the talkies. He thought the technological innovation was nothing more than a fad. Of course, as talking pictures wiped out silents, Colman, with his distinguished, distinctive voice, became one of the few stars to make the transition successfully.
In a letter to David O. Selznick, Tallulah Bankhead very politely declines to continue the endless auditioning process for the role of Scarlett O'Hara. You'll find a compelling exchange between Carl Laemmle and William Wyler, regarding the need to help the persecuted Jews fleeing Germany in the 30s. There's an amusing telegram from Henry Fonda to Wyler, regarding his newborn daughter Jane (then Jayne).
Boris Karloff explains his main superstition. A letter from Alfred Hitchcock displays his sense of humor. Bette Davis writes to Jack L. Warner demanding her rights. David Niven writes a note of gratitude to Samuel Goldwyn, as he prepares to go home to Britain to fight in World War II. Mystery master Raymond Chandler pens a flattering letter to screenwriter Charles Brackett after seeing "The Lost Weekend."
Errol Flynn writes of his frustration in Hollywood, "always being harassed by tax gatherers, ex-wives or mistresses-to-be." Humphrey Bogart tells John Huston, "I have tremendous respect for your opinions, drunk or sober." Sal Mineo writes of working in "Rebel Without a Cause" and his admiration for director Nicholas Ray, as well as his reluctance to work with James Dean again (although he ended up doing so on "Giant.") Joseph Stefano compliments Janet Leigh on her performance in "Psycho," for which he wrote the script.
A Telex from Albert "Cubby" Broccoli to his producing partner Harry Saltzman, regarding the casting of "Dr. No," states that, "New York did not care for Connery... feels we can do better." Walter Matthau sends Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond a letter with his reactions to "The Fortune Cookie" script. He wound up earning an Oscar for his performance in that part. Charlie Chaplin's message shows his solidarity with those brave souls who were blacklisted in the McCarthy era.
You'll also find notes from such luminaries as Irving Berlin, Mary Pickford, Groucho Marx, Cary Grant, Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Greta Garbo, Tyrone Power, Joan Crawford, Hattie McDaniel, Preston Sturges, Audrey Hepburn, Jerry Lewis, Colonel Tom Parker, Alan Ladd, Gloria Swanson, Joel McCrea, Paul Newman, Tom Hanks, Ray Bradbury and many more.
The notes are reprinted in their original forms, with studio letterheads, doodles, typos and, of course, much fodder for amateur handwriting analysts. If the scrawl is barely legible, the book additionally prints the note out.
Having painstakingly gathered these rare correspondences from university libraries, archives and private collections, Lang and Hall have done a splendid job of providing background information for each letter, the senders and recipients, placing the communications into context. Some touching, others amusing, many illuminating, the correspondences in these pages are invariably fascinating. The book, for which director Peter Bogdanovich wrote the foreword, is as memorable as the great artists who populate its pages.
DISGRACELAND --
MUSICIANS GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER AND BEHAVING VERY BADLY
By Jake Brennan [Grand Central Publishing]
Naughty, naughty. It seems that rock stars who destroy themselves or even those around them are too often forgiven. Excess goes with the territory, right? This book takes dark situations and turns them into a very entertaining read.
Jake Brennan, a Boston-based musician launched "a rock 'n' roll true crime podcast" titled "Disgraceland" in 2018. His new book of the same name is sometimes poignant, but often quite funny. He looks at numerous celebrities who have held themselves above the laws and morals of man and society. Some of them are victims; others victimizers. Brennan goes deep inside their minds, imagining their thought processes, thus giving us provocative insights into what made them do the terrible things they did (or may have done). Too often, sex and drugs became more important to them than the rock 'n' roll.
We feel sympathy for the pelvis-twitching Mr. Presley, who gets two chapters -- "Fat Elvis" and "Skinny Elvis." His passion for performing the music that truly moved him was continually quashed by the greedy, domineering Colonel Parker, the villain of the piece. So Elvis numbed himself with prescription drugs and concluded a crappy existence atop his bathroom throne.
Jerry Lee Lewis always wanted to dethrone the King of Rock 'n' Roll, enviously believing that the title really belonged to him. The name of this book comes from a nickname given to the lavish home of Jerry Lee, "Disgraceland," a play on Elvis' Graceland. Just how big a disgrace was Jerry Lee? Well, marrying his 13-year-old cousin was just a quaint, folksy event, compared to his more violent outbursts. Brennan presents damning evidence that they did not refer to Jerry Lee as "The Killer" for nothing. Did he slay one or more of his wives?
Readers will learn of the bizarre adventures that befell Gram Parson's dead body. There's a disturbing chapter on the Norwegian Black Metal scene, which takes outrageousness to a whole other level.
And oh, the debaucheries that were woven through Chuck Berry's life! Johnny may have been goode, but Chuckie's behavior was bad, bad, bad, including videotaping women in the bathroom of his restaurant.
We see Sid Vicious getting to the point where all that mattered was the next fix. Then there's the romantic balladeer Sam Cooke. Cupid had nothing to do with the sexual assault he allegedly attempted that caused him to be fatally shot. Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, of TLC, wracked by guilt, careened into a deadly car crash.
Then there's Phil Spector, the genius songwriter/producer behind the Wall of Sound. His lifelong loneliness, issues of abandonment and insecurities led to him becoming a monster, bolstering his manhood by maniacally waving a gun. He brandished a weapon once too often, taking the life of an innocent woman, actress Lana Clarkson. That's why he's rotting in prison today.
Brennan finds ways to provide clever connective threads from one chapter to the next. He provides enough biographical info on each performer to put their misadventures into context.
Those detailed in this book should have become fallen idols... but too often their offenses were forgiven or ignored and they were permitted to remain on their lofty perches. Brennan shows us that as shocking and sad as their behavior was, there is sometimes macabre humor to be salvaged from these cautionary tales.
You may end up laughing, crying or feeling haunted, but you'll definitely enjoy the alluringly sordid ride this book provides.
