Kirjahaku

Living in the shadow of a famous parent can have powerful effects, from professional opportunities to pressure so great it leads to suicide. Some children of stars are proud of their roots while others live in secrecy. This is a rare look into the private lives of the children (and, in a few cases, grandchildren) of these classic Hollywood icons, revealing the stresses and inspirations of living with great performers who may or may not have been great parents. Some movie stars protected their offspring, but others used them as publicity props or even made them into rivals. Despite their unusual upbringing, some of the children succeeded in the movies or elsewhere, but many never lived up to the public expectations. Many lost their parents, whether to the extremes of the celebrity lifestyle, to divorce, or to their careers. From the beautiful bedtime stories Harpo Marx and his wife told their four adopted children to explain where they'd come from, to the studded belt Bing Crosby used to punish his sons for not obeying the strict family rules, this work tells the best and worst of growing up in a celebrity home. Families covered include those of W.C. Fields, the Marx Brothers, Eddie Cantor, Mario Lanza, Ruth Hussey, Jerry Lewis, Douglas Fairbanks and Boris Karloff. Research is drawn from interviews with celebrity offspring, who also provided never-before-published snapshots of Hollywood legends at home.

Olive Thomas was one of Hollywood’s first true movie stars. Born in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, in 1894, she moved to New York at age sixteen and began to pursue an acting career. By 1915, she had landed a job as one of Ziegfeld’s famous "Follies" girls. Before long her beauty was discovered by Hollywood, where she quickly became one of the biggest names in motion pictures. Her marriage to film star Jack Pickford further enhanced her popularity. Olive’s death by poison on September 10, 1920, created a media circus. This biography begins with Olive’s birth, follows her trip to stardom, and covers in detail the circumstances surrounding her mysterious death at age 25. Rare and beautiful photographs and a complete filmography are included.

The all too brief career of film star Olive Borden (1906-1947) is chronicled in this definitive biography. Apprenticing in short slapstick silent comedies, the vivacious Virginia-born actress rose to stardom after signing with Fox in 1925, enlivening such films as John Ford’s 3 Bad Men (1926). Borden’s career declined after she severed her ties with Fox, and by the early 1930s she was finished in Hollywood. Alcoholism and a devastating series of personal setbacks hastened her death at age forty-one. Olive Borden’s controversial contract debacle with Fox and her long-term relationship with actor George O’Brien are thoroughly detailed. Personal anecdotes and insights are offered by Ralph Graves, Jr., who befriended Borden in the late 1920s. Dozens of heretofore unattributed screen appearances by the actress are included in the filmography.

Here is the first extensive, full-length biography and career record on the life and work of Mexican whirlwind Lupe Velez (1908-1944). Over the years many crude myths have surfaced about Velez, the most notorious that she "died with her head in the toilet." This biography not only studies Lupe's personal life and career--including her tempestuous marriage to Johnny Weissmuller--but also examines her death in detail. It has been almost seven decades since her untimely end; at long last, the ugly rumors and myths are debunked--for good. Included are never-before-told family stories and photographs from Lupe's second cousin, and an analysis of the actress's lasting influence on popular culture. The foreword by Oscar-winning film historian Kevin Brownlow focuses on the fact and fancy behind Lupe Velez's colorful public image.

Called the most beautiful woman in movie history, Gene Tierney starred in such 1940s classics as Laura, Leave Her to Heaven and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Her ­on-­screen presence and ability to transform into a variety of characters made her a film legend. Her personal life was a whirlwind of romance (she married a count, was engaged to a prince, and was courted by a future president) and tragedy (her ?rst daughter was born with severe retardation and Tierney herself struggled with mental illness). After years of treatment, including electroshock therapy that erased portions of her life from her memory, she triumphantly returned in one of the biggest comebacks in Hollywood history. This ?rst complete biography since the actress's death includes a foreword by her daughter, Christina Cassini, an extensive ?lmography, and many rare photographs.

She was a slum mother, witty housekeeper, nosy neighbor, meddling maid, town gossip, and most memorably, Ma Kettle. Marjorie Main is best remembered for her portrayal of the farm mother of 15 children and wife of shiftless Pa Kettle. The characters were introduced in the 1945 film The Egg and I, and were such a hit that eight films followed. At an age when most actresses' careers are waning, Main's star was just beginning to rise. In real life, Main was as down to earth as characters she played. Her attire on the set and around her house were the same: a simple cotton house dress or jeans. She preferred riding the bus because she enjoyed interacting with regular people--the inspiration for her characters. This book chronicles Main's childhood on an Indiana farm and the inspirations that led her to the stage. After a distinguished theater career and minor film roles, at age 50 she was offered a long-term contract with premier studio MGM. Details of her acting career and personal life covered here include her marriage to a scholarly widower 26 years her senior, and her work with actor Percy Kilbride, who was the antithesis of his character, the slothful Pa Kettle. A detailed filmography includes cast and credit lists and trivia about each of Main's 85 films.

This book is essentially a filmography interlaced with a complex biographical account of Marilyn Monroe's life and loves throughout her career. A lengthy introduction explains her traumatic early life and mysterious, unexpected, much talked about death. Behind the scenes information, cast and crew lists, box office grosses and photographs are given for each film. There is a Foreword by Academy Award-winning actor (West Side Story) George Chakiris, who worked as a chorus dancer in two of Monroe's biggest productions, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and There's No Business Like Show Business (1954). This is a definitive summation of the Hollywood icon's career.