Golden Age

The Golden Age of Hollywood wasn't so golden for it's stars.  It was rough.  But it was an age of great movies and actors.  Rock Hudson is someone I didn't know much about until news of his contracting AIDS came around when I was 14.  All the Heaven Allows:  a Biography of Rock Hudson was a fascinating read from start to finish.  I like this man.  Highly recommended for anyone interested in Hollywood's great stars, Hudson or just a great biography. 

Are You Bette or Joan?

There actually is a test for this!  Of course, I took it!  I am Joan.  I am glad.  I am not a big fan of Bette Davis and if I had to be one because Bette Davis just seemed super mean!  I mean, even before I read this book!  Joan Crawford didn't seem so super nice either, but compared to Davis, I will take Crawford.
Bette and Joan:  the Divine Feud was excellent.  Back here I talked about why I am so into these two right now.
Bette Davis's daughter, B.D. Hyman, is an evangelical pastor.
Anyway, great, great book!

Jessica Lange

I have a "thing" about Jessica Lange.  I just think she is a fabulous actress.  My favorite living actress, for sure.  And one movie I loved was Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?  And I have always been fascinated by the back story, the rivalry between Joan Crawford and Bette Davis.  So when I heard that Feud was coming out, WITH Jessica Lange and created by the brilliant dude, Ryan Murphy who is half of American Horror Story, I was so super excited.  I am watching it while I am on the treadmill, so I am behind, but I LOVE it.  

So then I saw that Robert Wagner had written I Loved Her in the Movies:  Working with the Legendary Actresses of Hollywood, I had to listen and I am so glad I did! 

The Golden Age of Hollywood has always appealed to me, so I loved these stories best of all, but the whole book was just so good.  And I so admired Wagner for the way he was so respectful of each of the women about whom he wrote.  I admit I didn't know much about Wagner himself, but I now want to know more.  He comes across as very humble and a very decent guy.  I just wish there had been some Judy in it!  She was mentioned, but I guess they didn't work together.  

What Ever Happened?

I didn't know that Whatever Happened to Baby Jane was a book before it was a movie.  And what a movie it was!  Very creepy.  One of the best and most creepy movies I have ever seen.  I saw it later in my life; I had to be at least 35 when I saw it and Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte, based on the short story by Baby Jane author, Henry Farrell.   Charlotte promoted by disdain for Olivia de Havilland and put me solidly on Joan Fontaine's side of the sister feud.
It was a creepy treat to read both Baby Jane and Charlotte and another Farrell story, First the Egg, which I found to be very funny. I don't know what it would be like to have just read Hush and Baby without having seen the movies. Crawford and Davis just burn themselves into your brain.  But I wouldn't trade having done so!  Do the stories hold up on their own?  I think so.  I would be interested to hear from someone who read the books/stories first.  But I really enjoyed these!