|
If
they're somehow supernaturally privy to the writing that's been done about
them since their respective deaths, the Misses Crawford and Davis have no
doubt rolled around in their graves so often, they'll probably be
unrecognizable when the Last Judgment arrives-- and Shaun Considine's vat
of boiling syntax has become a tome firmly ensconced in this writerly
cottage industry. He has certainly managed to feed into our seemingly
endless need to read about these ladies with their hair up, down, and even
frazzled into Medusa-like coiffs.
If
you're inclined to wallow in sensationalist literature, this book is for
you. It basically stitches together everything wild and wooly you've ever
read about "these old broads," and serves it all up like a dead
rat on a silver platter. It's the kind of book you indulge in at the beach
house... something to be left behind after it's been digested-- lite, but
fun and horribly fascinating.
NORMA WATCH:
Norma is featured in the text and also in a few pictures, including
one showing her, Bette, and Miriam Hopkins at the 1938 Tailwagger's Ball.
She is also mentioned, naturally, in the chapter about The Women.
FROM THE BOOK:
"In her mellow moments, Joan liked to refer to Norma Shearer
as 'Miss Lotta Miles.' The title referred to Shearer's employment as a
model for a rubber tire company during the early days of her career."
And
here's Joan's take on Norma after her marriage in 1927 to MGM's Irving
Thalberg: "She got married for the sake of her career, much like a
nun who gives herself to Christ, to fill her inner needs."
|
