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A
fun, encyclopedic compendium of Hollywood's Golden Age, this book doesn't
have to be read from cover to cover. Rather, the reader can delve into it
at will, choosing perhaps to read about "Extras and Stand-Ins"
on Monday, and then "Love, Marriage, and Divorce" on Tuesday.
Engaging and fun, it'll fill those idle hours you spend soaking in the
tub.
NORMA WATCH:
LOTS of references about Norma, which is no surprise considering
her status as a major Hollywood kingpin. For example, her wedding party
photograph is afforded a spread across two pages. The "Good
Guys" section tells us that "Norma Shearer donated all her radio
earnings to the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, Loretta Young
was president of the St. Anne's Foundation, an adoption service for unwed
mothers, and Bette Davis headed the Tailwaggers, an organization that-- as
well as caring for abandoned dogs-- trained Seeing Eye dogs for the
blind."
FROM THE BOOK:
"Some of the biggest stars had very strong ideas about what
the make-up man should or should not do. Norma Shearer, apart from
demanding her own cinematographer, Bill Daniels, also insisted on a very
pale and ghostly make-up called Silver Stone. This was not just a casual
whim. It meant that Daniels would have to light every scene with special
care, keying on Shearer's face, often to the disadvantage of her co-stars." |
