A. B. C. [Paperback]

Marlene Dietrich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 14, 1984

The career of Marlene Dietrich has spanned more than half a century to include films, recordings and radio, stage and television performances throughout the world. The public figure whose first or last name alone can conjure up instant recognition is a status attained by very few. That it should be accompanied by respect, admiration and even adoration is rarer still. In this edition Marlene offers her unique blend of wit, a sometimes mordant humor, sensitivity and acute observations of the world as she has known and, to some extent, shaped it. By blending the absolutely practical, (see EATING, MILK, MATERNITY BLUES), with her whimsical, poetic and sometimes moving observations, (see HEMINGWAY, RICHARD BURTON, JUDY GARLAND, THE CAMERA), Dietrich creates in yet another field that special magic with which she has held the world enthralled for decades.

Product Details

• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: Imprint unknown; Revised edition (November 14, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804461171
• ISBN-13: 978-0804461177
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,591,222 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious. May 1, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

This book is great! Dietrich had a sense of humor, which she displays in this book. She calls it her "gallows humor." The book is an alphabetical list of words, and Dietrich's thoughts on each of them. Some are expected, like "sex," but some are completely out of the blue, like "frying pan." I highly recommend this book to anybody.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the funniest books I can imagine December 24, 2000

By Jay Dickson VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Here are Marlene Dietrich's thoughts. All of them. And in no particular order other than alphabetical.

You won't wonder for one second whether or not she had a ghostwriter, because what ghostwriter could ever have dreamed up something as bizarre as this collection of non sequiturs? Her thoughts range not only from "Astaire, Fred" ("Elegant! Elegant! Elegant!") to "Zabaglione" (one of the many, MANY recipes she provides which consists--like most of her recipes--of sugar, egg yolks, and cream, in varying proportions) but also her thoughts on the Beatles, preparing meat, and other topics of mindboggling importance.

After reading this book, you'll never again be able to look at eggs without thinking of La Dietrich's mysterious comment about them: "I love them! I eat them!"

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A zany delight, well ahead of it's time. September 23, 2006

By BOYWAY

Format:Hardcover

A collection of opinions on random words listed alphabetically published in 1962.....sounds pretty dry....but with the sharpwitted Miss Dietrich behind those thoughts, this book is nothing less than utterly brilliant...and at times funnier than all those played out latenight jokesters rolled together. The legendary glamour queen's absolutely straightforward (and seemingly spontaneous) responses go from dull, peculiar, strangely personal and highly sentimental to outright wacky and some so outrageously funny (and seriously honest) , you'll be quoting her frequently! A perfect book for roadtrips and for fueling a party that's losing it's fizz.