Alice Faye: A Bio-Bibliography (Bio-Bibliographies in the Performing Arts) [Hardcover]

Barry Rivadue (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 16, 1990 | ISBN-10: 0313265259 | ISBN-13: 978-0313265259 | Edition: annotated edition

This is the most definitive survey yet of Alice Faye's unique career in film, recording, broadcasting and on stage, a career that began in 1933 and which is still flourishing today as a spokesperson for the elderly on health issues. Even as a child, Alice Faye, born Alice Jean Leppert, was drawn to the stage. On Saturdays Alice and her mother would attend matinees at the Broadway theaters, where Alice would loiter by the stage door pretending she was leaving for her own engagement. Faye's first break came as a dancer for the Chester Hale troupe. Her dancing chores trained her well for when she auditioned successfully for impressario George White. Faye was cast in the eleventh edition of "George White's Scandals," which opened on September 14, 1931. Faye was now making $60 a week, in a company that included such young luminaries as Ethel Merman and Ray Bolger. Faye was soon taken under the wing of Rudy Vallee, the renowned radio crooner and recording star of the day. She debuted on his radio program in December of 1932, and became a regular shortly thereafter. Her career in film musicals began a year later when she was signed to do a musical number on a restyled movie edition of "George White's Scandals," at Fox Studios in Hollywood. In addition to individual chapters on each facet of her life, the book features an annotated bibliography of book, magazine, and newspaper sources. All undocumented quotes in the introductory biography are from first hand remarks of people contacted by the author. The filmography of feature films is arranged in chronological order, with five other Faye appearances in clips or film shorts listed separately. The discography chapter lists her recordings alphabetically and by category. This section also lists compact disc releases and miscellaneous compilations on tape. The broadcasting chapter covers appearances on radio and television in chronological order. The stage chapter also lists Faye's appearances in chronological order. The annotated bibliography is arranged in alphabetical order by author or by article title if no author is identified. Specialized appendixes and a general index and song index complete the volume. The song index lists songs exclusively featuring Faye (or in accompaniment with others) in her film, broadcasting and stage appearances. This book will be of interest to all Alice Faye fans and to anyone interested in the history of film musicals.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Well-researched and comprehensive . . . includes a lively biography, complete credits, annotated bibliography and other valuable source material.”–American Cinematographer

“I must state that this is a superb work of reference. Included here is a concise biography, a complete and detailed filmography (with a nice assortment of contemporary reviews), a discography, listings of Miss Faye's work on stage and in broadcasting, a list of products which she has endorsed, an annotated bibliography, and much more. . . . I hope that all future volumes in the Bio-Bibliography series will be this good. Recommended.”–Classic Images

“Contains a biographical essay on the singer and actress and an annotated bibliography of references to her in books, magazines and newspapers. Chapters on film, broadcasting, and stage list her appearances chronologically. The discography is alphabetical by category. Covers 1929-1990.”–Reference & Research Book News

“Alice Faye's radio work has not been thoroughly documented in prior works and this book is a pleasant surprise as Rivadue presents a balanced look at her career in all mediums in which she performed. Chapters include Filmography, Discography, and the Stage. . . Greenwood Press has always done an outstanding job with their radio history related books. Add this one to your library.”–Radio in Review

About the Author

BARRY RIVADUE is a cartoonist, writer, and video editor, along with being a longtime researcher and collector of Hollywood musicals.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 239 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood Press; annotated edition edition (January 16, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313265259
• ISBN-13: 978-0313265259
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,329,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Alice Faye deserves better, August 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Alice Faye: A Bio-Bibliography (Bio-Bibliographies in the Performing Arts) (Hardcover)

To anyone looking at this book for information it is quite impressive. People giving these rave reviews aaasume the information in the book is correct. Anyone who knows about Alice Faye would know that the information in this book is unreliable. There is a mistake of some kind on almost every page. The author was given a wealth of information/corrections to work with but he and the publisher were more interested in getting it done now than getting it done right. It's a shame that people refer to these so-called "reference books", assume what their reading is fact, and the mistakes get copied over and over. To sum it up - opportunity lost. A big let-down for people who love Alice Faye. The book to find, although not as broad in scope, is "The Alice Faye Movie Book" (aka "The Films of Alice Faye"). It was written by someone who actually saw every film.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely Worthwhile For Faye Fans, October 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Alice Faye: A Bio-Bibliography (Bio-Bibliographies in the Performing Arts) (Hardcover)

I've owned the Alice Faye book for several years, and consider it a very useful, and even affectionate, look at Faye's career. The author clearly admires the star, and in the filmography chapter he does print contemporary reviews that prove how highly Faye was regarded. The bibliography alone encompasses an enormous amount of material that has been written about Faye, and even the complete log of her radio show with husband Phil Harris is accounted for. The volume even includes information I previously had no knowledge of-- such as Faye's post-Hollywood career as a representative for a pharmaceutical firm. I appreciate that a reference book as this has been done--there are some excellent photographs too.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Well Intentioned Mess, June 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Alice Faye: A Bio-Bibliography (Bio-Bibliographies in the Performing Arts) (Hardcover)

Greenwood Press offers yet another example of it's policy of publishing something... anything... just because it's not yet in their cataloge. Those seeking an overview of Alice Faye's career will find all the basic facts (many of them wrong) in this work, which resembles nothing so much as xeroxed pages stapled together. In no instance do we get any feeling for the performer as a person, just a rundown of "and then she did..." or "and then she recorded..." etc. Such a long lived and important career deserves far, far better than this overpriced rubbish.