The Bennetts: An Acting Family [Hardcover]

Brian Kellow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 26, 2004

" The Bennetts: An Acting Family is a chronicle of one of the royal families of stage and screen. The saga begins with Richard Bennett, a small-town Indiana roughneck who grew up to be one of the bright lights of the New York stage during the early twentieth century. In time, however, Richard's fame was eclipsed by that of his daughters, Constance and Joan, who went to Hollywood in the 1920s and found major success there. Constance became the highest-paid actress of the early 1930s, earning as much as $30,000 a week in melodramas. Later she reinvented herself as a comedienne in the classic comedy Topper, with Cary Grant.. After a slow start as a blonde ingenue, Joan dyed her hair black and became one of the screen's great temptresses in films such as Scarlet Street. She also starred in such lighter fare as Father of the Bride. In the 1960s, Joan gained a new generation of fans when she appeared in the gothic daytime television serial Dark Shadows. The Bennetts is also the story of another Bennett sister, Barbara, whose promising beginnings as a dancer gave way to a turbulent marriage to singer Morton Downey and a steady decline into alcoholism. Constance and Joan were among Hollywood's biggest stars, but their personal lives were anything but serene. In 1943, Constance became entangled in a highly publicized court battle with the family of her millionaire ex-husband, and in 1951, Joan's husband, producer Walter Wanger, shot her lover in broad daylight, sparking one of the biggest Hollywood scandals of the 1950s. Brian Kellow, features editor of Opera News magazine, is the coauthor of Can't Help Singing: The Life of Eileen Farrell. He lives in New York and Connecticut.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For a while in the early 1930s, Constance Bennett was the highest paid actress in Hollywood; younger sister Joan was an equally prominent star who worked with A-list directors like George Cukor and Fritz Lang. Though the two are not as widely remembered today as other film stars of the period, Kellow (Can't Help Singing: The Life of Eileen Farrell) goes a long way toward addressing the oversight, beginning with their father, Richard, one of the most respected theater actors of the early 20th century and an early proponent of Eugene O'Neill. The family biography also reveals the life of the forgotten middle sister, Barbara, who never made it in show business and slid into acute alcoholism. Kellow's closely critical evaluations of their performances can verge on the cruel, as in the comparison of Constance to "a seasoned drag queen" in her final film appearance, and his judgmental tone occasionally extends to the characters' personal lives, though admirably less so than in other celebrity biographies. In most ways, Kellow is a respectfully restrained biographer, addressing even the most potentially lurid scandals—like Joan's husband shooting her agent because he suspected them of having an affair—with a sense of his subjects' dignity. 32 pages of b&w photos.
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Review

"A reliable, straightforward biographical study of a prominent acting family that might, perhaps, be compared to the Barrymores." -- Anthony Slide

"A particular strength of this book is Kellow's discussion of the Bennett family within the changing contours of American theater and the motion picture industry." -- Choice

"A fascinating book, the perfect summer read." -- Gay City News

"An engrossing new page turner.... Theater people don't get more interesting, and it's a true tale well told." -- Hollywood Reporter

"Does justice to all the aspects of their lives, which is about all you can ask from such an accomplished and pleasurable family biography." -- Las Vegas Sun

"Kellow, a diligent researcher and a perceptive, graceful writer, covers their careers and sometimes tumultuous private lives.... A terrific read." -- Los Angeles Times

"A fabulously written page-turner about one of the most glamorous acting families of the 20th century by a writer who knows how to pen a compelling narrative while dishing the dirt." -- Next Magazine

"A splendid bio." -- Playbill

"Though the two [Bennetts] are not as widely remembered today as other film stars of the period, Kellow goes a long way toward addressing the oversight.... In most ways, Kellow is a respectfully restrained biographer, addressing even the most potentially lurid scandals" -- Publishers Weekly

"Serious film historians will want to examine The Bennetts.... Bliss for buffs." -- Toronto Globe and Mail

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky (November 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813123291
• ISBN-13: 978-0813123295
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #433,030 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Worth Reading, May 23, 2005

By 

terroh "terroh" (OH) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Bennetts: An Acting Family (Hardcover)

For anyone interested in Hollywood's golden era, this book is a must! Far superior than The Bennett Playbill which was published in the 1970's with Joan and a ghost writer, this book is exhaustively researched and provides a much fuller picture of father Richard and daughters Constance, Joan and the ill fated Barbara. Fans of the tv show Dark Shadows will remember Joan, but probably a lot fewer remember Constance who was one of the top film stars in the early 30's only to be washed up in films by the end of the decade. Joan had a much longer film career, though it took awhile for hers to catch fire. All the marriages, scandals and career highs and lows are covered in depth and Kellow provides a critical evalution of their many film roles. The narrative does skip back and forth between family members, but Kellow does a good job keeping the narrative flowing and after a few chapters the reader will adjust to it. The Bennetts may not have ranked as high as the Barrymores, but they rank right up there with other Hollywood dynasties.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bennett Sisters and Father, December 20, 2004

By 

James Stettler (Los Angeles, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bennetts: An Acting Family (Hardcover)

Brian Kellow has done a wonderful job in telling the personal and professional stories of the acting Bennett Sisters and their father theatrical legend Richard Bennett. This book really fills a gap and is so well done that it would be difficult to imagine a better book about the Bennetts unless there were individual books on Constance, Joan, Barbara, and Richard Bennett. I would have liked a listing of the various plays that particularly Constance Bennett starred in. This versatile and glamorous star appeared in the Cole Porter musical "Silk Stockings" and this was not discussed in the excellent text. This is a small complaint and I think this book is a must for fans of Joan and Constance Bennett and for great books about show business. There are also some wonderful photographs and that alone should induce the reader to buy this book!

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally!, December 13, 2004

By 

M. Zafron (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bennetts: An Acting Family (Hardcover)

At long last, someone has tackled the fascinating story of the Bennett family. The result was well worth the wait. Kellow's book is enthralling, nicely balanced, objective, and well-researched. Anyone interested in Joan or Constance Bennett or even in film history will enjoy this book.