Customer Reviews

The Brief, Madcap Life of Kay Kendall

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Eve Golden is one of the best writers about Hollywood and about screen acting that we have. If I had my way, she would be declared a national treasure. I think of her as an American writer, but she has been able to get the gist of Anna Held's mysterious European origins and now she turns her gaze onto Kay Kendall, the epitome of postwar UK chic, and she comes up with another winner.

Kay Kendall's life, and especially her death, made her a legend in the late 1950s, and if she is pretty much forgotten nowadays it is not due to a lack of ardent fans who love her, like I do. Once more of her films are released on DVD perhaps we will have a revaluation of her work as an actress, sort of the way people started to appreciate Norma Shearer only within the last 20 years, based on the policy of going back to the films and seeing what worked, what didn't in them. Who among us for example has more than the vaguest of memories of ONCE MORE WITH FEELING, the Stanley Donen comedy which was Kendall's last picture. Poor thing she had to co-star with the film world's biggesr ham, Yul Brynner, while at home she was getting locked out of her hotel room by Rex Harrison, her husband, who was pretending to enjoy his tempestuous relationship with her while trying to keep the secret from her that she was dying of leukemia. Eve Golden and Kim Kendall try to give thhe devil his due, but by the end of the book you're thinking that meeting Rex Harrison was the worst mistake poor Kay ever made in her tragically abbreviated life.

Dirk Bogarde was a close friend to Kay, and Eve Golden apparently was able to interview him at great length in the years before his death. His contributions give the book a lot of depth, while the recollections of Princess Lilian are also important, historically. I also liked the memories of Kay's younger half-brother Cavan Kendall, who must have been around 20 when his sister died but who retains a lot of the crystal sharp memories of youth.

Yes, Kay Kendall had her faults, and chief among them was her inability to see that she was doing wrong when she wanted something (such as someone else's boyfriend or husband). In context, Golden lets us realize that some young women who grew up in London during the blitz had an amoral attitude towards grasping the brass ring. Because at any moment death might rain down from the sky, the feeling was, live for today, and damn the consequences.

Yes, Kendall had her faults but I do not see that it was the job of the biographer to gloss them over. She wouldn't have been hman if she was just the madcap clotheshorse she played in a handful of sophisticated flicks. She did sterling work for Muriel Box, Vincente Minnelli, George Cukor. For that I would forgive her many sins. And her death is still very sad. Hopefully Kay's sister, Kim, will live to see a day when the disease that carried Kay off will be eliminated from the face of the earth. "And there will be no more dying then . . . " as it says in Holy Writ.

This was a book I eagerly anticipated and I was not let down. Entertaining show biz author Eve Golden weaves a fun story around show business's most glamorous comedienne. From day one, Kay Kendall lived a fast-paced, fun-filled life, mixed with a semi-successful career filled with interesting and witty friends.
As the world knows, Kay Kendall's life was cut short following a losing battle with leukemia, a disease everyone swears she never knew she had. Her marriage to Rex Harrison is honestly told and the author manages to bring Kay's story to print in a slender volume that is filled with reminiscences from family and friends.
A fun read, a delightful tribute to the Divine Kay.

This is Eve Golden's best book yet, and that's saying a lot. While many Americans are unaware of Kay Kendall's short, but significant, career, Ms. Kendall's popularity over the pond remains unwavering. Her life story is told in a style true to Kendall's off-screen persona: funny, witty, sharp, and always interesting. As the subject matter could have ended up a cliched tearjerker with Kendall's death, Golden instead takes the high road. Highly recommended for any fan or Kendall's, Golden's, or movies in general.

I am quite a fan of Kay Kendall, having been charmed by her performance in "Genevieve" at an early age. I found Ms.Golden's book to be a wonderful read. I am usually disappointed by "Hollywood" biographies, which ,it seems, are either hagiography or sleazy "tell-alls". Thankfully Ms.Golden falls into neither camp. Her work is respectful without being fawning, well-researched without being dully academic.
Her recounting of Kay Kendall's life shows insight into Kay's character,without resorting to the fashionable psycho-babble which too often afflicts current biographies.
Kay Kendall emerges from this biography as a much more complex and interesting character than I would have imagined. Her relationship with Rex Harrison is beautifully realised and his place in her last years, which could easily have been both maudlin and melodramatic, instead becomes poignant and ultimately deeply moving. It would be difficult to understand Kay's later years without an understanding of Harrison's character, and Ms. Golden gives us enough understanding of Harrison to enable us to really understand the bond between Harrison and Kay.
If you have never heard of Kay Kendall, you will still enjoy this book and when you have finished you will be beating a path to your local video shop to find Kay's films. If you have heard of her, well, same deal.
Ms.Golden has,in her writing, an increasingly rare quality in modern biography writing; respect for the intelligence of her reader.

Her research is clearly thorough and she paints a convincing picture not just of Kay herself, but of the social context from which she emerged and in which she lived.
The other aspect of Ms. Golden's writing which deserves mention is it's lightness (which should never be mistaken for superficiality). I refer to the sheer readability of the book. Kay was clearly a charming personality and Ms. Golden's style is appropriate: it is elegant and sweet-natured, with a lovely sense of humour without ever resorting to flippancy. Sort of like Kay herself.
If you expect an author to spell everything out to you, then perhaps you will be disappointed. If you expect sleaze and scandal and shoddy research, you may also be disappointed. If, however, you appreciate being treated as an intelligent adult reader, then you will find this book to be insightful, enlightening and, as much as anything else, wonderfully entertaining.Once again, much like Kay herself.

Biographer Eve Golden collaborated with Kendall's sister. That affiliation provided Golden with unparalleled access to Kay's inner circle - interviews, memories, etc., of friends and associates exclusive to this stunning biography. Not a cut and paste of the 'Kay Kendall Clipping Archive,' "The Brief, Madcap Life of Kay Kendall" is a truthful, no holds barred account of the comedienne's short, chaotic albeit glamorous and exciting life and career. Golden presents the real Kay, a lady of contradictions - a haughty individual given to airs, a beautiful woman consumed with near-crippling self-doubt, a free spirit whose madcap sense of fun and adventure were echoed in her endearing comic performances. The author brilliantly balances the extremes of Kay's existence - she handles Kendall's tragic illness with extreme sensitivity, yet refuses to forfeit the woman's insatiable appetite for living. The definitive work on Kendall - a must read for her fans, and all film enthusiasts of 1950s cinema. Highly recommended.

I hadn't seen a Kendall film - or wanted to - till I read Eve Golden's definitive work on the actress. Golden had direct access to Kay's sister Kim. This alliance allowed Ms. Golden unprecedented entry into Kay's personal inner circle. The resulting work isn't a cut and paste rehash of the 'Kay Kendall clippings archive.' Nor is it a 'fan magazine' fluff piece. (If you want Kendall fantasy, read a studio press release.) Instead, 'The Brief, Madcap Life of Kay Kendall' is a delightful, no holds barred look at a lady of contradictions - a woman brimming with haughty airs, yet a child consumed by self doubt. Kay was often compared to Carole Lombard and Lucille Ball. Eve Golden gives us a look at the woman behind that madcap image - a woman who was impulsive, unpredictable, hedonistic - a woman as wild and crazy and funny as her greatest screen portrayals. Golden brilliantly balances the actress's frivolous personality with her tragic fate - she treats Kendall's untimely demise with warmth and sensitivity, yet never loses touch with the woman's insatiable zest for life and living. Highly recommended.

Being an avid Kay Kendall fan, I looked forward to this biography with great anticipation. What a disappointment! The book fails on almost all levels, but mainly in that the author never lets the reader know what it was that made Ms. Kendall so special. Instead, what we get is a thin portrait of a rather spoiled, self indulgent actress who, instead of being "madcap" often comes off as being boorish and rude. We are told that Ms.Kendall was as good a comedienne as Carole Lombard and Lucille Ball, but we are never told why, nor are we given any examples to back up the statement. Instead we are treated to a re-hash of Rex Harrison's unpleasant personality with, in many cases, Kay acting as supporting player to him in her own biography. The book itself is very short with a good deal of padding. (Had the author done her homework she might had found, for instance, that Kay's Aunt Pat and her father Terry were good friends with director Joseph Mankiewicz in Berlin in the 1920's. Mankiewicz told me that he used too joke with Kay that had he married her aunt he would have been her uncle! Not that earth shattering to be sure, but certainly better than the padding Ms. Golden does in her effort to stretch the book to its short 157 pages.)
For me, at least, the worst thing about reading this biography is that the affection that I had for Kay Kendall has been spoiled. The book, unconciously I am sure, takes away the larger than life image that Kendall gave off, diminishes it and, alas, makes her ordinary and, somewhat unpleasant. Better to have left her alone than to have presented her like this. If you are a Kay Kendall fan, give this one a miss.

It's a shame that so few people today recognize the name "Kay Kendall," let alone appreciate her immense talent and personality. That's why I love Eve Golden - or, more precisely, her books (oh, hell - I do love her too!). She always delights us show business-hungry readers by choosing worthy subjects that her dubious contemporaries wouldn't attempt to unravel. THE BRIEF MADCAP LIFE OF KAY KENDALL is no exception - in fact, it may be Golden's triumph! Her prerequisite dedication and devotion to the object of her literary affection is spot on - covering the celebrated star's career and personal life, warts and all. The biggest wart was the actress' marriage to Rex Harrison, commonly known as one of the meanest men ever to stomped the boards...or anything/one else! His callous behavior to his gorgeous comedienne spouse, especially when her battle with a fatal illness was bravely lost, is a cookie cutter for "What Becomes a Scumbag Most." Harrison, whose own children (when queried by Golden) couldn't even come up with one nice thing to say about him (`he's dead' doesn't count) treated Kendall's leukemia apathetically whilst concurrently exploiting it for all its headline publicity. Enough of him - back to Kay...That her sophistication, beauty, energy and, above all, oft kilter wit has been (up to now) nearly forgotten by the masses doubly underlines the `whoever said life is fair' cliché; thank you, Eve, for allowing a new generation of readers to discover this extraordinary person and her deliriously wacky takes on career, friends (most notably Dirk Bogarde), foes and the overall attributes of never taking anything too seriously (an all the more remarkable outlook considering Kendall's own dire situation). DVD has made available a smattering of Kendall's few movies to viewers, but it's this author's meticulously researched volume that finally does this fantastic comic genius justice. Golden, granted access to the Kendall archives, in and of itself is an admirable bow to her considerable and respected writing abilities. Eve even became pals with Kay's sister - and, throughout the book's anecdotal reminiscences proves that her celebrated sib's broad streak of fun, humor and intelligence was apparently a family trait. I imagine that if Kay herself were still with us - she and Golden would be emailing each other on a daily basis...

The British comedic actress Kay Kendall (1927-1959) has been a "cult" favorite for many years. Most often she has been characterized as the "best thing" in some mediocre films and her early death, from leukemia, adds poignancy to her story. Realistically this is probably the only significant biography we'll ever have. While a cult favorite she didn't have an extensive career, particularly in major American pictures, and many of those interviewed for this biography have themselves passed on. Consequently, somewhat like many of her film roles, she is more destined to provide colorful support in the biographies of other stars, including her husband Rex Harrison.

The book itself is likely to satisfy most fans in providing a reasonably comprehensive history of her life, a large number of movie stories and a number of colorful characters. The book is well written, the material is well organized and there is a generous selection of photos. The author, Eve Golden, has written several Hollywood biographies and has a good understanding of the milieu and good judgment with respect to Kay' s films and roles.

Having said that there is two important weaknesses in the book with regards to Kay Kendall's character. The book, written with the support of her family, provides good background on her childhood and, supported by numerous interviews, provides interesting material on her movie years. Unfortunately the five years in between, apparently years of struggle, are largely skimmed over. Normally this would not matter but in the case of Kay Kendall she entered those years as an exuberant teenager and left them a somewhat acerbic woman. So readers are missing something in the formative years.

The second issue is pulling together the contrary descriptions of Kay Kendall's character. For example was she abused by the notoriously difficult Rex Harrison or did she give as good as she got. The book gives us both alternatives and everything in between but does not settle on one coherent view. While it may be fair for the reader to hear all views we are dependent on the author to determine which is true. Unfortunately the author doesn't. This may partly reflect the discontinuity of time lines referenced above but also how the book was put together. The research and interviews for the book were put together by a fan (the delightfully named Maraday Wahlborg) with the support of Kay's sister Kim. They apparently worked with other authors before Eve Golden came aboard the project (possibly as "pen for hire" since Kim married well, a grandson of the founder of Citigroup). As noted above the writing is extremely competent but I can't help but feel that the unresolved conflicting characterizations of Kay may not also reflect a lack of emotional connection to the subject by the author.

I think fans will enjoy the book, others may find it interesting and we should all be happy that there is at least one decent biography of Kay Kendall available.

Although I've only seen two of her movies "Les Girls" and "The Reluctant Debutante" I've known about Kay Kendall mainly because of reading about her love and marriage with the actor Rex Harrison who's a favorite actor of mine for several years. I remember reading about her death back in the late fifies and then I read about her marriage with Rex Harrison and how he'd kept her terminal cancer a secret from her. Well it was just so tragic and yet romantic at the same time. I've always heard about her but knew very little about her and thank God for this precious little book. Now I'm going to try my best to find more of her early movies. This girl was a wonderful comedienne just from seeing her in the two movies I've mentioned above. She was bright, quick minded and very funny, kind of like the young Katherine Hepburn in my favorite movie of hers that I like called "Bring Up Baby" I mean this girl had a bubbly sense of humour that to me was very endearing and so much fun. It's too bad such fun screw ball type comediennes are long gone.