Customer Reviews

Carole Landis: A Tragic Life In Hollywood

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is without a doubt the definitive biography of Carole Landis. It was the first full-length biography written about Carole and in my opinion it's the best. The author did a lot of research on Carole's life and he discovered a ton of new information (like who Carole's father really was). There are many wonderful photos and some one-of-a-kind World War 2 candids you won't see anywhere else. I have been a fan of Carole for years and was shocked at how much I learned about her. By the end you will know the name of every man she dated, every address she ever lived at, her complete medical history, and even her favorite books. You will get to see all the different sides of Carole Landis - the star, the patriot, the feminist, the daughter, the friend, the seductress, and the victim. You get an in depth look at her romances with Busby Berkeley, Jacqueline Susann, and her four husbands. After reading it you will understand Carole's casual attitude towards sex and why she was plagued by vicious rumors throughout her career. I was very happy that several chapters were devoted to Carole's tireless efforts during World War 2. We are also finally given a detailed account of Carole's final hours and the events that took place after her death. The author is not afraid to put the blame for Carole's death on her lover Rex Harrison (it wasn't murder but the way he treated Carole led her to take her own life). In fact I think the only people who won't like this book are Rex Harrison fans. Carole is portrayed in a very sympathetic light but the author also makes her take responsible for many of the bad decisions her life (rushing into marriages, turning down good film roles). You will like Carole, you will want her to succeed, and you will be heartbroken by the way her story ends. I think the title of this book says it all - her life was truly tragic. The focus here is mainly on Carole's turbulent private life but you also get a good look at her career and her important films roles. There are a lot of juicy behind the scenes stories about the making of One Million BC and Moon Over Miami. At the end of the book you will find a complete filmography with notes. Of course this book is not perfect - there are some caption errors and I found it to be too critical of Carole's mother. Overall this is a wonderful biography about an unforgettable Hollywood icon and you will not be disappointed if you read it. Fans of Carole will fall in love her all over again and if you are just discovering Carole you will become her biggest fan. I hope that a movie producer read this book and decides to turn Carole's tragic story into a movie.

I also recommend EJ Fleming's book The Fixers: Eddie Mannix, Howard Strickling and the MGM Publicity Machine which has a chapter about Carole and was the beginning of his research for this book.

First, let me state my caveats as to why I am not giving this book five stars, and get it out of the way. Being a McFarland book, it was never really "edited," resulting in a fair number of typos (the funniest of which involves a theater catering to "blue color families"). And the author falls prey to--and mentions--every Kenneth Anger-inspired scandal he can squeeze in, even if they have no bearing at all on Carole Landis' life and career. Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Wallace Beery, Lupe Velez, Virginia Rappe (whom he flat-out calls a "whore")--all the old unfounded rumors are here, simply to spice up this book.

That being said, this is otherwise an excellent, well-researched bio of a neglected figure. Fleming writes well, and--unlike so many biographers--actually discusses in-depth Landis' films and performances, not settling for just dishing her private life. She was, after all, an actress, and her acting is indeed covered in-depth.

I would have really liked to have liked this book more. I am all for bios of the stars--even (or especially) those who've been forgotten by many people. I get tired of the same thing over and over, and love nothing more than "discovering" the stories of real people who made it during the golden age of Hollywood. But.

First off, this book is so challenging to read. There needed to be an editor someplace--phrases come back one or two paragraphs later, the same things are said over and over, the timelines are hard to follow. At one point the author talks about how, even though she was an infant at the time, Ms. Landis would have been traumatized by the death of one of her brothers--I'm sure that's true, except that she was born after he died. People pop up (all of a sudden Ms. Landis's mom is living with her...since when?). There are misused words (unless free movie previews were indeed a big hit with blue 'colored' people).

I'm sure that it's very difficult to get documents from long ago, or interviews with people who would remember, but still--the author, when talking about Ms. Landis's birthdate, keeps refering to the common belief that it was on "New Year's Eve, 1919", however, he thinks it was several months 'later'--in March or April 1919. So do people believe it was New Year's Eve 1918? Or was it really 1919 and the author thinks she was older, born in spring of 1919?

The second thing is that the author for no good reason just tears apart pretty much every other actress alive during Ms. Landis's time. And for much of it he either comes right out and uses phrases like, "I think..." but it's when he just states things as fact that are opinions and gives no citations that the book really falls apart for me. Every situation involving Ms. Landis is presented like this: Ms. Landis was more beautiful and more talented and more kind than anyone and all of the rumors about her were lies. On the other hand, (insert the name of big female star of the same era)was clearly not as attractive, had no talent, couldn't act, was jealous and nasty for no reason, and by the way, they were big whores without any excuses (unlike Carole).

I'm sure Carole Landis was a lovely person. In many of her photographs and films she's lovely to look at. She's not a bad actress (the author wants you to believe that she would have had better roles but she was sooo talented that she blew others off the screen--really? How hard do you have to blow to get Victor Mature off the screen in 'One Million Years BC'?). She carried on, head high, through many difficulties, working hard. But it wouldn't have diminished her or this book to realize that Betty Grable was also compelling, Rita Hayworth could dance like a dream, that Gene Tierney was better than ok in the looks department. And the totally snide attacks sprinkled throughout the book about Grace Kelly come out of nowhere (not active at the same time in Hollywood) and so they just look like a personal problem the author has with her.

All in all, I'd rather have a flawed book about a lesser star than no book at all. You have to ignore all the issues with the book to get through it, but it's worth it just to discover Carole Landis. And think about the much better book she deserved.

This is the first biography ever written about Carole Landis and I think it's about time. Carole was a very popular star during the 1940s but sadly today she is mostly remembered because she committed suicide at the age of twenty-nine. Now her complete story is finally being told! You will find out all about Carole's troubled childhood, her struggle for fame, her five failed marriages, her tireless charity work during World War 2, her numerous health problems, and the ill-fated affair that led to her death. There are also dozens of rare photos. If you're a fan of Carole you won't be disappointed in this book!

My sister gave me this book because she knows I love old films. I didn't know much about Miss Landis when I started reading but by the end of the book I was in tears. This is the heartbreaking true story of a woman who wanted to have it all. She was abused by all the people in her life until she couldn't take it anymore. Carole Landis was one of the Hollywood's greatest tragedies. I have still never seen one of Carole's films but I have become a fan of Carole, the person.

Mr. Fleming, did you not proof read this book prior to sending it to the publisher? It's truly a mess. There are so many, many typos, incomplete sentences and fragmented thoughts that it pains me to keep reading this book! You totally have so many blatant typographical mistakes that it's hard to believe that anything in the context could be truthful. How the heck did this get past the publisher? Names are spelled wrong from one sentence to the next sentence. People's occupations are in correct (Tony Martin is a singer, not a dancer) time frames are wrong (Ed Sullivan's TV show was in the 1950s, not the 1930s), some people are not explained at all (who is Cummings? First name? Occupation?). I just want to pull out a yellow highlighter, note all the mistakes and send this back to you! I'm so glad that I bought this book used because, had I spent $35.00, you can be sure that I really would send it back to you personally and ask for my money back.

I adore Carole Landis! She was an actress, a pin-up, a wife (four times), a victim, an American hero, and now she is a legend. This is the one book all Carole Landis fans must buy. It is simply the only book where you will get Carole's full life story. Carole's life was a tragedy but you will be amazed at how much she accomplished in 29 years. I can't believe it took this long for someone to write a book about her. The author is obviously a fan of Carole because he tells her story in an honest yet sympathetic way. My one complaint is that a lot of the photos are labeled wrong (for example photos from 1940's are labeled as being from the 1930's). This really isn't such a big deal especially considering how many gorgeous photos are in the book. The war candids are priceless! If you know someone who loves classic films give them this book and I guarantee they will fall in love with Carole too :-)

I loved this book. It details Carole's life without being salacious, concentrating on Carole the woman, not Carole the body. She was a delightful complex human being in search of what everyone searches for -- a soul mate. Sadly, Carole never found it, instead she found Rex Harrison -- no one's idea of the perfect soul mate. I can't give this book enough kudos. Read it first before any other biography on Carole.

This is the definitive biography of the beautiful Carole Landis. I thought I knew everything about Carole but I was wrong. The author was able to uncover many details about her birth date, her real father, the truth about her nose job, and what happened the night she died. Give this book to someone who doesn't know much about Carole and I'll guarantee they will become a fan.

This long awaited book on the life and tragic death of Carole Landis does not disappoint. Author, Fleming, has dug up every known fact about Landis and compiled it into a format that's compassionate, compelling and informative.

Without a doubt, this is the definitive reference guide to the life and work of the tragic actress. Unfortunately, her suicide has overshadowed much of her life and tireless work during WWII but Fleming doesn't just focus on her death, he tells the whole story here.

The photographs, many of which are candids from her trips during her WWII efforts, are worth the price of the book alone.

If you think you know everything about Carole Landis, believe me, you don't until you've read this book. A truly wonderful tribute to an amazing woman. A "must have" for any fan of classic Hollywood films.