Crowned Heads [Import] [Hardcover]

Thomas Tryon (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Alfred A Knopf; Book Club Edition edition (1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340213698
• ISBN-13: 978-0340213698
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,660,811 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Four Hollywood Lives, October 28, 2011

By 

Stanley C. Sargent "Stanley C. Sargent" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Crowned Heads (Hardcover)

I read this when it first came out, having read Tryon's THE OTHER and HARVEST HOME. I'd also been a fan of Tryon's throughout his career with as the lead in "I Married a Monster From Outer Space," with Disney ("Texas John Slaughter" TV series, "Moon Pilot," etc.) and his subsequent films, especially "The Cardinal". He was a great actor. I was bowled over when he quit Hollywood to become a writer, but I'm so happy he did! After the failure of his only marriage, Tryon had a number of homosexual affairs, including one with gay porno star Casey Donovan from 1973 to 1977. Tryon reportedly broke off the relationship as he was uncomfortable being associated with Donovan's fame as a gay porno star.

This is an interesting collection of somewhat related tales that is definitely worth reading. I'd bill it as Tryon's best work after THE OTHER and HARVEST HOME. One story explores the mystery of a seemingly ageless actress. Another is apparently based on gay movie and stage actor Clifton Webb's life-long, love-hate relationship with his mother. But it is the final tale of the four that is the most moving and horrific. It's even more horrific as it is based on a true story, the violent death of silent film star Ramon Novarro. Novarro had several sexual encounters with, most famously, Rudolph Valentino, a Hollywood friend and contemporary "sex idol" of the silent screen. Valentino gave Novarro a jewel-studded dildo, which plays a role in the sad and gruesome tale of Novarro's murder in the 1960s in the hills of Los Angeles. Call this tale horror, but it's based on a very real horror and tragedy.

I highly recommend the book, in particular the final tale.