Customer Reviews

Edward J. Pawley: Broadway's Elmer Gantry, Radio's Steve Wilson, and Hollywood's Perennial Bad Guy

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This is a well-researched and well-written book about one of America's early actors... Edward J. Pawley. It provides the reader with an insight to the man who essayed the role of Elmer Gantry on Broadway and was a leading man in many other Broadway plays before going to Hollywood where he played a multitude of bad-guy roles with the likes of James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Mickey Rooney, John Garfield, et cetera. He played so many gangster roles (in movies) that policemen would eye him with suspicion when he walked down the street! His greatest fame came later in his career when he took over (from Edward G. Robinson) the role of "Steve Wilson" on radio's popular drama series titled Big Town.

The book reveals heretofore little-known facts about his family, his two wives, his two actor brothers, his progeny, and his genealogical history. Also, his reasons for leaving Broadway, Hollywood, and Big Town. All-in-all, a very interesting read, and a fine tribute to a wonderful man who made an impact in three different entertainment mediums and who also wrote poetry.