Eleanor Powell: A Bio-Bibliography (Bio-Bibliographies in the Performing Arts) (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: hula tap, nightclub comeback, matador number, Eleanor Powell, New York, Glenn Ford (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This volume is exceptionally detailed and well researched. The author provides an excellent introductory biographical sketch and follows it with a chronology, an annotated list of plays and personal appearances, and extensive filmography, and lists of radio and television appearances. This bio-bibliography will be of interest to admirers of the work of Powell. It also provides students of film history with insights into the politics, financial manipulations, and personalities that existed in the golden age of Hollywood.”–ARBA 95

Product Description

Eleanor Powell began her notable career at age 12, by dancing in a supper show at an Atlantic City hotel. As a teenager, she moved to vaudeville and Broadway, where producers insisted that she become a tap dancer. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, she was the queen of tap dancing, appearing in some of the best-loved musicals of all time. This book provides detailed information about her career and her many performances, appearances, and awards.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood Press; annotated edition edition (August 30, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313281106
• ISBN-13: 978-0313281105
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,720,288 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Book Does Justice, April 21, 2000

By	David E. Lobosco (Glenshaw, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In my opinion, Eleanor Powell was one of the greatest dancers of all-time. Ms. Marge Schultz does the dancing legend justice by thoroughly reviewing her life and career. From Eleanor's rise to stardom im MGM to her failed marriage to Glenn Ford to her Las Vegas comeback in the 1960s, it is all in there. The only drawback to this 300 page tome was that there were no pictures showing the beauty of Eleanor Powell. There's not much out there honoring the dancing legend, so if you are a fan of Eleanor Powell, don't miss this book!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Eleanor Powell (a Bio without Life), July 29, 2002

By	lyle b. thompson "lylebyoir" (MIAMI BEACH, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This type of book is more like a research paper than a biography of a major star, and one of the great dancers of the period. The Bio is a dry review of who she was and what movies she performed in, but lacks any of the material that makes her a living woman with feeling and talent. It would have been good for a graduate paper for an MA degree, but not much more. Any one can compile facts. The secret of a great biography is the making of the subject come to life. Even as a MA study, I would only give it a B-.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Eleanor Powell - Bio-Bibliography, June 13, 2008

By	JudithIN (Indiana USA) - See all my reviews

The written content is very comprehensive but the presentation woefully lacking, especially in a volume offered at this price. There is a single photo, of terrible quality. The text looks as if it were typed on an old manual typewriter. The binding, a cheap-looking slick bright green (NOT what is pictured on the amazon website), would be more suitable for a kids' book from K-Mart. The publisher says the book is now printed only when a copy is ordered, and that they have no control over quality. If you are interested in an exhaustive review of the career of Eleanor Powell and don't care how the volume looks, you will probably be happy with this book.