Customer Reviews

F.H.M. Murray: First Biography of a Forgotten Pioneer for Civil Justice

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Hobart J. Whitley was undoubtedly a visionary; a man ahead of the times. He not only developed 140 cities during his lifetime, he is the man who foresaw a lovely city near Los Angeles and used his considerable resources to develop and nurture it. He named his city Hollywood because ... Well, it's a humorous anecdote, so I'll let the author tell it in her own words; one of the most humorous lines in this book.

The author is the great-granddaughter of H.J. and she wrote this book from journals of her great-grandmother, Gigi Whitley, and personal letters from them both.

Mr. Whitley's story is fascinating, and we learn a lot about him since the author narrates the story through the eyes of Gigi. The couple married when Gigi was eighteen and he was around forty. One of the strong points of this story is their great, undying love for one another. It was obvious that Gigi knew her husband was destined for great things, so did her best to accommodate him at the risk of her own happiness.

Gigi was an independent spirit and unhappy with women's roles in those days, and H.J. felt that "women belonged in the home." Gigi finally won him over to a small degree. He "allowed" her to join women's clubs, so she at last had some freedom for which she had always yearned. Gigi loved H.J. so much that she worked with him on their differences; it seemed to work for them.

But another big problem in their marriage was that as soon as one town was developed to his satisfaction, H.J. would be off to another. Gigi wanted him to spend more time at home with her and the two children, but she tried to understand that building was his destiny, with Hollywood being his crowning jewel. H.J. was obsessed by his work and in today's terminology was a "workaholic." (He also developed the San Fernando Valley.)

Another strong point is that we learn about Hollywood's growing pains and how H.J. almost single-handedly fought for schools and other amenities that enabled the town to grow. And the old black-and-white photos are rare, greatly enhancing the mood of this fascinating, epic story. (One photo is of homes in Whitley Heights with a huge sign in the background, depicting that name in tall letters. (Could that be the model for the current HOLLYWOOD sign that's so famous around the world?)

Having mentioned the strong points, I must say that in the first edition of this book Gigi seemed shallow in many ways; she rambled on too often with long, glowing passages about flowers, parties, and her clothing. This slowed the story down for me and I found myself skipping many of those pages. The author mentions many stars of those days--including Rudolph Valentino and others who purchased homes in Whitley Heights--and the glamorous parties they had. Since the lovely cover was a glamorous photo of Actress Jean Harlow, I expected more "spice" to be woven into the plot...but actually, it's not that kind of book. The new cover is of H.J., Gigi and their children, an old tintype that fits the theme of this true story.

Since that edition, the author rewrote The Father of Hollywood: The True Story and now her Great-Grandmother Gigi is a much more likable person, as she undoubtedly was. This new version is much better paced too.

Author Gaelyn Whitley used the personal information in her possession to paint a true portrait of her amazing great-grandfather, the man who MADE Hollywood...and his extraordinary wife. This is an important piece of Hollywood history and would make a fine movie. H. J. Whitley was a true visionary and deserves to be better known...as is the town he built! I would also like to see his "star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This new edition definitely earns five stars!

Reviewed by: Betty Dravis, May 27, 2010
Author of "Dream Reachers" (with Chase Von) and other books

The title of this book refers to Hobart Johnstone "HJ" Whitley, the primary developer of Hollywood and many other towns in the American west in the late 1900s. HJ Whitley was author Gaelyn Whitley Keith's great-grandfather, but Keith chooses to write the book from the perspective of her great-grandmother, Gigi. With the help of Gigi's journals, Keith uses the first-person voice to take on her great-grandmother's persona and to offer an account that is part memoir, part history, and part love story.

The opening chapter of the book chronicles HJ's younger years, including his tragic childhood and his early business dealings. In Chapter 2, however, Gigi is introduced, starting with her first meeting with HJ. The story then serves to expand on their life together, from the early courtships days to their first homes in Dakota and Oklahoma to their eventual move to California. As their lives progress, so does HJ's role in western development, as he was an instrumental founder of many towns along the railroad line in the Dakota and Oklahoma territories. However, HJ and Gigi both shared the dream of living in California; once they realize this dream, HJ not only founds Hollywood but also ensures that it will be a thriving, growing community, eventually setting the stage for the movie industry.

I found this book to be an interesting glimpse into a part of American history with which I was previously unfamiliar. However, Keith's overly flowery, somewhat juvenile writing style tended to be a bit of a distraction at times: she is quite over-the-top in her descriptions of Gigi's beauty and charm, the extent to which Gigi and HJ are head-over-heels in love, and the scope of seemingly endless HJ's achievements. But given that the author is, after all, writing about her own great-grandparents, her rather biased presentation can be mostly forgiven here. For those willing to overlook the book's lack of sophistication, this is an engaging story about a little-known historical figure.

I finished the book a while back and WOW! So interesting to read how Hollywood/LA started out as 'nothing' and built up to what it is today. Very well done, interesting, entertaining and I still think would make a wonderful mini-series or 2 part documentary for the Biography channel!

Pretty much today when we think of Hollywood we think of scandal, egos, and wealth. How did it get that way? Was it always that way? Where did it come from? While this book doesn't answer these questions it does give you an insight as to where Hollywood came from, and in an indirect way may provide some hints for the other questions.

Gaelyn Whitley Keith, the great-granddaughter of H.J. Whitley (the Father of Hollywood) has put together a book chronicling the discovery, development and creation of Hollywood through the life of Her great-grandfather as told by his wife (her great-grandmother) "Gigi". The stories are gathered through Gigi's many writings.

H.J.'s story is an extremely interesting one in that he was not only in the right place at the right time but he had the intelligence, foresight, and human understanding to create from a few hills in Southern California into what has become the movie star capitol of the world, Hollywood. In this book the reader is transported through U.S. post-civil war rebuilding, in which Whitley makes his name, through the land rush of Oklahoma and on into creating a beautiful California countryside into the movie capitol of the world.. He develops many cities towns in his lifetime (over 140) but none as grand or troublesome as Hollywood.

This book also offers some great trivia type moments that are fun, such as, where the name Hollywood comes from. The origin of the name is quite humorous, but I'll let you find that, I wouldn't want to ruin the moment.

The evolution of Hollywood and H. J. Whitley is told through his wife Gigi. Gigi, a self admitted spoiled rich brat, falls in love with H.J. and tells his story, their story together and the story of Hollywood. There are many times that I found it hard to understand why they did things as they did but realized it was in the family upbringing and experiences of their different lives mixing together. H.J. in today's terms would be a workaholic, taking no time out for family and realizing what he missed only after it's too late. Gigi being young when she married could not be close to her children and as a result they developed problems of their own. But the family did seem in a dysfunctional way seem to hold on to one another when times called for it.

This book was a roller coaster of emotions and events, and when told through Gigi provides that turn of the century upper class woman's view of how the U.S. was developed.

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While this book was an easy read, it wasn't a simple book for me. It is a very personal book and one that tells a family story from a period of American history in our West that is seldom talked about realistically anymore. Our whole image of the West and its settlement comes from movies, TV shows, and novels. The problem with all of these is that they want to tell a sensationalistic story rather than tell the truth. If you are a fan of movies, you also know that nearly all of them put the dialogue and the relationship between men and women largely in terms of their own time. That is, women are almost always more emancipated on the screen than they were in the decades portrayed. Nowadays, for example, it is a cliché to see the 90-pound woman with a sword or bare hands defeat dozens of big armored men with guns. It is silly, but something we seem to want to "believe".

This matters to this book for two seemingly contradictory reasons. First, this book is above all a family memoir. Gaelyn Whitley Keith has put together this story from the journals, letters, and recollections of her family. Principally the words are drawn from her great-grandmother Gigi. It makes sense that the author lets Gigi tell us the story. She tries to let Gigi speak in the voice of her letters and journals and largely succeeds. There are a few modernisms in there, but that is to be expected and accepted. If the voice given Gigi sounds too much like a little girl, well, so be it. That is the way she spoke and the way many well-to-do women who lived largely sheltered lives spoke in the second half of the 19th Century. To capture this authentic voice for us, I think the author should be congratulated, all the more because that voice sounds so foreign to us.

Second, because it is a family story there are going to be some stories in it that may be more of legend than of verifiable fact. The family story of how HJ and Gigi named Hollywood may be fact, it may be one of those wouldn't-it-be-nice family stories. However, it doesn't matter. It is what Gigi believed and many of her descendants believe to this day.

There are many wonderful stories of the settling of the west in the Dakotas, in Oklahoma, and in California. HJ Whitely was one of those bigger than life entrepreneurs who helped build town after town along the railroads. He made himself a fortune and made it possible for thousands upon thousands of people to settle and prosper in brand new settlements in the West. We get to learn of Whitley's friendship with Teddy Roosevelt, a close call with some folks who wanted to settle differences with HJ by violence, and a great deal about Hollywood before the motion picture industry was born. The last quarter of the book spends its time on the way the arrival and explosion of motion pictures changed the lives of the locals and later the nation.

There were several times I thought the author got something wrong. For example, Gigi speaks of a large party in 1906 where they orchestra played Broadway songs from Flordora, A Chinese Honeymoon, and The Wizard of Oz. The Wizard of Oz! That was 1939 and a movie, right? Well, it turns out that the book was made into a Broadway musical that had little to do with Baum's book except in the broadest sweep of the story. It turns out that Baum was also a neighbor of the Whitleys.

Yes, Gigi does come across as being very self-centered and flighty even as she congratulates herself on living for her children and husband. She loved material things, luxuries, and travel. She had an amazing amount of everything. Except that her two children, Ross and Grace, turned out to have very difficult lives emotionally and in their marriages. We shouldn't judge Gigi and HJ too harshly because they didn't focus on their children as we are admonished to do today. This was more than a century ago and children were treated very differently back then.

If you are interested in learning about the life of an amazing man who helped settle the west and made a big contribution to building early Hollywood you should enjoy this book. If you want to hear the voice of a woman who was raised before the suffragettes, but who in her way supported women's independence and freedom, this is a good book for you. I enjoyed it.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

This is the book to read if you're interested in a personal account of how Hollywood became what it was what it is today. The memoir is written from the perpective of the author's grandmother --wife of the "father" of Hollywood. I actually found this book more interesting for the look at what life was like just a few generations ago for women than anything else, though it was a priviledged life. Of course, don't we all like to read about the lives of the very well off?!

comment; on the book and author of the "Father
of Hollywood" an amazing biography of the author's great grandfather
and his amazing contributions to the State of California regarding
several of its communities. It was simply "outstanding reading"
about HJ's contributions. I'm a fan and think this would make a
wonderful documentary film!

Enjoyed learning the early history of Hollywood. Didn't realize what an impact H J Whitley had on the founding of Hollywood. You can still see his influence today.

I don't normally read much non-fiction, but this book struck a chord with me because so much of it took place in areas right where I currently live. I had no idea how much interesting history has been right under my nose until I read this fascinating biography. The author has taken special care with detailed research and made history live again. She tells about the true life struggles, joys, successes and flaws of some very brave people, and somehow she makes you feel as though you know them personally. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Hackley-Lambert's work!

Anita Hackley-Lambert has written a fascinating and compelling biography of a remarkable man who just happens to be her great-grandfather. Based on twelve years of research and family interviews, this book about the life and times of F.H.M. Murray (1859-1950) uncovers deeply buried family secrets and sheds new light on various aspects of black history, such the Underground Railroad before and after the Civil War, the Niagara Movement, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, and African-American life in Washington, D.C. and Alexandria, Virginia. An impressive and important labor of love.

--Reviewed by Charles Patterson, author of Eternal Treblinka: Our Treatment of Animals and the Holocaust