George Cukor: A Double Life: A Biography of the Gentleman Director [Paperback]

Patrick McGilligan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 1997

Through 50 years and 50 films--from "Holiday" and "The Philadelphia Story" to "Camille" and "My Fair Lady"--George Cukor created some of Hollywood's greatest motion pictures. The first book to discuss Cukor's homosexuality openly, "George Cukor: A Double Life" is a sympathetic portrait of a man "whose long career is all the more impressive given the double life he was forced to lead"--"Los Angeles Book Review". b&w photos.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

George Cukor is best known for directing witty comedies, but he also made wonderful dramas and musicals. He adapted many of his films from theatrical productions, but with such technical proficiency that they rarely felt stagy. In his long and productive career, he made classics such as Camille, Holiday, The Philadelphia Story, Adam's Rib, A Star is Born, and My Fair Lady. Patrick McGilligan's excellent biography gives the story behind the making of these and many other movies as well as terrific insights into Cukor's Jewish upbringing, his homosexuality, his reputation as a "woman's director," and his long-time association with Katharine Hepburn, with whom he made 10 films.

From Publishers Weekly

McGilligan ( Robert Altman ) summarizes the disdain of the male heterosexual-dominated movie industry toward homosexual director George Cukor (1899-1983) when he quotes producer Joseph L. Mankiewicz: "In a way, George Cukor was the first great female director of Hollywood." Cukor, who received an Oscar for My Fair Lady , is not portrayed as a persecuted innocent in this intriguing book; we're shown that he was promiscuous, petty and, ironically, not above stereotyping homosexuals in his films. The book tells as well of the decline of Hollywood's Golden Age because of competition from television, Red Scare blacklisting and studio reorganizations. Interesting insights into Hollywood deal-making are also provided. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (May 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312153775
• ISBN-13: 978-0312153779
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,747,507 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Follow Cukor's Example and Take Your Time, March 11, 2001

By 

George M Weatherford (Cambridge, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: George Cukor: A Double Life: A Biography of the Gentleman Director (Paperback)

This platter is full of many good pieces: enlightenment, gossip, display, speculation and journalistic integrity. Before recommending it for immediate consumption, however, one should ponder the notion that while some bites are indeed chunky and tasty, some have been diced into inedibly large pieces; and while at times the meal is juicy and succulent, at others it is bland and overcooked. More than anything, it is FAR too much to digest in one sitting. It might be better to eat as leftovers than as a buffet.

I could not think of a more comprehensive text about Cukor's interesting existence; however some people and relationships (especially with Katherine Hepburn) seem cnspicuously more fleshed-out than others that are teased upon (to this reviewer, it is most obvious with Cukor's father, Spencer Tracy and George Towers, all very influnetial people in Cukor's life with mere paragraphs describing them). The text also suffers at times from trying TOO hard to be fair to Cukor. Certainly, to the author's credit, nasty and contradictory elements are introduced, but it seems that just as much effort is placed on balancing this with excuses or possible alternatives. Cuko was not universally popular, and very few attended his funeral (not even Hepburn was there); so the fairness seems a bit of a disguise.

I would recommend a grain of salt to make this tastier; and I would also recommend less than a chapter a day. The book is long on filmography, can be slow reading, and takes time to digest. Overall, it is pleasing, as are Cukor's films, for the most part; but they all took lots of time, according to most accounts. Do the same.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars George Cukor: Gentleman Director of Hollywood's Golden Age, July 20, 2006

By 

C. M Mills "Michael Mills" (Knoxville Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: George Cukor: A Double Life: A Biography of the Gentleman Director (Paperback)

George Cukor (1899-1983) grew up in a lawyer's middle class
and cosy home in New York. Cukor's family heritage was Hungarian and Jewish (Cukor was a secular Jew). All of his life Cukor
fought an inferiority complex based on his ugliness, weight and
life in Anti-Semetic America. His biggest secret was his overt
and active homosexuality. Among the major directors of the glory years of Hollywood he was the only one who was gay.
Cukor directed several blockbusters such as The Philadelphia Story; Adam's Rib; Pat and Mike' The Women; Camille; Born Yesterday Holiday and My Fair Lady (for which he won his only
Oscar for best director) This book contains a complete Filmography of Cukor's oeuvre as well as several vintage photographs.
Cukor was a kind man who could show his temper. His famed
Hollywood parties drew the likes of Garbo, Kate Hepburn, Spencer
Tracy (who lived in a home on Cukor's estate); Vivien Leigh;
Laurence Olivier; Humphrey Bogart and a large contingent of his
gay friends and lovers. Cukor was a man of wit, intelligence,
culture and artistic proclivity.
The best chapters deal with his complex relationship with David O. Selznick who fired Cukor as director of Gone With the
Wind. Another intriguing chapter deals with the disaster than
was A Star is Born the comeback vehicle for the tortured Judy Garland. Cukor
was the director of Marilyn Monroe's last film Something's Got to
Give until she was fired for failing to show up on time. Cukor
was kind to her.
The book is a typical Hollywood biography where the films and
the backstage life of the personality are discussed in length.
Many readers might find this dull. For the classic movie buff,
however, this McGilligan biography is well researched and written.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Spotlight on another slice of Hollywood History, November 25, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (New Hope, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: George Cukor: A Double Life: A Biography of the Gentleman Director (Paperback)

Very solid biography of the director, George Cukor, covering his long life and career. McGilligan does well covering the dual nature of Cukor's personality, how his homosexuality both colored and hindered his film projects. Very well researched, the book vividly portrays the Hollywood gay society of the 30's - 50's and does well analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of both Cukor and his films. McGilligan is not balanced in his judgments on the films, however. He denigrates many of Cukor's more popular works ("The Women") and lavishes praise on the director's own favorites (the overrated "Adam's Rib"). His assessment of the much-debated firing of Cukor from "Gone With The Wind" also seems simplistic. Overall, a worthwhile read and a fine overview of a major Hollywood career and an important figure in film history.