He Ran All the Way: The Life of John Garfield (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: left hook, Warner Bros, John Garfield, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a valuable introduction to a real Hollywood player...an excellent reference text to the studio blacklist era." -- The Santa Fe Journal North, December 2003

Product Description

George Hurrell, the great Hollywood portrait photographer, in recalling a shooting session with John Garfield, said, "He was a strange, fascinating guy. He couldn’t sit still. There was a frantic air about him...He never thought he was good looking. ‘I’m a mug,’ he would laugh, ‘just a mug’...But occasionally...[h]e’d look at the proofs and say, ‘Ain’t too bad for a kid from the Bronx, eh?’ and he’d roar with laughter." Here that thumbnail description has been vastly enlarged and deeply enriched with detail, but never airbrushed, and has become He Ran All the Way. In a sense, Garfield never left the Bronx. He began his acting career not far away, on Broadway as a member of the Group Theater in the mid-thirties. But soon, seduced by the myth of Hollywood and the reality of Warner Brothers, he made his movie debut, in 1938, in Four Daughters and immediately established himself as an earthy, rebellious and electrifying presence on the screen–in retrospect the James Dean of the Depression era. Frequenty cast as a lawbreaker, in such films as They Made Me a Criminal, Dust Be My Destiny, Castle on the Hudson and, late in his career, the cult favorite Force of Evil, Garfield went on to roles in classics like The Postman Always Rings Twice (with Lana Turner), Body and Soul and Gentleman’s Agreement. Married to a teenage sweetheart, from whom he was never divorced, Garfield soon earned the reputation of a womanizer. And, reflecting the values of his upbringing and the political climate of the time, he staunchly supported leftist causes. As a result, by the early 50s his screen career was cut short by the Hollywood blacklist. He retuned to acting on Broadway and on tour. At 39 he died in New York, in the bed of a woman who was not his wife. This biography, superbly reseached and compellingly written, is as exciting as the best of Garfield’s films.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 354 pages
• Publisher: Limelight Editions; 1 edition (July 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879109858
• ISBN-13: 978-0879109851
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #730,896 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At last...A fitting tribute, January 23, 2004

By	. "migmonsta" (Lake District, UK) - See all my reviews

I could barely believe my eyes when I found this book available whist scouring the Amazon pages as it is so difficult to find anything about John Garfield. This book did not disappoint. It is a fitting tribute to a fantastic actor who has sadly and unjustly been largely swept under the carpet along with some of the finest work ever captured on film. The book shows you the real side of "Julie", a witty, mischievous man who kept true to the boy inside and his roots. He seems to have had a naivity which partially contributed to his tragic end and shows the extent to which he was literally hounded to death by the unrelenting HUAC. What a waste that such an outstanding talent should suffer for staying true to his country and true to his profession. This man was brilliant...just compare his Frank Chambers to that of Jack Nicholson in The Postman Always Rings Twice or the way he carries the part of Danny in Tortilla Flat, two roles in stark contrast of one another.

I have been an avid Garfield fan for many years and my uncle was even lucky enough to have met him which is fantastic... but I can only thank the author, Robert Nott, for this outstanding book and insight further into John Garfield.

This book invoked many emotions, it retold many amusing stories of his antics, showed his funny side, his serious side, his determination, faults, strengths and weaknesses and in the end, sorrow for such a sad loss. If you are at all interested in this charismatic character, buy this book. A wonderful book about a wonderful man. Enjoy!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, Solid Bio, January 5, 2004

By	John J. Raspanti (Manteca, Ca USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

John Garfield has been mostly forgotten by the movie going public. He has fans yes-but a place with the 'greats' of the movies seems to be just out of his reach.
This new biography of Garfield reminds us...what a true raw talent he was. The author tells us how Garfield burst opon the movie scene in 1938-causing such a spash that Warner Brother's were shocked and...not sure what to do with there new discovery. They plunked him in some 'B' potboilers that didn't utilize has talent but still made...money. Garfield languished for awhile and while bored still delivered some standout performances. He began to grow as an actor in the 1940's delivering what I believe to be a Oscar worthy performance in the classic BODY AND SOUL.
The bio does a good job of detailing the 'times' that Garfield lived in and sadly what destroyed his career. The chapters about his childhood are most fasinating.
The only reason I did not give this book '5 stars' is because I feel that the author took some 'pot shots' at Garfield...'shots' that he had already told us about earlier in the book.
Other then these 'few' comments I feel the book is a worthy and a fine way to remember, and give our 'due' too a truely unique actor.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing but readable, January 12, 2005

By	Laura Baker (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

I was very pleased to have found a John Garfield bio. He is one of my favorite actors who,sadly, is underrated or even forgotten by most. I'm sorry to say then that "He Ran All the Way" is a disappointing,uneven,and incomplete portrait of such an interesting life. Nott's book is not especially well written. The reader never gets a true sense of Garfield, his relationship with his wife and children, or his colleagues. The book is full of generalities about Garfield's personality especially his womanizing and intellegence. The author also makes grand judgements about Garfield's movies that fans may not agree with. I did find it helpful as a resource for general facts about Garfield, especially his blacklisting. I hope to find another Garfield bio that's better written and more fleshed out. I'd love to see Patricia Bosworth write one. (She's written interesting bios about Brando and Clift.)