The Hollywood Book of Extravagance: The Totally Infamous, Mostly Disastrous, and Always Compelling Excesses of America's Film and TV Idols [Paperback]

James Robert Parish (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 24, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0470052058 | ISBN-13: 978-0470052051 | Edition: 1

Savor the inside scoop on over-the-top superstars

"I'm not a paranoid, deranged millionaire. . . . I'm a billionaire!"

"Acting is an empty and useless profession."

"Good girls go to heaven. Bad girls go everywhere else."

"I'm interested in being provocative and pushing people's buttons."

Which screen icons gave us the quotes above? How do stars get away with self-indulgent, unrestrained behaviors-or do they? In The Hollywood Book of Extravagance, longtime industry insider and Hollywood historian James Robert Parish gives you a provocative look behind the scenes at the lavish indulgences and larger-than-life egos of Tinseltown's rich and famous. The featured celebrities range from heartthrobs to industry tycoons, and from yesterday's matinee idols to today's hottest celebs. The stars are grouped according to their excesses: ego, neurosis, partying, power, rich living, and romancing. You'll devour little-known details on the excesses and exploits of notables ranging from Mae West to Madonna, Greta Garbo to Marilyn Monroe and Marlon Brando, Bela Lugosi to John Belushi, Zsa Zsa Gabor to Paris Hilton, Errol Flynn to Jude Law, and many more.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Savor the inside scoop on over-the-top superstars

"I'm not a paranoid, deranged millionaire. . . . I'm a billionaire!"

"Acting is an empty and useless profession."

"Good girls go to heaven. Bad girls go everywhere else."

"I'm interested in being provocative and pushing people's buttons."

Which screen icons gave us the quotes above? How do stars get away with self-indulgent, unrestrained behaviors—or do they? In The Hollywood Book of Extravagance, longtime industry insider and Hollywood historian James Robert Parish gives you a provocative look behind the scenes at the lavish indulgences and larger-than-life egos of Tinseltown's rich and famous. The featured celebrities range from heartthrobs to industry tycoons, and from yesterday's matinee idols to today's hottest celebs. The stars are grouped according to their excesses: ego, neurosis, partying, power, rich living, and romancing. You'll devour little-known details on the excesses and exploits of notables ranging from Mae West to Madonna, Greta Garbo to Marilyn Monroe and Marlon Brando, Bela Lugosi to John Belushi, Zsa Zsa Gabor to Paris Hilton, Errol Flynn to Jude Law, and many more.

About the Author

James Robert Parish is a former entertainment reporter and publicist and the author of It's Good to Be the King: The Seriously Funny Life of Mel Brooks, Fiasco: A History of Hollywood's Iconic Flops, and The Hollywood Book of Breakups (all from Wiley). Parish appears frequently as an expert on network and cable television documentaries like A&E's Biography and E! Television's True Hollywood Stories.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (August 24, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470052058
• ISBN-13: 978-0470052051
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.6 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #126,084 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have the privilege of doing work (i.e., writing books) that I thoroughly enjoy, so it is no real chore to be active on my book projects seven days a week. Doing research is much like being a detective, bringing as many elements of the subject's life to light and assessing how each piece fits into the puzzle of a celebrity's biography.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, Cautionary Tales of Old and New Hollywood, September 24, 2007

By 

Robert M. Fells "Mr. Arliss's Official Biogra... (Centreville, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Hollywood Book of Extravagance: The Totally Infamous, Mostly Disastrous, and Always Compelling Excesses of America's Film and TV Idols (Paperback)

Prolific Hollywood author and biographer, James Robert Parish, has just published a fascinating gallery of sketches of the great and near-great Hollywood celebrities from the past 70 years through today in his latest book, THE HOLLYWOOD BOOK OF EXTRAVAGANCE. Let's be honest: there were many great stars of Hollywood's Golden Age who were quite sensible and level-headed (Rosalind Russell, Irene Dunne, Ray Milland and Fred MacMurray easily come to mind) but really, who wants to read about THEM? Far more entertaining are the celebs whose lives and careers flared brightly and often briefly though fate, but more often through mismanagement and by their own personal demons. Such circumstances may have ultimately made for a hellish life to live, but these are the stuff of the biographer's dream - and the reader's delight.

Parish reviews the familiar names such as Marilyn Monroe, Richard Burton, Frank Sinatra, and Joan Crawford, but for the true film aficionado are the cautionary tales of Veronica Lake, Betty Hutton, Oscar Levant, Macaulay Culkin, Burt Reynolds, and many other celebs - some quite forgotten today but celebrated (or notorious) in their own day. A highly recommended book that will make the actors you see on Turner Classic Movies become three dimensional for their follies and foibles.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another delightful title from Mr. Parish, September 3, 2007

By 

Booklover "LA" (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Hollywood Book of Extravagance: The Totally Infamous, Mostly Disastrous, and Always Compelling Excesses of America's Film and TV Idols (Paperback)

This is a fun-to-read book. Cleverly and clearly written, it includes fascinating details about Hollywood celebrities; their antics are guaranteed to make you feel like maybe you're not such a nut job after all. Not only does it include profiles on better known stars like Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Clara Bow, Mary Pickford, Elizabeth Taylor, Mel Gibson, Errol Flynn, and Warren Beatty, but it also has sections on near-forgotten celebs like Oscar Levant, Gale Storm, Veronica Lake, Betty Hutton, Jean Arthur, and Al Jolson.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Parish on Larger-Than-Life Hollywood Stars, August 21, 2007

By 

James Fisher (Greensboro, North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Hollywood Book of Extravagance: The Totally Infamous, Mostly Disastrous, and Always Compelling Excesses of America's Film and TV Idols (Paperback)

James Robert Parish, one of filmdom's leading historians, offers a thoroughly engaging account, star by star, of the excesses, larger-than-life personalities, and pecadilloes of these Hollywood greats of the past and present. From Clara Bow, Charlie Chaplin, and Buster Keaton to Warren Beatty, Julia Roberts, and Drew Barrymore, Parish provides biographical overviews connecting the accomplishments and personal lives of each star to the addictions, tribulations, and indulgences that marked, and in many cases, marred their lives. Parish is unfailingly knowledgeable on all aspects of Hollywood (and television) history and his prose is lively, funny, and wisely reasoned in positing the psychological drives that fed the stars' behaviors. The text is well-illustrated and includes a useful bibliography, but film lovers will devour this chronicle of Hollywood's most compelling excesses. This is a must read!