Customer Reviews

I Love the Illusion

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Charles Tranberg's epic biography of Agnes Moorehead
is one of the most thorough and interesting books I've
ever had the pleasure of reading. Although she was one
of Hollywood's most gifted and enduring character
actresses, Miss Moorehead was a very private person
and consequently very little was previously known
about her personal life. Through interviews with
Agnes' friends and co-workers and unprecedented access
to Miss Moorehead's vast archive of personal documents
and correspondence, Charles Tranberg has created a
comprehensive portrait of this enigmatic star,
allowing the reader to gain a much better
understanding of both the life and career of Agnes
Moorehead. The book contains numerous surprises, and
Agnes emerges as a fascinating contradiction in terms,
very much like her best known role as Endora on the
classic sitcom "Bewitched". Unlike most biographers,
Mr. Tranberg wisely refrains from judging and
interpreting Miss Moorehead's actions, allowing his
readers to draw their own conclusions instead. This is
a refreshing approach to a biography, as many
biographers pass judgement on their subjects and taint
their narrative with personal opinion. Mr. Tranberg
also doesn't shy away from controversial subject
matter, and he approaches the topic of Moorehead's
long-rumoured lesbian proclivities with factual
honesty and respect. In addition to countless rare
photographs, the book also contains a meticulously
researched section of Miss Moorehead's numerous acting
credits, covering her prolific career on radio, stage,
television and film with impressive scope and detail.
Ultimately, "I Love the Illusion" is a revealing and
very satisfying biography, and I highly recommend it
to anyone interested in learning about the life and
career of this legendary star.

What makes this book a standout are the extensive quotes included from people who knew Miss Moorehead well and for a lengthy period. Mr. Tranberg even managed to find a friend of her mother, who contributed some charming memories about Miss Moorehead's parents. Photographs are plentiful, and most I had never seen before. The number of sources is impressive, and the book is well organized, seamlessly interweaving biographical details with an assessment of her work. The editorial eerrors were jarring but not a major detraction.

Here and elsewhere I've read that Agnes Moorehead tried hard to keep her private life private. Previous treatments of Miss Moorehead have either dealt with her career almost exclusively ("Good Dames" and Lynn Kear's excellent chronicle of her work) or else have focused on select aspects of her personal life ("Agnes Moorehead: A Very Private Person" and "Hollywood Lesbians"). If the portrait still seems incomplete, it's not owing to Mr. Tranberg's thorough research but rather the difficulty of his subject: Most of Miss Moorehead's contemporaries are no longer available for interviews, contemporary interviews with Miss Moorehead are scarce, she seemed aloof to many of her colleagues, and in all likelihood Miss Moorehead left behind no diaries or personal letters. That considered, it's surprising that Mr. Tranberg was able to flesh out her personal life to the extent that he did.

If you are a fan or practitioner of the art of acting, this book belongs on your wish list. My favorite parts explore Moorehead's acting training in New York City, her collaboration with the brilliant Orson Welles, and her grande dame turn as Endora on "Bewitched." Because biographer Charles Tranberg doesn't sugarcoat Moorehead's failures on stage, screen, and in relationships, I now respect her tenacity and spirit as well as her talent. This is an extensively researched, inspiring portrait of a complex woman who accomplished remarkable things in her time.

This is the definitive biography of Agnes Moorehead! It is a very well-researched and interesting look at her life. You learn all about Agnes's career from her stage work to her years on Bewitched. The author also gives us a lot of details about her personal life but he does it in a very respectable way. There is so much information and so many photos that after reading it you will feel like you've gotten to know the real Agnes Moorhead.

I have been an Agnes Moorehead fan since 1968 so to finally have a comprehensive biography about her has been wonderful.

Tranberg has done an amazing job researching his subject, and the picture he paints is of a talented and complicated actress and woman.

The book is written so that it goes in chronological order, allowing readers to experience Agnes Moorehead's life from her childhood in the Midwest right up through Bewitched and beyond.

To quote the previous reviewer, fans of biographies in general and Moorehead in particular will absolutely love this book. It's one of the best!

Of the three books I know of about AM, this one is the most comprehensive, in terms of being biographical. It is loaded with references/sources, and contains lots of information about Agnes I hadn't read elsewhere. And kudos to the author for broaching the subject of Ms. Moorehead's supposed homosexuality without being sensational or doctrinaire about it.

Author Tranberg has made excellent use of his rich resource material and choice interviews with the acquaintances and "show biz" contacts of Ms. Moorehead. As her story unfolds, the reader is able to grasp ahold of Moorehead's world view (a view that is unique in its complexity). Tranberg captures the atmosphere and energy that surrounded Moorehead during her acclaimed career in radio, film, tv and her true passion: the stage. Her influence in each medium is given careful consideration. Always an absorbing read, the puzzle pieces of Moorehead's personality have all come together for the reader by the time she contracts for TV's "Bewitched". (It is made clear she took on Endora, because the money was good). Formidable, funny, proud, determined, loyal, giving, religious, and at times peculiar -- no stone is unturned regarding Moorehead's private and professional life. Transberg's straightforward narrative shows how Moorehead is indeed one of the "greats" in the "illusion" she created on and off stage. With a talent that "outshone" many a glamorous box-office draw, Moorehead held her own and fortunately for us all, she knew it.

An extremely interesting book on one of the worlds most underated actresses. Well researched and contains information not previously recorded. The lists of Miss Moorehead's radio, stage, film and television work is extensive. This book proves there is much more to Agnes than Endora.

Author Charles Tranberg did his research well and learned things about this very private actress that earlier biographers missed. Not only does he go into great detail about Agnes Moorehead's life and the people in it, but he also tells us about her co-stars and the plots of most, if not all, of her projects. If you've got a favorite Agnes Moorehead TV show, movie, stage play, or radio show, chances are there will be some mighty interesting information in the book about it.

This book is the definitive biography of one of the greatest character actresses of all time. Tranberg details Moorehead's life from her PK (preacher's kid) upbringing, to her launch into radio, and ultimately to her iconic status on the TV show Bewitched, as well as her many movie and TV appearances. The information is presented logically and clearly, and the layout of this 400+ page book makes it easy to read. It's loaded with pictures that I'd never seen before, and despite having a great deal of knowledge about Moorehead's career beforehand, I found out so many interesting facts about her life and times. The author's research and interviews are neatly detailed in a Source section, and there is also an Index, as well as an extensive list of all Moorehead's appearances.

Despite the great detail that the author provides regarding Moorehead's life and career, we do see two or more sides to many of the stories. This leaves the reader to truly appreicate the lengths that Moorehead went to to create "the illusion." She was a master at her craft, and even in times of great distress, the show went on due to her staunch work ethic. I have a greater appreciation for her as an actress, and more importantly as a person, having read this book. Well done!