A playwright and screenwriter who has written several scripts for Katharine Hepburn and known her for twenty-five years offers a witty, candid memoir of the star and her relationships with Spencer Tracy and her other co-stars.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Dramatist Prideaux here recounts his adventures in television with such notables as Elizabeth Taylor, Ryan O'Neal, and Burt Reynolds, but it is his relationship with the great Kate Hepburn that is pivotal to the work. Covered in-depth are three made-for-TV projects he created especially for Hepburn during the late 1980s and early 1990s. More than an adoring fan, Prideaux has known Hepburn professionally and personally-he has borne the brunt of her bullying and bombast as well as benefited from her unassailable friendship. Hepburn, at times the insufferable egotist, is nonetheless affectionately regarded and revered. More grounded than most second-hand accounts of movie stars, Prideaux's work reveals the dynamics of production and the politics of personality. He conveys how in later years Hepburn has courted, if not the limelight, then the cathode ray of television with a fierce determination not to wallow in an enshrined celluloid self. Recommended for public libraries.
Jayne Kate Plymale-Jackson, Univ. of Georgia Libs., Athens
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Jayne Kate Plymale-Jackson, Univ. of Georgia Libs., Athens
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Mixing as it does the celebrated with the rank ordinary, this memoir is of the ``My meetings with famous people'' variety, a subset of biography rich with tiresome possibilities. And playwright and screenwriter Prideaux explores almost all of them in this year-by-year account of his friendship with Hepburn (and any other celebrities that cross his path, including Elizabeth Taylor, Ryan O'Neal, and Burt Reynolds). This odd couple was originally brought together for a project that, as so often happens in Hollywood, was never produced. But friendship of a kind grew, and over the next 24 years, Prideaux would author and produce several made-for-TV movies for Hepburn. Though he is a writer of some talent, Prideaux is a particularly irksome narrator, conventionally opinionated, campily theatrical, pinprick sensitive. All too often we find him sulking over some meager slight, exalting at the celebrity's passing pat-the-dog kindness, or moved to tears by his own scripts. But whenever Prideaux can forget about himself for a moment, an almost compelling portrait emerges--that of the artist as a monstre sacr‚. Despite his worshipful attitude, Prideaux does little to glamorize his star buddies who, gilded by fame, massively indulged and cosseted, feel quite free to slip the bonds of human decency whenever it suits them. Hepburn is hardly the worst offender, but she is a far, far cry from her well-mannered, patrician screen image. Yet even at her most unpleasant and unkind (such as when she publicly humiliates Prideaux), those around her still crowd close, desperate for the scrofula-curing touch that we believe celebrity status bestows. Despite Prideaux's excesses and the suffocating celebrity banalities, there's enough unvarnished truth here to save this book from being just another celebrity puff piece. (16 pages b&w photos, not seen) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Don't-Miss Hepburn Reading Experience,
By A Customer
This review is from: Knowing Hepburn and Other Curious Experiences (Hardcover)
Very few books on Hepburn have been written by people who even met her, let alone those who knew her personally. James Prideaux has been a close friend for many years. In his book you'll find a portrait of Hepburn that has not yet emerged: human, warm, eccentric AND egocentric certainly, but always, always, ALWAYS fascinating. You'll find here the star, but also the woman-complete with warts. If you want to find a Hepburn not available elsewhere, don't miss this one!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
FASCINATING,
By
This review is from: Knowing Hepburn and Other Curious Experiences (Hardcover)
I've read many books about Katharine Hepburn and this is one of the best. She is a very interesting woman. So, besides that, the thing that makes this book good is that the author actually new Katharine Hepburn and spent a fair amount of time with her.The book covers their relationship between 1968 (when they met) and 1992. Mr. Prideaux wrote some screenplays especially for Great Kate. The book tells about their working relationship and their friendship of sorts. Mr. Prideaux also writes about his meetings and work with other stars such as: Elizabeth Taylor, Dame Wendy Hiller, Judith Anderson, Patrick Duffy, Julie Harris, Jean Stapleton, Ryan O'Neal and Burt Reynolds. Oh, how fascinating the 'STAR' quality is. It is amazing how some 'stars' feel superior enough to walk all over people and others are as nice as can be, no matter how famous they are. They are just people after all... no better and no worse than the rest of the world. A most excellent and intrigueing book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Great Kate,
By A Customer
This review is from: Knowing Hepburn and Other Curious Experiences (Hardcover)
If you'd like to see the human side of the great Katharine Hepburn, then you've come to the right place. This book is informative, entertaining, a breeze to read, and above all, where Kate is concerned, honest. This is definitive Hepburn.
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