I Love the Illusion: The Life and Career of Agnes Moorehead, 2nd edition [Paperback]

Charles Tranberg (Author), Herbie J. Pilato (Epilogue)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 159393095X | ISBN-13: 978-1593930950 | Publication Date: August 31, 2007 | Edition: 2

Lovers of old-time radio hold a special place in their heart for Agnes Moorehead. She was one of the busiest and most definitive actresses of that medium. The bottom line is that Agnes Moorehead is one of the few actresses who succeeded in every realm of show business: stage, radio, film, and television. The respect of her peers can be summed up in these statistics: four Academy Award nominations, seven Emmy nominations - with one win - two Golden Globe nominations - with two wins - and the Best Actress award from the New York Film Critics. This impressive, 400+ page biography, complete with filmography and radiography, proves to readers and scholars alike that she was much more than the witch of Endor! *This is the 2nd edition of the bestselling book, with new material and cover!*

Editorial Reviews

Review

Selected as one of the BEST BOOKS of 2006 by reviewer Laura Wagner in her Book Notes column. -- CLASSIC IMAGES, January, 2007

Product Details

• Paperback: 436 pages
• Publisher: BearManor Media; 2 edition (August 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159393095X
• ISBN-13: 978-1593930950
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #938,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Charles Tranberg is the author of books on Agnes Moorehead, Marie Wilson, Fred MacMurray and the Thin Man Films. He also contributes to Classic Images and Films of the Golden Age. He is currently at work on biographies of Robert Taylor and the Disney Studios. Tranberg has a degree in Marketing and lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Love the Illusion, Ed. 2!, October 13, 2007

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Melanie's Reviews (IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Love the Illusion: The Life and Career of Agnes Moorehead, 2nd edition (Paperback)

I am thrilled to see this definitive biography on Agnes Moorehead in print again. I enjoy having both editions since the covers are different. There is also new material in the back of the book. I especially liked Tranberg's lecture material being added to the book. This is a must-have collectible for fans of radio, TV, and any of Agnes's film projects.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Aggie Was A Lady, May 18, 2009

By 

joesezso (Forest Hills, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: I Love the Illusion: The Life and Career of Agnes Moorehead, 2nd edition (Paperback)

Because of her preeminence in the realm of "character actress" portrayals on both large and small screen and radio, it's a bit surprising that Charles Tranberg's I Love the Illusion is the first full length, fully researched biography of this remarkable actress (best remembered these days as that mother-in-law joke extraordinaire Endora on Bewitched in the 1960s).
The book recounts her youth, early training and struggles, and swift rise to the top in radio, a show biz medium perfect for less than gorgeous people with gorgeous vocal equipment. Her triumphs onstage, in film and on radio are well recounted, and the amazing performance in Magnificent Ambersons is given its due, alongside her string of stunning appearances on Suspense (none moreso than "Suddenly, Last Summer", wherein she shows a genuinely nasty bedridden rich lady who's suddenly aware that she's lost all of her control over events; it's a much juicier conception of the murder victim than what the censors allowed in the 1948 film).
And the monumental experience of Don Juan in Hell is also explained at length. (I was lucky enough to see the 1970s revival. She was amazing.)
Her marital misadventures are also addressed, but for those expecting shocking bisexual tidbits, forget it; this is the story of a rock ribbed minister's daughter, who believed the Bible and prayer provided all the answers, a teetotaler who annually threw one of the classiest, unfussiest Christmas parties given in Beverly Hills, where too much was rarely ever enough, in the 1950s and 1960s.
The book also shows how inadequate famous actors can be in the role of parent, since you know right away that her foster son Sean is doomed to be a prop that doesn't work properly in her life, rather than a real live child with real live issues about a mother he hardly saw due to her touring, and his foreign schooling.
The only problem with the book is that it is truly poorly proofread, with some howler homonym typos (an "irreparable breech" between mother and son? That's half a pair of unmendable pants), but that's a problem with modern publishing in general.
If you admired Miss Aggie and her work before this, you'll enjoy the book.
Would she have approved? Well, not entirely, but then, she didn't prefer plain old reality (but has anyone ever looked plainer onscreen?).

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New and Improved, September 21, 2007

By 

J. Devlin "Jone" (Marion, IA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I Love the Illusion: The Life and Career of Agnes Moorehead, 2nd edition (Paperback)

For those who didn't think Tranberg could improve on the perfection of the first edition - guess again! There are even more tidbits of information contained in these pages, including an amazing epilogue by premiere Bewitched historian Herbie J. Pilato Bewitched Forever: 40th Anniversary Edition. A great addition to the collections of both those who have read/own the first one as well as those who haven't gotten around to buying one yet.