Life and Loves of Barbara Stanwyck [Hardcover]

Jane Ellen Wayne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 5, 2009

Barbara Stanwyck swore like a sailor, chain smoked and was an alcoholic. And yet, she was one of Hollywood's biggest stars, indeed, number eleven on the American Film Institute's 100 Years of Greatest Screen Legends, and appeared in classic films such as Double Indemnity and Meet John Doe. In this fascinating biography, we follow the orphan who, by sheer determination, became a dancer in Hollywood and began her rise to the top. She auditioned for Frank Capra who called her a 'porcupine' and had an affair with her but after, made her a star. Barbara's first marriage was to comic Frank Fay, they adopted a son whom she later abandoned in the most extraordinary way. Her second husband was Robert Taylor, to whom she vowed revenge after their break-up for his affairs with Lana Turner and Ava Gardner. Until the day she died, she collected 15 per cent of his substantial earnings. Yet on her own deathbed, she swore he was by her bedside waiting for her. Full of tragedy, ambition, success and jealousy, Hollywood stars and stories that include new revelations of affairs with both leading actors and actresses, as well as details of her films, this is a must for Barbara fans and film fans alike. Jane Ellen Wayne, who was employed by The National Broadcasting Company for fifteen years, is the author of numerous biographies of Hollywood stars that include Robert Taylor, Lana Turner, Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly, Joan Crawford and Marilyn Monroe. Her most recent are The Golden Girls of MGM and The Golden Guys of MGM. She is listed in Who's Who of Women in the World and Contemporary Authors. Ms. Wayne resides in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jane Ellen Wayne, who was employed by The National Broadcasting Company for fifteen years, is the author of numerous biographies of Hollywood stars that include Robert Taylor, Lana Turner, Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly, Joan Crawford and Marilyn Monroe. Her most recent are The Golden Girls of MGM and The Golden Guys of MGM. She is listed in Who's Who of Women in the World and Contemporary Authors. Ms. Wayne resides in New York City.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Jr Books Ltd (June 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1906217947
• ISBN-13: 978-1906217945
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,060,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Jane Ellen Wayne is a Hack!!, April 7, 2009

By 

a viewer "a viewer" (antioch, tn United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life and Loves of Barbara Stanwyck (Hardcover)

Why would anyone want anything by this hack writer who is obssessed with Robert Taylor?? She wrote a book on Stanwyck back in the 1980s and it was schlock, full of errors and obviously meant to degrade and besmirch Stanwyck's name. Jane Ellen Wayne has no shame and if she can dare ask how one can review a book one hasn't read, well, the answer to that is: Just read ANY book by this hack and you will know how one can review a book without having read it. She gets all her sources from the tabloids, she doesn't have any primary sources to back up her ridiculous tabloid style of writing. Avoid anything by this woman at all costs. The GREAT BARBARA STANWYCK deserves better than anything by this evil, demented woman. The definitive STANWYCK biography has yet to be written and when and if it is written, it will NOT be Jane Ellen Wayne who wrote it!!

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting But Not Comprehensive, August 13, 2010

By 

Gail K. Powers "Abra" (Harbor Country, Mi,N. Naples, FL, Chicago area) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Life and Loves of Barbara Stanwyck (Hardcover)

I've read a couple of books on Barbara Stanwyk many years ago, so the basics based on my recollections seem consistent with the information this book supplies. That said, there were a few revelations in this account of Stanwyck's life pertaining to her first husband Frank Fay, her adopted son Dion Anthony Fay, and second husband Robert Taylor. Additionally, author Wayne attempts to debunk the myth that Robert Taylor was gay or had gay tendencies. Wayne also tends to approach the subject of Stanwyk's long alluded to lebian tendencies as inconclusive.
So why read this book/why did I like it? I thought it gave a pretty good rundown of Stanwyk's personal background, her career, and her personality. If you haven't read anything about Stanwyk before it's interesting and informative and provides some revelations. She was in many ways an uber-private person and quite an enigma as an actress who never had an acting lesson, wasn't particularly beautiful based on common perceptions of beauty, and was largely uneducated. This book is an essential primer for Stanwyk fans twenty years after her death.

3.0 out of 5 stars another mommie dearest, January 3, 2012

By 

Linda K. Walker - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Life and Loves of Barbara Stanwyck (Hardcover)

I have always admired Barbara Stanwyck's work in the movies though I was not a fan of the Big Valley. The book gives a good synopsis of her movies in cronological order while telling the story of her life. What I was surprised about was what a truely terrible mother she was. She did not abuse her adopted son, she just abandonded him at boarding schools and had no emothinal connection to him at all. Stella Dallas really was some great acting. Good photos.