Norma: The Story of Norma Shearer [Hardcover]

Lawrence J. Quirk (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This is the latest of Quirk's many books ( Claudette Colbert , Bette Davis et al.) on Hollywood in its heyday, when the stars really glittered, none more brightly than Norma Shearer. Thoroughly researched, the biography describes her life from her birth in Montreal in 1900 until her death at age 83. Refuting the arguments that the actress owed her triumphs to her first husband, Irving Thalberg, head of MGM, the author includes informed critiques of her memorable performances. He also emphasizes Shearer's successes after Thalberg's death at age 37, as well as the business sense that left her in control of the couple's stock in the studio. When she retired in 1942, the actress had made an enviable reputation as the incomparable, elegantly sexy character of such major films as The Barretts of Wimpole Street , A Free Soul , Escape , The Women and others. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 278 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (June 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312017987
• ISBN-13: 978-0312017989
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,353,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, March 29, 2004

By 

Frederick A. Bristol "Fabj" (Madison, WIUSA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Norma: The Story of Norma Shearer (Hardcover)

I must say this is very interesting. Having read the other books on Norma I find this one very good but not terribly in depth. He seems to talk a lot about the people around her and what they were going through. I do like how he uses actual reviews, interviews and dialogue to make his many points. I am glad I found this book cheap and can now complete my Norma Shearer collection. It is a great addition to any collector or movie buff.

7 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ENTERTAINING AND TELLING, February 23, 2001

By 

Fernando Silva "fedo" (Santiago de Chile.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Norma: The Story of Norma Shearer (Hardcover)

IT'S AN ENTERTAINING, TELLING AND ACCURATE VIEW OF THE LIFE AND CAREER OF A FORGOTTEN FIRST MAGNITUDE STAR OF THE 1930'S (MGM's FIRST LADY OF THE SCREEN), ALTHOUGH LATELY IT'S BECOME A TREND TO RE-EVALUATE HER CAREER, OVERLOOKED FILMS AND UNDERRATED PERFORMANCES. GREATLY RECOMMENDED FOR ANY FILM BUFF.

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great biography, September 4, 2001

By 

Rosella Ann Myles - See all my reviews

This review is from: Norma: The Story of Norma Shearer (Hardcover)

I just recently read this book on the beautiful and talented actress Norma Shearer. I learned a lot about her life and career. I highly recommend this book, to any fan of hers, or of classic films. There are many lovely photos of her in it as well.