Customer Reviews

Peekaboo: The Story of Veronica Lake

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I have the original hardcover edition of this book published in 1983 and it is one of the worst biographies I have ever read. It was virtually co-authored by Veronica's grasping stage-mother who used her as a meal ticket and who also sued her for support once the money dried up. Miss Lake's real problem was alcohol and this book's dubious (and central) theme that she was a paranoid schizophrenic does not seem based on medical fact. The authors provide no proof of this 'diagnosis' -- only hearsay -- with Veronica's redoubtable mother as the only reference. The real truth about this beautiful, tragic actress who was more sinned against than sinning remains to be told, and sadly, may never be. Miss Lake's own autobiography "Veronica", while glossing over a lot, gives a much better sense of her as a person -- flawed, alcoholic, but seeking only love and peace of mind in a much less enlightened world than today.

Jeff Lenburg, the author of this horrific tome, dedicates his book to: Constance "Veronica" Marios, Veronica's absolutely terrible mother (her comments and interviews make up a great deal of the "misinformation" about Ms. Lake. In the first place, Veronica Lake could NOT possibly have been a "paranoid schizophrenic" as the author (and mother) claim: no one with that level of mental illness could possibly remember lines; perform in any way before a camera; much less create an "image" which her studio bosses at Paramount Studios embraced. In additon, someone with illness of this type (during the time frame when Ms. Lake was alive), would have been subjected to shock therapy (the strong psychiatric drugs were not developed until much later (early 1950's); if Veronica had any kind of mental illness, it is much more likely that she was possibly a manic-depressive (many people with THIS diagnois have in the past, prior to the drug, lithium, utilized alchol to keep them "level" between the highs and lows of their condition. This author takes the position that Veronica drank simply for the sake of drinking--if she had been a paranoid schizophrenic, she would probably put herself into a catonic state and never could have performed in any movie, or done any of the later work which she continually attempted after leaving her movie career. Instead of reading THIS book, try to find the autobiography of "Veronica" written by Veronica Lake with Donald Bain, published in 1977 by The Citadel Press. A reading of this book supports the many inaccurate "statements" put into "Peekaboo" that obviously the author and her estranged mother (her mother not only sued Veronica during one of her most financially difficult situations in Hollywood, this "stage mother" did not even attend her only daughter's funeral -- apparently no one did, except her son Michael. If any more pertinent information relating to Veronica could have been given in "Peekaboo" it should have been supplied by her surviving children (although Veronica did not have the usual maternal relationships with them, as her "career" and unfortunate choice of husband(s) (as the old standard goes, "she looked for love in all of the wrong places")-- but the reader is advised to by-pass this book completely, and try to find a copy (libraries use inter-loan procedures, or one can purchase a "used and out-of print" copy of the much more "accurate" autobiography. As I have read both books, I can promise anyone who has seen any of Ms. Lake's movies, and seen the levels of her performances, the information contained in "Peekaboo" is extermely inaccurate at best. Ms. Lake's story is extremely sad at best; as another reviewer remarked: where were the residuals (apparently, Veronica did not have adequate managerial or financial advisors); however, one would think that she would have been given SOME type of support from the Hollywood System (unfortunately, she did not have a support-system network in Hollywood during the time she worked there, except some minor acting characters -- but it is important to note, the she attempted to keep on working in television(as an actress; a hostess for classic films); tried her hand at the stage (most of these ventures were of the summer-stock variety, but at least she persisted -- and these activities took place during the various stages of her alcoholism. Hers is a cautionary tale, and best told through her autobiography (the earlier book referred above) than to this shoddy and erroneous depiction of Ms. Lake written by Jeff Lenburg--in fact, it is the MOST hateful "biography" I have ever had the displeasure to read about any Hollywood "star. By all means, AVOID this book by Jeff Lenburg at ALL costs, and search for the earlier out-of-print "autobiography" instead.

Jeff Lenburg's Peekaboo is a one of the few books written exclusively on the subject of the actress Veronica Lake, the other notable book being the, long out of print, autobiography Veronica. The style of the writing is unfortunately over-sensationalised at every turn. There is a definite leaning towards the downbeat and difficulties encountered by the young Constance Keane who would become one of the IT girls of her generation. This does tarnish the books feel somewhat but if you are a fan of Veronica Lake or of the 40's Hollywood scene, as depicted in LA Confidential this is a book for you.

I'm a long standing fan of Constance Keane's movies and material on "Veronica Lake" is exceedingly hard to find. So on the upside this book is exclusively about her, it does cover some interesting interviews and personal notes from the people who knew her and has some very nice photographs (all be it poorly reprinted in this edition.)

Known for her trade mark hairstyle, The Peek-a-boo Bang, Veronica Lake captured the imagination of the 30's and 40s cinema going public. Her work in the ground-breaking early film noir movies, "This Gun for Hire" & "The Blue Dahlia", still stand-up well today. Along with her comedy roles in films like "Sullivan's Travels" and "I Married a Witch".

This book is a must for Noir movie fans and people who like a biography with tragedy at its heart, a worth while addition to your reading list.

Veronica Lake must have started out as a child who was distrustful, insecure, and not comfortable with others. At the urgings of her mother, she went to Hollywood. She became the IT girl of the film noir period based upon her photogenic fragile beauty, an accident with her hair that gave her a special look, and her acting ability. She then became an alcoholic. She had several bad marriages, a nervous breakdown, and she proved herself to be a very poor parent. At the height of her popularity, the Hollywood system was paying her $150 per week. Then she made $5000 per week for several more years until her popularity faded, and she was dropped by the studio. One of her husbands spent most of the money, and she died penniless of hepatitis at a relatively early age.

Her mother reported that Veronica had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia as a child. Unfortunately, the author continuously blames every problem or failure on this supposed illness. For example, an actor has to lift Veronica up in front of the camera. Perhaps as a prank, she has forty pounds of ballast sewn into her dress to make herself heavier. The author interprets this as a vengeful trick that a paranoid, schizophrenic Veronica used in order to get even with the other actor. In the book, there is hardly an action that is not seen as a result of the supposed illness. Published after Veronica's death, the book relies heavily on interviews with the mother. The mother was very controlling, and had previously sued Veronica for support payments.

In spite of the above comments, you can get an excellent sense of Veronica Lake as a person. This is the main purpose of a biography, and it accomplishes that well. The only other book published exclusively on Veronica Lake is the autobiography "Veronica" which is no longer in print. As such, this is a valuable and useful book for anyone interested in Veronica Lake. She is best known for "Sullivan's Travels", several Alan Ladd pictures including "This Gun For Hire", and for "I Married A Witch". The title of the book refers to her hairstyle in which her hair hung down over one eye.

I'm happy (and puzzled) that this text is coming back out. Lenburg's biography is informational, and perhaps best read alongside Lake's out-of-print autobiography. You won't find the "real" Veronica in either, but the differences between the two accounts are instructive. Both are written for a popular audience, mass-market, both participate giddily in the "tell-all" variety of maintenance/ construction of Lake as a Hollywood icon and "fallen star." However, Lenburg seems to want to blame everything negative that happened to Veronica on a report from her mother that as a child she was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Lake's mother was at one time involved in a bitter lawsuit with her daughter, and the circumstances surrounding the "diagnosis" are fuzzy at best, yet Lenburg accepts it as truth and keeps coming back to it as his "primal scene." It's the "hysterical woman" all over again, and an interesting read despite itself, to see how pervasive that motif is in popular culture.

I knew very little about Veronica before I read this book and now I feel like I understand her a lot better. She was a flawed person and the author does not try to sugarcoat her life. He gives us all the details from her childhood, her rise to fame, her marriages, her battles with alcohol and mental illness, to her tragic end. Her mother was the main source for the book and maybe her memories are tainted but there's also a lot of Veronica's own words in here. There are quite a few unpublished photos too. This book has definitely made me a fan of Veronica and I hope more people read it to learn about her tragic story.

This book is a pretty thorough account of the depressing life of Veronica Lake. Lenberg interviewed her mother, and several co-stars, but none of her children or husbands. I don't know how accurate it is (I wasn't there), but he scuppers one or two rumours, such as Lake having to change her hair during the war because women across the country were copying her and getting it caught in machinery - that was a myth from the publicity dept. Lake really was tragic, but also self-pitying (she had four failed marriages, not three, as it says in the description, and the secret abortion was pretty grim - she didn't want the baby, so she jumped off a table; the baby arrived prematurely, and died seven days later). I can't look at her in I Married a Witch or Sullivan's Travels in the same way, so if you idolise Veronica Lake, and want to go on doing so, steer clear. On a different point: the typesetting in the book is terrible. There are syntax errors and mis-spellings on almost every page (the words "of her" is always written "other" etc). Cover photo is fantastic, though.

I admit up front that I didn't read this entire book. I picked it up at the hairdresser, and I tried to read it to kill some time. I wanted to like it, because the other choice was Highlights Magazine. Sadly, this book was so awful I went with the kid's mag. I had to warn others not to waste a penny on this book.

As an example of lousy & baseless writing: "Connie didn't realize her mother's critical remarks were intended to build character." This is clearly the result of a therapeutic whine session with the mother who sued her own daughter because she was too lazy to support herself. At another point, Lake made friends with some woman named Rita, and the writer jumps to the conclusion that Rita mixed with schizophrenia "may have invoked deviant sexual activity." What? I may go to the moon, but it is unlikely.

It's also rather pathetic to call someone schizophrenic after they've passed and can't defend themselves, with no medical documentation to back the claim and only a shrewish stage mom to provide any insight into the matter. Bottom line, pitiful, slanderous book and a waste of even a nickel.

I've just re-read Jeff Lenburg's Peekaboo, and was reminded how disappointing this book is. It relies far too heavily on Veronica Lake's mother, whose exploitive and tawdry behavior towards her daughter make her assertions suspect at best. There are some interesting anecdotes from co-workers, but the author's fan-magazine-style narrative provides no analytical depth or insight; it also borrows liberally from Veronica's own autobiography (far superior to Peekaboo, and recommended). Any legitimate biography provides detailed notes and sources regarding factual content and quotations - Lenburg only lists the people he interviewed on an "acknowledgements" page. Given the pitiful amount of printed information about Veronica Lake, Peekaboo is possibly better than nothing, but it's subject deserves far better.
If only a first-rate biographer such as A. Scott Berg or David Stenn had essayed this fascinating and sad life, I'm sure all of Miss Lake's fans would have been exultant and grateful.

I will keep this short and sweet. This book reads like it was written by a junior high school student trying to psychoanalyze an adult subject. These ridiculous assertions that if you are ie: withdrawn or depressed that you are a paranoid schizophrenic. Not to say that paranoid schizophrenics can't show some of these signs. Anyway, please don't waste your time on this junk.