Rock Hudson: His Story [Hardcover]

Rock Hudson (Author), Sara Davidson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1986

Written at Rock Hudson's request and with the cooperation of his closest friends, this is the definitive portrait of one of Hollywood's most enduring stars.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I've always been a private person. I've never wanted to write a book, I've never let my house be photographed, and I've never let the public know what I really think. Now that's changed--there's a lot I want to say and not too much time left. I want the truth to be told, because it sure as hell hasn't been told before. So I've asked those who know me best--my real friends--to work with Sara Davidson in telling my story." -- Rock Hudson --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Sara Davison is author of bestselling novels Cowboy and Loose Change. A journalist, novelist, screenwriter and radio host, she has earned a reputation as a social observer who does cutting edge pieces about the way we live. Her articles have appeared in Harper's, Esquire, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone and The New York Times. In television, she created two drama series, "Jack and Mike," and "Heart Beat," which ran on A.B.C. "Heart Beat" was the first ensemble of women on television who had no male boss above them, and featured the first lesbian character. She was later co-executive producer of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman," wrote hundreds of hours of drama episodes, movies and miniseries, and in 1994 was nominated for a Golden Globe. She's been a guest on national television shows such as "The Today Show," "Larry King Live" and "Sixty Minutes," and she conducts interviews and does commentary on public radio.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 311 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (July 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553179624
• ISBN-13: 978-0688064723
• ASIN: 0688064728
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,218,277 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The Definitive Rock Hudson Biography", May 18, 2010

By 

Terry Richard "Terry Richard" (Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Rock Hudson: His Story (Paperback)

Rock Hudson will always be remembered as one of Hollywood's larger-than-life stars. When you think of Tinsletown and its stars in its heydey you think of Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Clark Gable, Mae West, and Rock, people who not only had long careers on the silver screen, but individuals who had a certain mystic to them, a mystery if you will. A lot of this was because most of these stars didn't do a lot of interviews so this added to the public's thirst in trying to oncover what these stars were about, who they slept with, what they ate, how they thought, and what made them tick. Rock Hudson was probably the most private of all Hollywood stars. He rarely if ever gave interviews, both in print and on television, and he even went so far as to never having his home photographed. Perhaps it was the fact that he was homosexual that he insisted in keeping his life private, but the result was he became an even bigger star because the audience didn't know the real him.
When Rock was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in July, 1985, he knew the media would swarm on him and his name like vultures, so he decided to finally write a book about his life to give the public the knowledge of who Rock Hudson was. This book is not a tell-all if that is what your looking for. Instead it is an honest and brave account of an actor who made it in Hollywood as one of the greatest male stars of all-time while living a closeted gay life. With author Sara Davidson, Rock discusses how he was discovered, his move to Hollywood, the films he made, the relationships he had with both male and female friends, and his ultimate discovery that he was sick and his attempt to hide it. Close personal friends like Doris Day and Susan Saint James are interviewed and they add their own personal insights on Rock and their love for him. The most touching part of the book is when Rock writes how he knew it was time to write "the book" to set the record straight as his time on earth was not long. The message in this book is abundantly clear; people who are inflicted with HIV are victims of a dreadful disease, a message Rock managed to get through in these pages months before his death.
All proceeds from "Rock Hudson: His Story" have been donated to AIDS research.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Rock Hudson: His Story, December 19, 2011

By 

Skip - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Rock Hudson: His Story (Kindle Edition)

Well, he was certainly a different person on the screen than in real life! I found the book to be very tiring and repetitive characterizing his constant playful antics and drinking. His love life or affairs were his own business. The book allows us a look into the Hollywood scene and the control of the movie business over their "stars" which we already know. One cannot help but feel sorry for Rock at the end of his life, it was a sad ending and I was glad when I finished reading the book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rock Hudson, November 26, 2011

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WingsandRings - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Rock Hudson: His Story (Paperback)

I don't generally read biographies or memoirs by (or about) celebrities, but after having a Rock Hudson/Doris Day film festival with my mother, I couldn't help but be charmed by Rock Hudson and wanted to know more about him. He died when I was just 1 year old, so I knew nothing about him before this book except that he was secretly gay and that he died of AIDS.

First, let me say that it seems like the author of the book did an incredibly thorough job researching. When she had to get information from someone other than Hudson, she always said who it was from, and if she received conflicting accounts, she described them both along with their reasons for their POVs.

Even wading through all the interviews, second- and third-hand sources, drama, lawsuits, etc, Rock Hudson's charm still shines through. It's obvious that although he was a very private man, even to those he was closest to, he was also someone who loved fun and laughter and never took life too too seriously. The number of people who mentioned laughing with him until they couldn't breathe is astounding. (It's also hard not to fall a little in love with Hudson's oldest Hollywood friends, George Nader and Mark Miller, who seem like two of the most decent, honest, good-hearted people ever to grace L.A. It makes me feel a little bad -- almost -- that 3 of George Nader's movies were on MST3K.)

The drama surrounding his AIDS diagnosis and the revelation of this to the public was also fascinating for someone like me, whose grew up with the idea of HIV as a fatal disease and watched it slowly change to a chronic illness as medication and understanding has improved. It's hard to remember just how little was known or understood in 1985 -- indeed, the initials "HIV" are never used in this book, only AIDS.

Recommended to anyone who enjoyed Rock Hudson's films.