Russ Columbo: The Amazing Life and Mysterious Death of a Hollywood Singing Legend [Paperback]

Lou Miano (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2001 | ISBN-10: 0967797012 | ISBN-13: 978-0967797014 | Edition: 1st

This is the amazing untold story of Hollywood singing legend Russ Columbo, his life and unusual death on the street of dreams. Told against a backdrop of the volatile entertainment industry of the 1920's and 30's, when movies began to talk and radio broadcasting was rapidly approaching its zenith, author Lou Miano thoroughly explores Russ Columbo's extraordinary career in great detail and within the historic context of those uncertain times of the Great Depression.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Silver Tone Publications; 1st edition (May 2001)
• ISBN-10: 0967797012
• ISBN-13: 978-0967797014
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,552,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gratitude, June 4, 2003

By 

Salvatore Vincent (Lake Ariel, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Russ Columbo: The Amazing Life and Mysterious Death of a Hollywood Singing Legend (Paperback)

When moving from one NYC apartment to another, my late brothers record collection and phonograph were destroyed This was 1935 and WW2 had not yet pulled us out of the depression, so these items could not be replaced. When my brother returned from the ETO he showed no interest in replacing those items till in 1947 he heard Perry Coimo's hit recording of Columbo's song " Prisoner of love." He began to regale me with tales of the Columbo legend, I was a Sinatra fan at the time { The high school chicks expected that.} so I didnt show much interest until I heard the older guys debating the merits of the Sinatra/Crosby "Battle". One of the guys said If Russ Columbo hadnt died he would bew the Bing Crosby of today. This began a decades search, by interview, on Russ until Mr. Miano's book came out I had gotten a lot of conflicting facts. Now i had documented proof and was able to dismiss a lot of hersay. I was so impressed with this book that I sent a copy to Tony Martin. { That singer was thought at one time to portray Russ in a boi. movie.}Srangely enough a later book seemed to resurrect all the erroneous tales I had heard before.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars russ Columbo: Lou Miano's time capsule, July 23, 2001

By 

G. F. Mcvey "musicmac" (Newton, Massachusetts United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Russ Columbo: The Amazing Life and Mysterious Death of a Hollywood Singing Legend (Paperback)

Mr. Lou Miano has done an excellent job in documenting and producing a highly readable book which should satisfy all of Russ Columbo's fans as well as aficionados of the Hollywood and New York vaudeville and theater scenes of the 1930's. Without the sentimentality one would normally anticipate in such a commemorative book, Miano sets forth a colorful tapestry for his reporting of Russ's family background, his parents, siblings, his education, and youthful ambitions. Their ethnicity, struggles, familial losses, uprooting, and personal sacrifice are so effectively portrayed that one develops an intimacy with the Columbo family. Similarly, the minutely detailed descriptions of Russ's early and later struggles and successes in New York and Hollywood, most effectively aided by copious photographs, copies of personal and business letters, playbills, theater posters, film frames and all sorts of priviledged documentation, creates a three-dimensionality that the book makes one feel like "they were there with Russ."

Miano lets the material tell the story. He rarely interjects personal opinions or insights that one would expect from a less honest biographer. But he makes sure that he includes quotes from Russ or his associates which address and settle questions that the reader may have. For example, as a music collector I have had two questions regarding Russ's singing and his orchestra; "were the humming verses he employed derived in any way from his experience as a violinist?" While Miano reports that his fans enjoyed these highly creative flourishes, he makes no effort to explain their derivation. Instead, he more effectively employ's a quote from Russ himself who confirms that he used the violin obligato parts for his vocal excursions.

The second item that always bothered me was the apparent anonymity of the personnel in his great dance band coupled by their great sound, arrangements, and dance beat. I checked the expert sources for such information, i.e., Albert McCarthy's book "The Dance Band Era" (a picture of Russ but no mention of his orchestra at all). Next I check with Brian Rust's discography "American Dance Bands"...again not even a mention. Mr. Miano comes to the rescue here with a complete identification of that orchestra's personnel (which included Jimmy McPartland, Benny Goodman, and Gene Krupa among other notables...and twin pianos) no wonder the reviewers and dancers alike raved about this band...again information provided by Miano. Imagine the dance beat that Krupa and two pianos would generate! I hopt that Brian Rust gets to read Miano's book and makes the appropriate additions to his highly regarded discography.

This book is so full of so many important details and so devoid of wasteful "fluff" that the reader will come away richly rewarded by gaining a new intimacy with Russ, his films and recordings via two great discographies (these alone are worth the book's price).

I could go on but I will just be keeping you from picking up your copy and immersing yourselves in this worthwhile book. Upon completing this book I predict that you will be as impressed as I was with the fact that Russ Columbo accomplished so much in his short 26 years. Clearly the substance put together in this book by Miano justifies this impression.

Finally, I hope that Jim Bedoian of TAKE TWO RECORDS gets to read this book and becomes inspired to produce a second CD covering Russ's commercial recordings, transcriptions, air checks, etc., that were not contained on either his first CD or the ASV CD.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars At Long Last!, August 2, 2001

By 

Thomas Bumbera (Maplewood, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Russ Columbo: The Amazing Life and Mysterious Death of a Hollywood Singing Legend (Paperback)

The colorful story of the rapid rise and tragic early death of fabled singer-bandleader-composer Russ Columbo makes for fascinating reading. Lou Miano has done a first-rate job of researching the crooner's career, in the process shedding light on the early days of network radio, as well as records and film. Conspiracy buffs may be disappointed in the debunking of rumors surrounding Columbo's bizarre accidental death, but those interested in showbiz history will be pleased with this well-illustrated book. Columbo fans will be ecstatic that, at long last, a thorough examination of his life and work is available.