Customer Reviews

So, You Want to be in Pictures: The Making Of Hollywood Idols

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Tommy Lightfoot Garrett- "So You Want To Be in Pictures". This book is a must for anybody who wants to be in pictures, or is just fascinated by the whole 'celebrity' culture. The knowledge and first hand account that Tommy has of the celebrities is amazing. Tommy gives very objective and honest accounts of the stars, and with such integity. One really feels like they are stepping into the celebities lives just for a moment. Tommy gives the book an even personlised feel, by displayed autographed pictures of the Stars.
This boot is particularly insightful for the 'younger' person who isn't too familiar with the 'greats' of yesteryear. The book is very easy to read, and a must for anyone interseted in Hollywood.

"So You Want To Be In Pictures", by Tommy Lightfoot Garrett, is a book every classic movie buff should own! I never read a book the second time, but this is one book I will! I have the pleasure of living in the same small town he mentions in the book, and the pleasure of having him as a dear friend. In knowing him, I can tell you, that reading his book is like talking to him, and having him share his experiences with these stars. He writes like he talks, and what you come away with after you read this book, is an understanding of the lives of the stars, and an understanding of how much this author cares about what he writes! From his late night e-mails, I know the hours and hard work he put into this book and his newly released book, "The Making of Hollywood Stars". Tommy loves what he does, and it's apparent in every aspect of his books. He wanted this book to be as "timeless" as the stars themselves. Twenty, thirty years from now, this book will be just as interesting to people who love classic movies and the stars that made them, as it is today, because it's movie history. I listen to Tommy's Australian Radio Show every week. By listening, I have learned so many things about the old stars and their movies, that makes their "larger than life" images on the screen, come to life on a human level. This is a writer who really cares about the stars as people, and who really cares about the things he writes about them! You will treasure this book, as much as I treasure the Author....

Tommy Garrett's writing style is wonderful and he is so close to his stories and the people in his books that the problem becomes putting his books down. This is another great Garrett read and one that I'd recommend to anyone interested in the movies and tv. He knows the people he writes about and has so much experience as a Hollywood insider that his stories come to life as you read them. But be prepared to read it more than once; I was afraid I'd miss something I went through it so fast!

I have just finished reading Thomas Garrett's brilliantly written book; thus from cover to cover Tommy Garrett has used his many years of knowledge of the classics to capture the vintage stars struggles and triumphs. Tommy has put the "C" back in celebrity, showing us that the vintage stars were always classy both in front of the screen and in the public eye, but they had their problems, a lot of them. Now we are lucky enough to peep into their hidden world, a place of heart aches, failures, and all in all the truth that they are only human too, just like the rest of us. This book is purely a work of art. Two thumbs up, Tommy, GREAT job!

For all of us who have ever loved the silver screen, Tommy Garrett has surely added a lustrous new dimension. Rarely does one read a book on this subject with such genuiness and such insight. Indeed, with each page one feels a personal attachment with the real people that we have only known on that screen. Now we know them so much better.

It's the details, it's the personal knowledge, it's the real humanity that Tommy has and has given us that sets his work so thoroughly apart. Reading his book is often more like having a conversation than just purely reading - one feels included and involved. It even gives us the thrill of being a bit of the insider. But best of all is the understanding Tommy gives of the real world in which these idyllic people lived and struggled. Now we'll simply have to go back and watch the films again armed with the gifted insight of this book. Thank you Tommy for sharing your world with such unique talent.

Mr. Garrett has written a winner that's a must-read for anyone who's a true fan of classic movies, television and celebrities. Tommy's tome is filled with a plentitude of fascinating facts and inside information that will please the serious vintage film fan, and enough dish to please the casual fan as well. I just finished this first in a planned series of four books and am already looking forward to the second one.

Tommy L Garrett has done it again! "So you want to be in Pictures" traces the careers of some of Hollywood's finest. Mr. Garrett is somehow able to show a fresh side of these beloved stars, all of whom have been written about many times before. He clearly will not settle for mundane and trivial information, instead treating the reader to a new perspective to may familiar faces. At the same time, there is no hint of exploitation here, just a man who clearly cares for some any who gave so much. At the same time, Mr. Garrett is not afraid to mention the flaws that make these stars who they are. Think you know all there is to know about The Duke? Guess again. My favorite section, entitled, Triple Threat, seamlessly links of the careers of Deanna Durbin, Judy Garland and Jane Powell, three prolific actresses. This book is perfect reading for the bed stand and would be a great companion for any movie buff to peruse between reruns of the classics. Thanks Tommy! I can't wait for the next book!

Tommy Garrett did an outstanding job when he wrote this book. Unfortunately, his publishing company apparently has no one on their staff who is capable of editing anything that is written in the English language.

There are many redundancies, many misspelled words and paragraphs that seem to be transposed making it difficult to read some chapters. I'm not certain that Mr. Garrett had/has the ability to take issue with the publisher with regard to this egregious practice but I think if I were him, I would look for another publisher.

So, You Want to be in Pictures...
What can I say? If you've ever heard Tommy Garret on Australian Radio, then you know that he is truly the answer man where Hollywood is concerned. I have heard his program and am astounded by his encyclopedic and up to date knowledge regarding those who give their lives to the motion picture industry. I don't know of anyone else, in possession of this caliber of Hollywood insight.

This book took me quite a while to read... not because it wasn't interesting, rather the opposite. I found myself with pen in hand, writing down films I now must see, as a result of the many personal insights Tommy brings to the reader.

Page after page, I was left with I never knew that moments and felt that I really was learning about the stars as people. The author has obviously met some of our most treasured film icons and his personal encounters fill paragraphs with one of a kind anecdotes.

Ever wish you could find a star from days gone by and then pull up a chair at their kitchen table for a candid chat? This book has moments like this for me. On the flip side, I never knew about the personal trials between stars. Never understood the hierarchy, or for lack of a better description, the pecking order of the silver screen and television. It's obvious to even the casual reader like myself, that Tommy understands what they have given up and gained as screen actors while finding their desired level among their fellows.

After reading this book, I don't look at the stars the same as before, now, they are more complete in my understanding and I see beyond the screen persona. To understand them, is to comprehend a great deal about our own ever changing culture in the arts. Tommy takes the reader back to what's important and even what's lost on today's pop-culture driven entertainment industry.

Get this book if you truly want to understand what the movie industry does to its stars and what they do for the masses that have grown up with pre-disposed ideas about them. Now, after having read this wonderful book, I have a list of movies I simply have to see again and in some cases, for the first time. Thank you Tommy Lightfoot Garret!

Amazing

REVIEW FOR TOMMY LIGHTFOOT GARRETT'S "SO YOU WANT TO BE IN PICTURES, THE MAKING OF HOLLYWOOD IDOLS" BOOK



SUBMITTED BY TEMPERANCE GOODY



They just won't go away, will they? We move on, our lives are crowded with all their current replacements, but we can't get them out of our minds, and in many cases, our hearts.

They are the old movie stars, the ones who peopled the old silver screen, the glittering stars we stared up at in the dark, hour after endlessly happy hour in the double features, cartoons and news included, watching their passions and joys, sorrows, horrors, crimes and problems.

We're lucky. Really lucky. We don't have to just recall those old films, because Author Tommy Garrett has put together a remarkable book (we hope the first of many) where he chronicles the lives of so many of "those who went before" and we cannot stop reading. The old stars, some of whom are still with us, are talked about in an easy breezy way by Mr. Garrett and we find ourselves engaged in a conversation with him about these people he loves and respects. After all, Tommy knows and knew many of them, and he treats them all fairly and with a clean honesty. This is not sleazy tabloid stuff; this is a solid history book, the history of American film, films that greatly influenced America (and the world) from the 1920s on up. Tommy Garrett shows us that the hard, hard work put forth by these neophyte actors, most of them straight out of vaudeville or off any stage anywhere gave today's actors and actresses the huge salaries, great working conditions, rights, privileges and the very good lives they live and enjoy today. They owe it all to the blood sweat and tears of the great actors and actresses of the good old days. We are left wondering if they realize that.

Mr. Garrett's book grabs, even before the biographies begin. His teasing introductions give the reader much information, but not enough to keep us from devouring the pages. The remarks sent over by his Australian "boss" TV and Radio personality Ernie Sigley (Tommy is his favorite star) tell us that Tommy's weekly appearances on his radio show are Australia's most wanted.

Mr. Garrett's most moving tribute to our women and men in Afghanistan and Iraq at the start of this book is genuinely heartfelt, words written by this very learned man who deeply cares about these people in our military.

Now lest you think this book of Mr. Garrett's is written only about filmdom's dearly departed, you'd be wrong. His tributes to the very much alive Constance Towers Gavin, Debbie Reynolds, Ann Blyth, Lena Horne, Ruta Lee, Tab Hunter, Doris Day amongst many others, are lively, funny and most au courant. He lets us feel as if they are our good friends, too.

Perhaps one of the finest things about this remarkable book is the fact that while Mr. Garrett really dishes the dirt, it's never "dirt" in the negative, painful sense. Mr. Garrett is not on any big vendetta quest to hurt or embarrass anyone. He tells it the way it is; he has wonderful stories about these stars, many of which he himself were part of. He gently removes these people from the firmaments and makes them human --- perhaps a bit different from the rest of us, but very human nonetheless.

The photos, most of which are his, signed over to him with love, are scattered about the short, sharp biographies in interesting non-patterns, holding the reader's attention, satisfying our need to stare at length at those astonishing faces and figures. No great clumps of photos stuck in the middle of this book; no, they appear suddenly and surprisingly all through the texts making us know these people around which so many of our film memories whirl; Kate Hepburn, Bob Hope, Henry Fonda, Boris Karloff, John Wayne, and these only scratch the surface. And one of the best things about Mr. Garrett's book is that these bios are short and punchy, giving us just enough information to satisfy. We do not have to labor through long biographical tomes beginning at the stars' first squals in the delivery room.

Fear not readers. If you do not see your favorite stars of yesteryear (or even your current favorites,) just wait a while. Tommy Garrett has plans for many more books, all filled with fascinating tales of these glittering people we all still love and can't forget, all filled with their beautiful photos. Imagine! You will love reading this first book and all the while you're doing that, you'll be yearning for all the next ones. Mr. Tommy Lightfoot Garrett will not disappoint. Keep reading! And reading!



TEMPERANCE GOODY