Suicide Blonde: The Life of Gloria Grahame (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Written with deep sympathy, stage producer Curcio's biography evokes Grahame as a beautiful woman and talented actress doomed by her outre behavior. Although she distinguished herself professionally in such films as It's a Wonderful Life and The Bad and the Beautiful , Grahame courted scandalous gossip with four unsuitable marriages--one to the son of an ex-husband--and, as an argumentative performer, alienated even admiring directors. She underwent plastic surgery habitually, fixing nonexistent flaws. A trouper, she continued to act until her death from cancer in 198l, at age 57. The author's memories and quotes from those who knew Grahame combine in a poignant book. Photos not seen by PW .
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 319 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (October 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688067182
• ISBN-13: 978-0688067182
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #557,827 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "the manner of a schoolgirl & the eyes of a sorceress", March 27, 2005

By	Dave (Tennessee United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This is, as far as I know the only biography of Gloria Grahame, and once you start reading it you can't put it down! Her life and film career are explored in depth, using eyewitness accounts as well as Gloria's own words. Gloria Grahame is best remembered today for her awesome femme fatale roles in such classic noirs as "Crossfire", "In a Lonely Place", "Macao", "Sudden Fear", "The Big Heat", "Human Desire", "The Naked Alibi", and "Odds Against Tomorrow". In short, she was THE female icon of 1950s film noir, with a wonderful combination of sensuality and vulnerability in her screen characters.

While reading this book, I was very surprised to learn of Gloria's lifelong obsession with improving her appearance, and I had no idea about her many operations on her face (which was beautiful to begin with!). Obviously she suffered heavily from a lack of self-esteem, although she (usually) didn't let that interfere with her acting. Her troubled and often controversial marriages are explored in depth, although not in a degrading, National Enquirer-like manner. Much of the book covers Gloria's tough but ultimately futile fight against cancer, and I am simply amazed by the courage with which this talented actress faced this final battle of her often tragic life.

Gloria Grahame left this world far too early, but thanks to the popularity of film noir as well as her underated performances she will never be forgotten. She was a great actress and a very friendly person, and this book pays fitting tribute to her. My only complaint is that there is no filmography listed at the end of the book (although all her films ARE discussed in the book). Overall, I highly recommend this outstanding biography to any Gloria Grahame fan.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gone, but not Forgotten, April 7, 2007

By	faeriemyst "Book Addict" (Ohio) - See all my reviews

Gloria Grahame was an extraordinarily talented woman and actress. She lived a very interesting life, both on and off the screen. Her performances are as good or better than some of the most famous actresses of her time, and I think she deserves the same respect and recognition they have received.

Suicide Blonde is the only biography of Gloria Grahame that I have found. The back and forth style of writing, e.g. career life to home life, then back again, is not the kind of writing style that I normally enjoy. I got a little confused from time to time as to what films she was in at the time so and so happened in her life and then had to go back to try and figure it out. However, even with that said I can't find fault with either the content, which was very interesting to say the least, or how well written it was, especially the ending, which I found to be a beautifully written and moving piece.

All in all it was a great biography and I hope she is never forgotten.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A MOVIE STAR'S LIPS, September 29, 2008

By	Classic Hollywood Lives (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This biography should be subtitled "The Life and Times of Gloria Grahame's Lips," as first-time biographer Vincent Curcio spends the majority of the first 200 pages of this disjointed volume describing the movie actress's ever-changing lips more than her life, art, or career.

Even so, the author could have used Ms. Grahame's constant (and unnecessary) plastic surgery as a springboard to an insightful investigation into the woman's psychological make-up. Instead, Curcio simply glosses over this and other alarmingly bizarre behaviors with star-struck excuses.

While Ms. Grahame appears to be a fascinating figure, Curcio's book simply fails to illuminate. Written in a disconcerting train-of-thought style, it is nearly impossible to follow Grahame's personal and professional development. Quotations at times go on for pages - I found myself backtracking several times just to remind myself who was being quoted.

Overall one of the worst biographies I've ever read and definitely not worth the $30+ it is currently fetching.