In the '40s and '50s, the bold, breathtaking glamour girls who stepped into the spotlight were a special group, almost magical, and they captured the imagination of men (and the secret admiration of women) like never before. In this book, more than 100 of these women are profiled, including Mamie Van Doren, Betty Brosmer, Jayne Mansfield, and Blaze Starr. Photos, many in color.
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Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Described by the publisher as "the first truly comprehensive account tracing... the careers of the most fetchingly beautiful ...women from the worlds of film and TV, pin-up modeling, and burlesque during the age of glamour girls," this work both documents and contributes to the exploitation of women. Details of the lives and careers of over 100 women are presented, including substantial lists of their movie and magazine appearances. Sullivan, touted as a "recognized expert on the subject of glamour girls," certainly has done considerable research and is a literate writer. He seems to want to have it both ways, however, commenting occasionally on the tawdriness, egotism, and self-exploitation of some of his subjects but relying heavily on titillating and frequently puerile anecdotes and quotations and a narrative couched in a worshipful tone, with repeated emphasis on the subjects' bust size. Ink is spilled debating such issues as the color of Jayne Mansfield's bathing suit during a particular publicity stunt and whether it was one- or two-piece. The publisher claims that "over 200 rare and classic photos" are included, almost all emphasizing the subjects' breasts, including at least two dozen shots in which they are bare. Research libraries that collect documentation of the sexual exploitation of women (even without sophisticated analysis), absolutely comprehensive collections on the entertainment industry, or libraries that seek to provide materials for breast fetishists should consider purchase. Not recommended for general film or entertainment collections, as sufficient, more critical biographical information on the truly important actresses who are included is available elsewhere.?Rob Melton, Univ. of Kansas Libs., Lawrence
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Of The Glamour Girls,
By
This review is from: Va Va Voom!: Bombshells, Pin-Ups, Sexpots and Glamour Girls (Paperback)
This book is a must for anyone who longs for the glory days of the hollywood bombshell. It features stars, pin-up girls, and strippers from the 1940's to 1960's. Each woman has a complete biography that includes the films she was in, the magazines she appeared in, and any other relevant media in which one might be interested. The author has even gone to the trouble of letting you know who was still alive at the time of printing which is something I always wonder about when I'm reading up on famous faces of the past. The book is chock full of pictures in both color and black and white. The book is very beautiful and quite informative.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book is how I "discovered" Bettie Page,
By "jaguar_james" (North Little Rock, AR United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Va Va Voom!: Bombshells, Pin-Ups, Sexpots and Glamour Girls (Paperback)
Being 41 years old now, I missed the majority of these women when they were in their heyday. But this is the book which introduced me to Bettie Page back in 1998. She is the cream of the crop. I didn't know who she was before I picked up this book, but now I am hooked for life. Nice reference book with detailed biographies. I recommend this highly. It's a classy and well done.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great for fans of Bombshells and good for Jayne Mansfield fans,
By Hillary Mansfield (USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Va Va Voom!: Bombshells, Pin-Ups, Sexpots and Glamour Girls (Paperback)
Few have covered the era of the pin-up as interestingly as Steve Sullivan. This
book puts a history and personality behind some of the classic glamour girls of the 50s and 60s. He covers everyone from movie bombshells, to pin-up models, to the burlesque performers. Each featured woman has an in-depth biography as well as a sizeable list of their film and pictorial career. The women with the largest amount of ink devoted to them are Marilyn Monroe, Bettie Page and Jayne Mansfield. Other women featured in this book include Mamie Van Doren (the cover girl), Julie Newmar, Bunny Yeager, Sophia Loren, Tempest Storm, Lil St. Cyr and Brigitte Bardot. The Jayne Mansfield chapter: First of all this is a good introduction to Jayne for the new Jayne fan. Despite little inaccuracies such as the wrong birthday, the misspelling of Jayne's middle name (it's JaYne not Jane, I have a copy of her birth certificate) and confusion around the type of bathing suit(s) she wore to the Underwater! premiere, this is a decent biography. Where we seem to get off track in the bio, as well as the bios of the many other women in the book, is that the author becomes annoying and redundant when trying to decipher 'why' Jayne or the subject was famous. The book is also rather self righteous with it's findings of supposed surveys of international cinema and glamour girl fans. Indeed, this is something the writer--Mr. Sullivan seems to be partly obsessed with is surveys. He runs several YAHOO! groups where he does nothing but run surveys of famous women. Supposedly he is compiling information for another book. We'll see. But back to THIS book, written by an obviously straight man, we are forced to sit through paragraphs and paragraphs of ink concentrating on Jayne's breast size in comparison to the sizes of other female stars. It gets boring and at times, almost goes off track. I suppose we had the Martha Saxton women's lib fodder in her book, and 20 years later we have Steve Sullivan's T&A fodder. Those are my main complaints about the Jayne chapter. Otherwise, it IS a decent biography on Jayne by a straight male fan who truly seems to 'get' her. The Jayne chapter IS filled with a delight--some rare quotes. The author must have done some extensive research because they are at times new to even me! There is a particularly extensive overview of Jayne's early modeling years. Jayne's early years can be confusing and the author does a good job of time and placing things. There is a filmography included and some great shots of the glamazon Jayne, with the focus being on the 50s. All in all...pretty good Jayne bio and a treat for fans of all bombshells.
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