Norma: The Story of Norma Shearer (Hardcover)

by Lawrence J. Quirk (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This is the latest of Quirk's many books ( Claudette Colbert , Bette Davis et al.) on Hollywood in its heyday, when the stars really glittered, none more brightly than Norma Shearer. Thoroughly researched, the biography describes her life from her birth in Montreal in 1900 until her death at age 83. Refuting the arguments that the actress owed her triumphs to her first husband, Irving Thalberg, head of MGM, the author includes informed critiques of her memorable performances. He also emphasizes Shearer's successes after Thalberg's death at age 37, as well as the business sense that left her in control of the couple's stock in the studio. When she retired in 1942, the actress had made an enviable reputation as the incomparable, elegantly sexy character of such major films as The Barretts of Wimpole Street , A Free Soul , Escape , The Women and others. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 278 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (June 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312017987
• ISBN-13: 978-0312017989
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #534,843 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, March 29, 2004

By	Frederick A. Bristol "Fabj" (Madison, WIUSA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I must say this is very interesting. Having read the other books on Norma I find this one very good but not terribly in depth. He seems to talk a lot about the people around her and what they were going through. I do like how he uses actual reviews, interviews and dialogue to make his many points. I am glad I found this book cheap and can now complete my Norma Shearer collection. It is a great addition to any collector or movie buff.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ENTERTAINING AND TELLING, February 23, 2001

By	Fernando Silva "fedo" (Santiago de Chile.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

IT'S AN ENTERTAINING, TELLING AND ACCURATE VIEW OF THE LIFE AND CAREER OF A FORGOTTEN FIRST MAGNITUDE STAR OF THE 1930'S (MGM's FIRST LADY OF THE SCREEN), ALTHOUGH LATELY IT'S BECOME A TREND TO RE-EVALUATE HER CAREER, OVERLOOKED FILMS AND UNDERRATED PERFORMANCES. GREATLY RECOMMENDED FOR ANY FILM BUFF.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great biography, September 4, 2001

By	Rosella Ann Myles (Wheeling, West Virginia United States) - See all my reviews

I just recently read this book on the beautiful and talented actress Norma Shearer. I learned a lot about her life and career. I highly recommend this book, to any fan of hers, or of classic films. There are many lovely photos of her in it as well.