The secret life of Tyrone Power [Hardcover]

Hector Arce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1979

Secret Life of Tyrone Power, The by Arce, Hector

Product Details

• Hardcover: 317 pages
• Publisher: Morrow; 1st edition (1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688034845
• ISBN-13: 978-0688034849
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #385,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Appalling Book, March 12, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The secret life of Tyrone Power (Hardcover)

This book is a rambling mess, delving into the private life of one of our most loved stars. The book creates a debate as to whether he was or was not gay. On the one hand, the author cites anonymous sources as testimony to his sexual preference for men. On the other hand, he does acknowledge that many of the people who knew the actor best denied vehemently that there was any indication that he was gay. He quoted several people by name, who were closest to him, who said "no way". Many of his pages retell stories written in movie magazines at the time. Oddly enough, none of those stories hinted anything of Tyrone Power being gay. These pages seemed to just be tossed in to fill up pages, without the author even citing the source. Personally, I feel that an old movie magazine is a poor source, and a reliable biographer would not use them, any more than a reliable biographer would print stories by people not even willing to stand behind their statements by giving their names. Oddly enough, there were times that the author described situations where Power was alone, yet he reported what he was doing/thinking. Strange. From the great amount of reading that I have done about the actor, I have read account after account from personal friends and co-workers who found him generous, kind, and giving, and, by all accounts, one of the most loved stars in Hollywood. The book is a shabby piece of writing, and I would assume that any reasonably intelligent person could see that, given the number of people who knew him who discounted these stories, there is a huge shadow cast on their accuracy. Truly, the book isn't worth reading once, as it is impossible to tell what is fact and what is a figment of the author's imagination.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars bunk, November 22, 2005

By 

Bio Freak (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The secret life of Tyrone Power (Hardcover)

Lawrence Guiles' well-researched book on Tyrone Power is far and away superior to this very poorly put together hokum by Hector Arce. Guiles puts Power's life in an excellent perspective.

One of the reviews mentions the acknowledgments, but there are no source notes, which all reputable biographies have. So as far as what anyone told Mr. Arce, we have no way of knowing, as he does not attribute the quotes. Unless you can call an anonymous source an attribution. I love the section where he talks about what Tyrone Power was thinking while he was alone. Wonder what his source was for that one. In the Audrey Hepburn book by Diana Maychik, she acknowledges people who in court said they never met her and never spoke to her. So forget the acknowledgments.

If you enjoy fiction, this is the book for you.

19 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Grain of Salt, November 27, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The secret life of Tyrone Power (Paperback)

We'll never know what happened inside Tyrone Power's bedroom. I am sure the author wasn't there either. After someone passes on, anyone who had any reason to smear the deceased comes out of the woodwork - especially in Hollywood where jealousy reigns supreme. Jealousy, in this case, for one of the 1940's and 50's greatest movies stars. And what better way to take him down than try to prove he wasn't what everyone loved, a charming, gorgeous heterosexual male.
Tyrone may have had his share of divorces, but we're talking Hollywood here. End of story.
He may have been bisexual - I'll buy that, but again, we're not in Kansas. Hollywood and its live-for-the-moment, anything-goes lifestyle probably had - and still has - it's share of sexual adventurers.
Sure, it's a book about his secret life, but I've read another bio that didn't portray him at all as miserable. Was his life perfect? No. But I believe he primarily loved women, and I believe he loved his children.
So I believe that after anyone sees him in Captain from Castile, or Jesse James, or The Mark of Zorro, and enjoys what they see, this book becomes irrelevant. Because in the end, we want and need heroes to smile, win the girl, right the wrongs, save the day. And Tyrone Power did it in spades.