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- “I think there is a little of Beckett in everything I have done.” — Monte Hellman
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- “When liberty is taken away by force it can be restored by force. When it is relinquished voluntarily by default it can never be recovered.” — Dorothy Thompson
- “Art is theft, art is armed robbery, art is not pleasing your mother.” — Janet Malcolm
- “I’m one of those people who thinks you can have a happy life and still be an artist.” — Shelley Duvall
- “There’s a difference between writing about something and living through it. I did both.” — poet/novelist Margaret Walker
- “I believe what Camus says. When the curtain rings down, your job is done.” — Warren Oates
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Category Archives: Actors
The Books: “Brando: The Biography” (Peter Manso)
Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir: Brando: The Biography, by Peter Manso Peter Manso has an opinion about Marlon Brando, and it colors this entire book – which is 10,000 pages long – so that’s a long time to stick with … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Books
Tagged entertainment biography, Francis Ford Coppola, Marlon Brando, Stella Adler
41 Comments
The Books: “Marlon Brando” (Patricia Bosworth)
Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir: Marlon Brando, by Patricia Bosworth This tiny book is part of the absolutely wonderful Penguin Lives series (article about it here) – short condensed little biographies – which certainly will not take the place of … Continue reading
The Books: “Bogart” (A. M. Sperber and Eric Lax)
Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir: Bogart, by A. M. Sperber and Eric Lax Now this is what I call a biography! I am not sure why it took so long for Bogart to get his due, but I suppose that’s … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Books
Tagged Casablanca, entertainment biography, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Michael Curtiz
4 Comments
In praise of Anne Bancroft:
Dan Callahan has a spectacular 5 for the day.
The Books: “Humphrey Bogart” (Nathaniel Benchley)
Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir Humphrey Bogart, by Nathaniel Benchley Benchley and Bogart were friends, so this 1975 biography is not a critical study, not an objective look at Humphrey Bogart, but a loving portrait, at times too loving to … Continue reading
In Praise of Robert Walker …
… a nearly forgotten actor: Jonathan’s tribute is a must-read.
The Books: “Baby Doll” (Carroll Baker)
Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir: Baby Doll: An Autobiography, by Carroll Baker When I was about 12 years old, I first saw East of Eden, around the same time that I saw Dog Day Afternoon, a movie I didn’t really … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Books
Tagged Actors Studio, Al Pacino, Baby Doll, Carroll Baker, Dog Day Afternoon, East of Eden, Eli Wallach, Elia Kazan, entertainment biography, Karl Malden
3 Comments
The Books: “By Myself and Then Some” (Lauren Bacall)
NextDaily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir: By Myself and Then Some, by Lauren Bacall This is an expanded and updated version of Lauren Bacall’s first autobiography By Myself (excerpt here). We’ve got more photos (some really great ones), more anecdotes, more … Continue reading
The Books: “Now” (Lauren Bacall)
Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir: Now, by Lauren Bacall Published in 1994, Now is the second of Lauren Bacall’s three autobiographies. By Myself (excerpt here) was published in 1978, and Now came out in 1994. For the most part, it … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Books
Tagged entertainment biography, Humphrey Bogart, John Huston, Lauren Bacall
1 Comment
The Books: “By Myself” (Lauren Bacall)
My “entertainment biography” bookshelf is a goldmine. I dip into it all the time. For my film reviews, for my writings on specific actors or directors. It’s a true library, and I cherish it. Almost as much as I cherish … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Books
Tagged entertainment biography, Howard Hawks, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, To Have and Have Not
10 Comments

