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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: “Cary Grant: A Biography” (Marc Eliot)
Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir: Cary Grant: A Biography, by Marc Eliot First off, I love the cover design of this latest biography. It’s stark, simple, eye-catching … and Cary Grant was hugely tall so his posture here really stands … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Books
Tagged Alfred Hitchcock, Cary Grant, entertainment biography, Marc Eliot, Suspicion
13 Comments
The Books: “Cary Grant: A Celebration” (Richard Schickel)
Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir: Cary Grant: A Celebration, by Richard Schickel This book and Pauline Kael’s essay “The Man From Dream City” are indispensable to understanding Grant. Both are brilliantly written, first of all, and second of all – … Continue reading
The Books: “Cary Grant: The Lonely Heart” (Charles Higham & Roy Moseley)
Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir: Cary Grant: The Lonely Heart, by Charles Higham & Roy Moseley This is what happens when you try to “explain” your subject, as opposed to just describing his actions – and letting the actions speak … Continue reading
The Books: “Evenings With Cary Grant: Recollections in His Own Words and by Those Who Knew Him Best” (Nancy Nelson)
Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir: Evenings With Cary Grant: Recollections in His Own Words and by Those Who Knew Him Best, by Nancy Nelson I can imagine that this is pretty much a book only for hardcore fans. It’s almost … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Books
Tagged Bringing Up Baby, Cary Grant, entertainment biography, Howard Hawks, Katharine Hepburn, Pauline Kael
13 Comments
The Books: “Cary Grant: A Class Apart” (Graham McCann)
Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir: Cary Grant: A Class Apart, by Graham McCann I have written more words on Cary Grant than on any other topic, I believe. It’s an inexhaustible obsession. So the question for me, the fascination, (with … Continue reading
Mirrors #2: The Man In the Mirror
You didn’t think I’d forgotten, did you? I forget nothing. I still haven’t written the damn thing but I now have a file folder on my desktop filled with screengrabs of men looking at themselves (or at somebody else) in … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies
Tagged Compulsion, Lady From Shanghai, mirrors, Paris Texas, Rocky, Saturday Night Fever, Sunset Boulevard, Taxi Driver
8 Comments
The Books: “In the Moment: My Life as an Actor” (Ben Gazzara)
Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir: In the Moment: My Life as an Actor, by Ben Gazzara It’s my favorite type of career. Long-lasting, diverse, a little bit chaotic, not overly managed, with moments of brilliance, moments of just good workmanship … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Books
Tagged Actors Studio, Ben Gazzara, Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, Elia Kazan, entertainment biography, John Cassavetes, Tennessee Williams
3 Comments
The Books: “Clark Gable: A Biography” (Warren Harris)
Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir: Clark Gable: A Biography, by Warren Harris Warren Harris also wrote a book about the romance of Carole Lombard and Clark Gable (she famously said once, “Lord knows I love Clark, but he’s the worst … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Books
Tagged Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, entertainment biography, Frank Capra
8 Comments
The Books: “The Salad Days” (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.)
Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir: The Salad Days, by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. The first of his two autobiographies, The Salad Days takes us up to 1941. His second book has to do with his extraordinary experiences during WWII, and I … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Books
Tagged Douglas Fairbanks Jr., entertainment biography, Joan Crawford
5 Comments