Interesting but often scandalous Hollywood stories.
932470
Learned a lot, some of which I would rather not have known, yet the stories
were intriguing.  Wish some of the phrasing and language had been softened
and some stuff left untold.
1939721
Too many grammatical errors become distracting. But an interesting book to read. Amazing how celebrities hardly ever get convicted of the crimes they committed.
180857
I mostly liked the book except some of it was more of a critique of films instead of the actor or director.  I expected more information about some such as Alfred Hitchcock instead of how bad most of his movies were.  Still there were some very interesting stories .
311111
After watching Mora Stephens' Zipper,a movie about a politician who's got a sexual addiction towards escorts,it referred me to this documentary - Client 9:The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer - from where the main character of the film - Sam Ellis - was based from.

This documentary was directed by Alex Gibney and worked together with Eliot Spitzer,the former Governor of New York who was involved in sex scandals that involved high class prostitutes working in escort firms. It tries to focus on his political career as well as the sex scandals that Spitzer got involved in. The interviews conducted in it involves the political friends and opponents of Spitzer as well as the people working in the escort services. Interestingly,the interview made on Angela Dupre,who happens to be Spitzer's regular client was portrayed by an actress.

Apparently,it was both thought-provoking and informative as we get to realize how great Spitzer could have been politically as he was definitely great in acting as a "police" of Wall Street. Despite of his temper,he could have had a great future ahead as he could have been a possibly the "first Jewish President" of the United States. Both his friends and foes attested to his capabilities. Too bad that his inability to resist women led to a sex scandal and unfortunately the so-called "poster boy" for politicians involved in it despite having more popular ones involved such as the likes of Bill Clinton,John Edwards and even Newt Gingrich. It was also interesting to see how the so-called beautiful women work as escorts despite the fact that they are probably the ones who are less likely to be due to the fact that they are going to have the talent to succeed in the real world. One would definitely be bothered how much the United States has ingrained the attitude of materialism in its culture. Overall,this is one complex documentary that is more about Spitzer himself.
4619829
Interesting read. It's sad if what she said in the book about Playboy is true. Not the greatest writing and funny that I found a few misspellings and grammar errors. If you like gossip and entertainment it's worth it.
4969506
Jimmy Stewart was very attractive to women especially actresses.  That was interesting but I thought the author spent too much time justifying Stewart's spying for J.Edgar Hoover on his fellow actors.
1244054
This is the granddaddy of books dealing with Hollywood's dark side.

Drawing as much from gossip as he does from known facts, author Kenneth Anger dishes all the "inside dope" about the glamourous stars of Hollywood's Golden Age.

From the Fatty Arbuckle murder trial to the Lana Turner/Johnny Stompanato affair, no scandal is left out of this book that continually pushes the envelope to the very edge and, possibly, over it.

For example, there's one drawing in the book of Cary Grant (circa 1930s) that bears the caption, "Who's a fairy?"

There are also some very unflattering photos of stars without clothes or make-up, being arrested and even dead.

If you are looking for something "in good taste," this book is definitely not for you.

On the other hand, if you're looking for an entertaining diversion, then HOLLYWOOD BABYLON might just be it. Just don't believe everything you read.

 Michael B. Druxman
1118016
Wonderful look at the Clockwork politics/money behind HOLLYWOOD.
1417207
True to the subtitle "My Life as a Woman", the book reports only about those aspects of and events in the life of the author, Hedy Lamarr, in which the fact that she was a woman played a major role: marriages, sex, and movies, in about equal parts and in considerable detail. Her achievements and her patent in electronics are not mentioned at all, not even hinted at.
Although the over-all story is roughly chonological, there are many flash-forwards and flash-backs. Whether the narrative can hold up agianst these, is a matter of opinion; I could have done with a little less. The main time line starts with her birth and shows repeatedly how here life was influenced by the movie "Extasy" she made when she was 18 years old (hence the title). It ends with the infamous shoplifting affair, of which she gives a vague account, clearly unwilling to tell the whole truth, but equally clearly unwilling to lie. This tension is, to a lesser extend, discernable throughout the entire book. The book ends with about eighty small paragraphs of personal wisdom and advice.
Not high literature but definitely a good read, if you are interested in H.L. or in the Hollywood movie industry of 1935-1965.
3008703
For the most part, I liked this book, and unlike the other reviewers here I actually enjoyed reading about the plots of her movies, even the ones I've already seen.

However, as other people have noted, the book was not fact-checked, one glaring error claiming that Norma Shearer did not remarry after Thalberg's death.  It's commonly known among anyone interested in 1930s Hollywood that she married a ski instructor, and she was married to him for the rest of her life.

My main quibble with this book is that, according to the author, just about EVERY man in Hollywood, with the possible exception of Rin Tin Tin, (and a good number of the women) was either full-blown gay, or a closet case.

No doubt some were, but I think this is a textbook case of projection.
4889305
A good book if you are in to the Hollywood life of movies star's and their family.
2102577
A little too easy to get at the bottom of the story and a little too hollywood style, but a I had a nice time reading it.
1140416
Entertaining and exciting read in many ways (worth four stars), but with quite a deal of fuzzy logic here and there and, above (or below) all, one chapter or two with the usual meticulous paranoia among ufo-beleivers.

Now, does it really matter that much if "the government" have secrets regarding these matters? That would be quite understandable to me, given the consequences of "disclosure".

Maybe, eventually, the price of keeping the secret becomes too big, that might be true, but it's out of proportion when UFO-believers tend to be more engaged in the ghastly "Government" than in the UFOs themselves.

And lots of expressions of the usual American love-hate relationship with their institutions. The big love and fascination for the Presidency and the Oval Office and the big hate and distrust for the government. Boring stuff.

But overall entertaining to read. Like a Hollywood script.
And maybe there is truth to all this...
3667402
OK, a little gossipy but not logically organized.
2662818
I really like this book and the different stories of some fascinating ladies. However I wasn't thrilled with the first lady occupation, but I'm trusting that there is some fiction in the stories.
2331261
It was interesting to read about the humble beginnings and rise to fame of Maureen O'Hara, but I was surprised at how someone who considers herself to be strong and independent could be so naive when it came to real life. Perhaps she made good choices with her career, but her personal life was one dumb decision after another. While I felt sorry for the predicaments she got into, I also thought she did a huge disservice to herself and her daughter by becoming a bystander in her life. If the old hollywood interests you this will be a great book, but be ready to want to shake O'Hara a few times.
4042971
3.5

Irene Glasson is a new reporter at a third-rate gossip rag in 1930s LA. On assignment at the famous Burning Cover Hotel, Irene stumbles upon a scandal that could make her career. A scandal involving Hollywood elite and murder. As Irene tries to dig deeper into the mystery, she comes up against the Hotel owner Oliver Ward.

Oliver is a former magician-turned-hotel owner after he almost died performing one of his illusions. He's always been able to read people pretty well. That's why he knows there's more to Irene Glasson than meets the eye. To find out what the reporter is hiding from he situates himself within her investigation into the murder scandal.

What they both discover is, in Hollywood, some will fight for fame by any means possible.

Probably the thing I love the most about The Girl Who Knew Too Much is the setting. 1930s Hollywood complete with actors, assistants, studios, fixers. The whole nine yards in what many consider the Golden Age of Hollywood. While I'm not savvy enough to spot any historical accuracies (or inaccuracies) I think that the feeling of this era is genuinely captured. Especially that behind all the glitz and glamour there's a more sinister side.

Where the story went wrong for me was having too many mysteries to solve. We are aware from the very beginning that something in Irene's past is chasing her, literally. Then add to this the fact that she stumbles upon this murder which opens up a whole new can of worms for the burgeoning reporter and it's just too much. And as the murder mystery spins the coincidences keep coming and one mystery, as is expected, ends up overshadowing the other, thereby calling into question the actual need for the multiple plot lines.

I will say that I enjoy the twist that Amanda Quick puts on the ending, in more ways than one.

For the romance aspect. I kind of like the slow build up between Oliver and Irene. I would have liked things to have been a little more heated between them, but I wasn't completely opposed to how Amanda Quick decided to write their romance. Depsite this story more than likely being shelved under romance, I don't think it was the main focus. Instead the mystery(ies) took center stage here. I think it speaks to the fact that Irene, questionable past and everything, is an independent woman. She has to rely on herself first, which I really admired in this story, and the romance, for her, is happily secondary.

I see potential where this could be turned into a series. Maybe not all featuring Irene and Oliver, but there's quite the interesting cast of secondary characters.