I've always loved the movies. I love the way Kate Hepburn spoke, the way Audrey Hepburn smiled, and way James Dean smoldered, the way Rosalind Russell laughed and the way Bogie growled at Bacall.
As well as loving the actors and their movies, I also loved reading the biographies and memoirs of those same stars, and learning about the tumultuous lives that these stars led when the cameras weren't rolling. Learning how Vivien Leigh got the part of Scarlett O'Hara was fascinating once I knew how determined she was to get the part. I thought it was funny to learn that James Dean used to play the bongos to help him escape his stressful life.
One of the first biographical books I remember reading was about Marilyn Monroe. Then after Rock Hudson died in the early '80s, I bought a book about him. From then on, I was hooked on the Hollywood Biography.
Since then I've read dozens of books about the leading men and women of the golden era - I generally only read about the glamorous lives of the past. My husband always knows that a "sure thing" gift at Christmas or on my birthday is a biography of some Hollywood star from the past!
One pattern I follow with my biographies is what I call "book linking". For instance, I read the biography of Grace Kelly and the book mentioned Ava Gardner (they starred in Mogambo together with Clark Gable) a few times, so I quickly bought her autobiography and read that. She talked about Howard Hughes throughout the book, and so I bought his biography. He dated just about every young starlet in Hollywood, so I had my pick, and chose Kathryn Hepburn, who had a serious long-term relationship with the man. From there, I could have chosen Spencer Tracy (the obvious choice), but instead chose to read Peter Fonda's book "Don't Tell Dad", which spoke quite a bit about Henry Fonda who starred with Hepburn in - you got it! - "On Golden Pond".
And so with my articles I hope to do the same thing. I plan on linking each person to the next article, so that we can see the pattern emerge. Hollywood is a very closed society - it very much follows the "six degrees of separation" rule. I will be sharing reviews and recommendations of the books I've read, the movies I've seen, and the stars I love. For as long as I am able, I'll outline the life of a Hollywood star, and make a couple website and book recommendations for those interested in learning more. I hope you find these people as fascinating as I do!
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