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Hollywood Yesterday

Old Hollywood: Movies, Actresses, and Actors

You are here: Home / Old Hollywood Book Reviews (Biographies, Autobiographies, Memoirs….)

Old Hollywood Book Reviews (Biographies, Autobiographies, Memoirs….)

Cooking Price-Wise by Vincent Price

If I’m not watching a deliciously classic Old Hollywood movie, odds are GREAT (stupendous, actually) that I’m reading a biography or autobiography from Hollywood’s glamorous past. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been in the middle of at least one every single day of the year. I’m slowly, but surely, adding my reviews of the books I’ve read in the past. It’d help if I’d slow down on reading new ones – but, let’s face it, that’s not going to happen!

In fact, at this very moment, I am reading three – Ginger Rogers’ wonderful autobiography, a new Lana Turner biography, and (yet another) Lucille Ball biography. I think I’ve nearly read every one ever written… I’m working on it, at any rate.

I Know Where I'm Going (Katharine Hepburn Biography) and Princess

When it comes to my Old Hollywood book reviews, the majority have been bought either by myself or a member of my family. My family does, in fact, joyfully support this addiction of mine.

Enablers, all of them.

I have been blessed enough to have books sent to me in exchange for telling you about them – something that I’m more than thrilled to do. Like all of my reviews, however, the words and thoughts are my own. I always mention within the book review when the book has been gifted to me for this purpose.

A Few Words About My Classic Hollywood Book Reviews

  • I make a concentrated effort to never give too much away. Books are marvelous, even magical, things – making authors (in my opinion) marvelous magicians. They put time, effort, and love into their works and I have zero intention of giving anything away – whether it’s huge secrets, uncovered mysteries, or extra juicy revelations. I enjoy seeing how an author unveils each of these to their readers and I won’t ruin it for them. But there’s more to it than that. It’s delicious to have a secret revealed to you while reading a book or to “bump into” a familiar name while reading. I don’t want to rob anyone of the element of surprise. I live for these moments, myself!
  • I don’t review fiction. The only fiction I read is Agatha Christie mysteries. I simply refuse to cheat on her. We’ve been together too long. Not only do I collect Old Hollywood biographies and books, I also collect other genres: cookbooks, American History books, Ancient Egypt books, books of quotations, Spiritual books and… one of my proudest collections – Agatha Christie books. Love her. At any rate (the bookworm got sidetracked, didn’t she), I only review non-fiction books.
  • I’m not into mean-spirited books. As in AT ALL. I often say, on Hollywood Yesterday, that I am here to celebrate the stars and to keep their names, movies, faces, and “presence” alive and shining brightly. I am not, remotely, here to spread bad information or rumors about those who are no longer around to defend themselves. The “Mommie Dearest” books of the world – I won’t touch them, read them, or review them.
  • I’m a coffee-drinking, tea-swilling, constantly-cooking, chocolate-eating, crazy cat lady. I’m not just bragging with this one, I’m explaining something that may show up in pictures I take of my books from time to time. While reading one of my dearly beloved books, I keep it by my side 24/7. I can even be found cooking with my nose stuck in a great biography! Keeping books with me at all times means that the cover may occasionally have a smudge (that’s where the chocolate comes into play), or a coffee mug, tea cup or cat nearby. Sometimes all three. That’s how I roll. It honestly just occurred to me that each of the three pictures I chose to display in this post illustrate my points! 

Old Hollywood Book Reviews On Hollywood Yesterday

  • In Such Good Company by Carol Burnett
  • I Know Where I’m Going Katharine Hepburn, A Personal Biography
  • ‘Tis Herself: Maureen O’Hara’s Autobiography
  • Maureen O’Hara Movie Poster Book
  • Maureen O’Hara: The Biography
  • Unsinkable: A Memoir by Debbie Reynolds
  • Joan Crawford: A Talent for Living
  • Charlie Chaplin: Intimate Close-Ups by Georgia Hale
  • Ball of Fire (Lucille Ball)
  • Forever Lucy (Special Collector’s Magazine)
  • Love, Lucy by Lucille Ball
  • Feuding Fan Dancers: Faith Bacon, Sally Rand, and the Golden Age of the Showgirl
  • The Old-Time Radio Book
  • Movie Star Chronicles: A Visual History of the World’s Greatest Movie Stars
  • Audrey Hepburn in Words and Pictures
  • Ginger Rogers: My Story
  • Barefoot to the Chin: The FANtastic Life of Sally Rand
  • Smile: How Young Charlie Chaplin Taught the World to Laugh (and Cry)
  • Cooking Price-Wise: A Culinary Legacy by Vincent Price
  • Renegade Women in Film and TV
  • The Making of The African Queen by Katharine Hepburn
  • Bob Hope: My Life in Jokes
  • June Allyson by June Allyson
  • Lana: The Life and Loves of Lana Turner
  • Hollywood in Kodachrome
  • The Young Duke
  • Vitagraph: America’s First Great Motion Picture Studio

More are in the works, obviously. In fact, I absolutely cannot wait to tell you all about them.

Coming in June…

The Brief, Madcap Life of Kay Kendall

Mean, Moody, and Magnificent! (Jane Russell Bio)

Jayne Mansfield: The Girl Couldn’t Help It

I Loved Her in the Movies by Robert Wagner

In Pieces by Sally Field

I’d better get busy. This calls for another cup of coffee….

Feuding Fan Dancers Faith Bacon, Sally Rand, and the Golden Age of the Showgirl

Old Hollywood Biographies Coming This Summer…

  • Steps in Time by Fred Astaire
  • Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn
  • Ingrid by Charlotte Chandler
  • Ava Gardner’s Autobiography, Ava
  • The Million Dollar Mermaid by Esther Williams
  • Sunshine and Shadow, Mary Pickford
  • And so, so, so many more!

Charlie Chaplin: Intimate Close-Ups by Georgia Hale

 

 

 

Welcome to Hollywood Yesterday!

Ann Sheridan, It All Came True

Ann Sheridan
My name is Joi (“Joy”) and I created Hollywood Yesterday as my personal tribute to Old Hollywood. It’s my effort to help keep the stars from Old Hollywood, Classic Television, and Old Radio Shows alive and shining forever. Old Hollywood was positively magical and I see no reason for the magic to ever die.

Be warned, I am (by nature) overtly positive, I never take anything too seriously, I say extraordinary so often you’d think I invented the word, and I overuse exclamation points to distraction. I’m perpetually over-caffeinated.. we’ll blame that.

Read more about Hollywood Yesterday (and see my personal favorites) here!

Old Hollywood Actresses

Lena Horne, Meet Me in Las Vegas

See the Old Hollywood Actresses page for the index of Classic Hollywood Actresses and Classic TV Actresses.

Old Hollywood Actors

Henry Fonda, Behind the Scenes The Grapes of Wrath

See the Old Hollywood Actors page for the index of Old Hollywood and Classic TV actors.

Old Hollywood Book Reviews

Ann Dvorak: Hollywood's Forgotten Rebel by Christina Rice

I love reading old Hollywood biographies and memoirs as much as I love watching classic movies, and that’s truly saying something!

To see my Old Hollywood book reviews, please see the index listed here: Book Reviews.

Pictures of the Day

Maureen O'Hara, The Parent Trap

Maureen O’Hara

The Old Hollywood & Classic TV Pictures of the Day are published as regularly as possible. If I miss a few days, please just know that the husband, daughters, sons-in-law, grandbabies, and/or my cats were demanding my attention. I’ll be honest, nothing comes before any of them! Not even Maureen O’Hara or Henry Fonda.

Priorities, y’all.

Movie Collections on Amazon

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Recent Posts

  • Happy Heavenly Birthday to the Extraordinary Donna Reed
  • Nat King Cole and Ruby Dee, St. Louis Blues (1958)
  • The Spider Woman (1943): Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Gale Sondergaard, and Dennis Hoey
  • Rest in Peace, Beautiful Gina Lollobrigida
  • Beautiful Rhonda Fleming in a Stunning Promotional Photo for The Golden Hawk (1952)
  • The Wonderful Paul Henreid was BOTD in 1908
  • Judy Garland Behind the Scenes of Presenting Lily Mars
  • Paul Lynde Quote + Under the Yum Yum Tree Pics with Imogene Coca and Jack Lemmon

Movie Night, ANY Night…

John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, and Arthur Hunnicutt in El Dorado
Have movie night ANY night with Prime Video on Amazon:  Prime Video (Amazon link)

Thank You for Visiting!

Paulette Goddard and Charlie Chaplin, Modern Times
Thank you so much for visiting Hollywood Yesterday! You truly HONOR me with your presence. ~ Joi (“Joy”)

Olivia de Havilland

Olivia de Havilland, The Adventures of Robin Hood

My main goal with Hollywood Yesterday is to keep the names, faces, and films of the stars that mean so much to me shining brightly. When I’m guilty of focusing more time on my personal favorites (such as Olivia de Havilland) than other stars, I hope you’ll forgive me. I am, by all indications, very human!

Also, please know that I try to keep my posts (except for book reviews) short and to the point, so you can enjoy the pictures, grab the information, and get back to your life. I don’t appreciate anything that’s overly wordy, so I don’t want to do that to others. For better or worse, I write as I talk, so if you ever feel like you’re reading the words of someone who’s a cross between Lucy Ricardo, Daisy Duck, and a Jerry Lewis character, that’s just because you are!

Wait. What did I just admit to?? 

Barbara Stanwyck Quotes

Another personal absolute favorite of mine is Barbara Stanwyck. Not only was she beautiful and outrageously talented, she was exceptionally bright, charismatic, and colorful. This growing collection of Barbara Stanwyck Quotes will give you an idea of just how colorful she was!

Old Hollywood Movies

Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire Top Hat Cheek to Cheek

There’s nothing quite like watching a movie from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Whether it’s a Musical, Western, Comedy, Romance, Film Noir, or Drama – if it’s on, I’m not too far away… with popcorn and raspberry tea in hand and a couple of cats nearby.

Below are a few Old Hollywood movie reviews I’ve done on the blog. There are, as you’d imagine, a lot more to come. – Joi (“Joy”)

We’re in the Money (Joan Blondell, Glenda Farrell)

The Naked Spur (James Stewart, Janet Leigh)

The Prince and the Showgirl (Marilyn Monroe, Laurence Olivier)

The White Sister (Helen Hayes, Clark Gable)

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Howard Keel, Jane Powell, Russ Tamblyn, Julie Newmar)

Rio Bravo (John Wayne, Dean Martin, Angie Dickinson, Ricky Nelson, Walter Brennan)

El Dorado (John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, James Caan, Charlene Holt, Michele Carey)

Rio Grande (John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara)

Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein (What is it With Me and These Movies??)

The Stooge (Jerry Lewis’ favorite Lewis and Martin Movie… for good reason.)

Critic’s Choice (Hilarious movie starring Bob Hope and Lucille Ball)

To Please a Lady (Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck team up in a fast track movie)

Grand Hotel (Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore)

Hearts Divided (Marion Davies, Dick Powell)

The Quiet Man (John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Barry Fitzgerald)

More Old Hollywood Movie Reviews

Classic Hollywood Books & Biographies (Reviews)

Maureen O'Hara's Autobiography 'Tis Herself

‘Tis Herself by Maureen O’Hara
I Know Where I'm Going (Katharine Hepburn Biography) and Princess

I Know Where I’m Going: Katharine Hepburn

 

Debbie Reynolds Unsinkable
Unsinkable: A Memoir by Debbie Reynolds

 

Ginger Rogers Autobiography - Ginger: My Story

Ginger by Ginger Rogers
Love, Lucy by Lucille Ball

Love, Lucy by Lucille Ball
Vitagraph by Andrew A. Erish
Vitagraph by Andrew A. Erish
More Old Hollywood Book Reviews!

Dorothy Dandridge

Dorothy Dandridge Carmen Jones Poster

Getting to Know the Gorgeous and Talented Dorothy Dandridge

My Lucy Obsession

Lucille Ball

Find out just how much I (truly) Love Lucy in the Lucille Ball category. I’m warning you, I call it an obsession for a very good reason…

Legalities…

Aside from pictures of books I review, I do not claim to have taken any of the pictures on this website, nor do I own the pictures – the ones of the stars or the affiliate (product) pictures.  Other, far more talented photographers than me have the credit for the beautiful photos you see. If you would like credit for a photograph or would like one removed, please e-mail me (joitsigers@gmail.com).

Movie posters and promotional photos are used in the belief that they qualify for the Fair Use law. Fair use is a doctrine in the law of the United States that permits limited use of copyrighted material without having to first acquire permission from the copyright holder. Fair use is one of the limitations to copyright intended to balance the interests of copyright holders with the public interest in the wider distribution and use of creative works by allowing as a defense to copyright infringement claims certain limited uses that might otherwise be considered infringement.

When you click through an affiliate (product, book, dvds..) link, I earn a small portion of the money you spend IF you purchase anything. This does not cost you any extra money, of course. This is how I am able to work from home and support my cats! – Joi (“Joy”)

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