Old Hollywood Biography Reviews | Hollywood Yesterday

The Young Duke: The Early Life of John Wayne

October 30, 2019 By Joi Leave a Comment

The Young Duke: The Early Life of John Wayne

As I’ve often said on Hollywood Yesterday, I collect Old Hollywood biographies and autobiographies like it’s my job. I’m content with one or two biographies of some stars, while others are such favorites, I collect anything and everything written about them. John Wayne is one of these “give me one of everything” stars. He’s a favorite and has been since I watched him on television with my day. That may be part of the reason I love The Duke so much. The Young Duke: The Early Life of John Wayne by Howard Kazanjian and Chris Enss is the newest addition to my John Wayne collection and I was anxious to tell you about it.

This book would make a great gift idea for anyone in your life who loves John Wayne. It’s a “fast read” with plenty of pictures, so even those “old cowboys” you love will enjoy it!

In addition to the wonderful content and pictures (lots of things even I didn’t know and quite a few pictures I’d never seen), the book includes great quotes about John Wayne and his influence on family and co-stars. I love these quotes so much because what people say about us is one of the strongest blocks in the building of our legacy.

From the Back Cover:

By the time Stagecoach made John Wayne a silver-screen star in 1939, the thirty-one-year-old was already a veteran of more than sixty films, having twirled six-guns and foiled cattle rustlers in B Westerns for five studios. By the 1950s he was Hollywood’s most popular actor—an Academy Award nominee destined to become an American icon.

Through rare photographs and revealing family anecdotes, The Young Duke offers an unflinching look at how Marion Morrison became the legend known as John Wayne—from his boyhood in Winterset, Iowa, and his days as a college football star, to his stunning box-office success in Westerns and war movies in the 1930s and 1940s. Shedding new light on Wayne’s formative years and early Hollywood roles and influences, this stirring biography uncovers the true stories behind the screen legend’s public and private lives.

About the Authors:

Chris Enss is an award-winning screenwriter and the author or coauthor of more than two dozen books.

Howard Kazanjian is an award-winning producer and entertainment executive who for three decades has been producing television programs and feature films, including two of the highest grossing films of all time, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

Great Addition to a Collection

There are, of course, more detailed biographies of John Wayne – many delve into his life and you can spend glorious weeks reading every detail. This book is a much different book from other biographies. Would it provide a complete picture of John Wayne, the actor or the man? No – certainly not. This book was intended more for a “quick read” or for collectors, like me, who simply must have everything related to their favorite stars!

This is a great addition to any biography collection and a very fun read. Whereas some biographies are “heavy” with filmographies, research, quotes, and information, this one is “light.”

When you want a fast-paced overview of a star’s life, sometimes that’s just what you’re looking for!

Find The Young Duke: The Early Life of John Wayne on Amazon or in your favorite second-hand bookstore.

Lana: The Life and Loves of Lana Turner (Review)

October 24, 2019 By Joi Leave a Comment

Lana: The Life and Loves of Lana Turner

As both a collector and AVID reader of biographies and autobiographies (old Hollywood and history), I often group these books into three categories when adding to my collections:

The stand-alone, ultimate biography or autobiography – as in the only one you really need for a certain star or historical figure.
A component biography or autobiography – one that is a wonderful (even necessary) addition to a collection of memoirs of the individual.
The one I have to have no matter what – one that it simply doesn’t matter which of the above slots it fits into because I collect everything ever written about the individual!

A few examples of number 1:

These books give you such a perfect all-around account of the star that (unless you collect everything written about them, you may not find it necessary to add another book about them to your collection).

Ginger by Ginger Rogers

June Allyson’s Autobiography

Barefoot to the Chin

Esther Williams’ The Million Dollar Mermaid

A few examples of number 2:

These books are so wonderful that they should be added to any collection you have on the star(s). However, either because of their laser focus on one particular topic or because they cover more than one star (Feuding Fan Dancers, for example), they wouldn’t be considered the ultimate biography. There’s also the… shall we say chance… that the author’s recollections are clouded by emotion(s) – such as Georgia Hale’s biography of Charlie Chaplin, a man she spent nearly a lifetime loving.

Feuding Fan Dancers

Georgia Hale’s Charlie Chaplin Biography

Bob Hope: My Life in Jokes

My Examples of number 3:

I collect anything and everything pertaining in any way, shape, or form for the following, so I grab every book associated with them!

Lucille Ball, Maureen O’Hara, Barbara Stanwyck, Rita Hayworth, Katharine Hepburn, June Allyson, Audrey Hepburn, Georgia Hale, Buster Keaton, Bob Hope, Elvis, Abbott & Costello, John Wayne, Lana Turner, Ava Gardner, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis (I get a special kick out of always listing these two together.. strange sense of humor, I guess)…

Back to Lana….

I lay all of this out merely to set the stage for Lana: The Life and Loves of Lana Turner – because it is a “component” type biography that also happens to (for me, anyway) fall into the third category as well – I collect all Lana Turner books!

As you can tell by the title, “The Life and Loves of Lana Turner,” this book has Lana’s (eventful!) love life in mind. In fact, the wonderful author (Jane Ellen Wayne) focuses the bulk of time on the men in the beautiful Lana Turner’s life… to be more precise, the effect(s) they had on the actress.

Make no mistake about it, each man left fingerprints all over her life – for better or worse. A certain amount of naivety existed with Lana, because she seemed to sincerely believe that each one was her Prince Charming.

Not only does the author provide a great deal of insight into what Lana Turner was thinking (even when she seemed to not be thinking at all!), she presents her as she truly was – a human being, just as capable of mistakes as any of us.

Things I Love Most About This Biography

When I think about things that make this biography stand out, the one that comes to mind first is the respect with which author Jane Ellen Wayne treats Lana. Instead of, “She did this wicked thing… she made this irrational decision…,” her response seemed to be more, “I wish I’d been there to help her avoid that guy!” I feel the same way when it comes to Lana and many of my other favorites – I wish I could have been there to tell them, “No… absolutely not!” Heck, with Lana, I’d have been tempted to lock her in a room once or twice! Her heart led down some very destructive roads and left her a beautiful and easy prey for more than one low life.
I am in love with the way the author presents Lana’s beautiful daughter, Cheryl and her relationship with her mother.
While there are a few men you meet along the way who you’d love to throw rotten garbage at, there are a few who you’ll find especially intriguing and want to learn more about (Tyrone Power, for example).
The pictures – just wow! There are gorgeous pictures of Lana throughout her career as well as candids with the men in her life and her beautiful family.
As you’d expect from someone who reads as much as I do, I appreciate a “fast read.” Books that are easily digested and don’t take a lot of time to read have a special place in my heart and Lana: The Life and Loves of Lana Turner is a very fast read – yet it’s one that stays with you.
The “staying with you” aspect is something else I love about this book. Since I first read it, I often think back to moments in Lana’s life when I see pictures or films. When I see her during a particular time, smiling for her fans and looking radiant, I’ll instantly think back to this book and remember what she was going through at the time. It’s very memorable and will stay with you long after the last page.

One could say that Lana was weak in some ways – weak to “allow” herself to become more than one man’s (and more than one situation’s) victim. She often, when faced with two decisions, made the absolute worst one as though it were her job to torment herself. As a Lana Turner fan (and one that has studied her more than I ever studied any subject in school), I would hasten to say this: Yes, she displayed moments of great weakness BUT the fact that she survived the madness and is, today, one of the greatest, most-recognized icons of Old Hollywood took greater strength.

If you are (or even if you are not YET), a fan of Lana Turner’s, I hope you’ll read Lana: The Life and Loves of Lana Turner. I have a feeling it will help you understand her better. Trust me, she’s very much someone worth getting to know.

Review: Joan Crawford A Talent for Living

May 24, 2018 By Joi 1 Comment

Joan Crawford A Talent for Living

For more years than I could even begin to count, I have always been in the middle of at least one old Hollywood biography, memoir, or autobiography. They fascinate me beyond words. They’re as entertaining and exciting as the movies the stars starred in… sometimes even more so, if we’re being honest.

The most recent biography I read was about the beautiful, talented, and iconic Joan Crawford. Joan Crawford A Talent for Living, by Jennifer Bitman is a very fast-paced look into the fascinating, albeit often heartbreaking, life of Joan Crawford.

From her earliest days to her final days, Joan Crawford comes to life in this “page turner.” It’s a must read for any Joan Crawford fan and makes a cherished addition to any Old Hollywood collection.

One of the things I appreciate the most about Joan Crawford biographies such as A Talent for Living is this: They give Joan Crawford a voice. There have been a lot of negative things published about Joan Crawford… many of which were published and/or written after her death… robbing her of a chance to give her side of the events. As a Joan Crawford fan, I’m very grateful that authors are writing about her and allowing her voice to join the conversation.

Seems only right.

{Review continued below…..}

One of the things I love most about Old Hollywood biographies is the fact that they allow us to see the “star” as an actual flesh and blood human – like all of us who also fall into the category of human (on most days, anyway), the stars made their share of mistakes. Some of them were whoppers. They also, very often, endured great hardships and even abuse – both of which leave scars that do not easily, if ever, heal completely. The lucky ones had family or friends who “had their back” and held them accountable their choices. They had people who loved them too much to let them live anything but their best life.

When I read about stars, such as Joan Crawford, who pretty much had to have their own back, it squeezes my heart. Joan had a life that was defined by loss and an overwhelming sense of not being loved. Early experiences caused her to fear that if she wasn’t perfect, people who she loved would leave her.

As is the case with many people, powerful personal pain morphed into powerful personal demons for Joan… demons she battled daily.

Whether it’s drinking, drugs, and/or self-destructive decisions with relationships, personal demons beg to be silenced. Unfortunately, each of these means of silencing demons leave a lot of carnage in their wake.

Like so many stars, Joan Crawford arrived in Hollywood with open wounds… an earmark of vulnerability. Joan Crawford A Talent for Living gives us a very intimate look at the lasting and intense effect Hollywood had on Joan and at the lasting and intense effect she had on Hollywood! She hit Hollywood much as a hurricane hits land. Hollywood hadn’t seen anything quite like her – and you could make a strong case for it not having seen anyone quite like her since.

That’s the remarkable thing about Joan Crawford – she was so breathtakingly original and unique. She had such a beautiful and strong aura about her. The way she dressed, did her makeup, spoke, walked… even in her expressions. She was strength personified. And yet…. there was, at the same time, an unmistakable quality of vulnerability and need to be loved. A great, great need to be loved.

Author Jennifer Bitman allows us to meet Joan Crawford even before she became Joan Crawford. Through the early chapters, we get to witness her… well… meet herself.

Before she made landfall.

Parts of the book are painful to read but impossible not to. When you’re a fan, you want to know everything about someone – even the things that leave you with a tear in your eye. After all, each experience went into making them who they were.

There are, of course, plenty of experiences in her life that leave you smiling rather than reaching for a tissue. One of the things about Joan Crawford that always makes me smile is her devotion to and love for her fans. They meant the world to her. With all the people who let her down, I’m especially thankful that she was able to feel the great love of her fans.

I also love that she was apparently a great friend. Her friends knew they could count on her and she had a great reputation for being both gracious and generous.

{Review concludes below….}

In addition to getting to know my favorite stars better, another reason I’m obsessed with Old Hollywood biographies is this: You never know when another favorite will pop up! To read about different stars meeting one another, getting to know one another, and (sometimes) even feuding fascinates me each and every time. While reading A Talent for Living, many names popped up and I hung on each and every word – especially when one Clark Gable arrives on the scene. I don’t want to give anything away, but the relationship between the two is pretty scintillating!

Did Joan Crawford have emotional scars that led to demons? Yes. Did the demons, when she attempted to silence them, cause havoc? Yes. But here’s the thing – to have accomplished all that she accomplished while battling all that she battled is remarkable. It took great strength from a woman who always had a little girl living within who wanted to be loved and desperately needed to know that those she loved weren’t going to betray her or leave her.

While I am as happy as a clam laying on the beach on a Sunday afternoon when I’m lost in the pages of an Old Hollywood biography, I realize there are people who much prefer “fast reads,” books that are neither long or “heavy,” as in difficult to read. If this describes you, you’ll love the fact that this fast-paces book is a very fast read. It would make an excellent companion at the beach, park, lake, or backyard patio.

Not counting the Filmography (which was incredibly to consult while reading when I wanted to establish a time-line), Bibliography, and Notes – the book is just 175 pages in length.

I hope you’ll grab a copy of A Talent for Living and really get to know Joan Crawford. Behind the beauty, clothes, talent, and strong aura was a woman who wanted the same things we all want from life – to love and be loved in return.

~ Joi (“Joy”)

Are you on Twitter?? If you are a Joan Crawford and/or Old Hollywood fan, I have a Twitter account that I cannot recommend enough. Bonnie Edinger (account, unfortunately, is no longer active… a huge loss to Old Hollywood Twitter!) is a dream come true for those of us who love this era so much. Last year, one of my daughters had a very complicated pregnancy and, like any mother hen, I spent every day and night worried about her and her baby. When the beautiful baby boy was born prematurely, he had to spend time in the NICU – it hurt to see such a tiny baby hooked up to so many wires. While I always LOVE Bonnie’s beautiful pictures and great information (I’ve learned so much – and here I thought I knew everything… Ha!), I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated them quite as much as I did during these months. When I felt like I was at the end of my emotional rope, I’d find her Twitter page and lose myself in the wonderful pictures and read every wonderful word she had to say.

I have to say, though, I do appreciate the Tweets even when the emotional rope is nowhere in sight! She’s a sweetheart and is even the one who told me about this great book – Joan Crawford is one of her favorite actresses!

Old Hollywood Book + Biography Reviews on Hollywood Yesterday

August 27, 2017 By Joi 2 Comments

(Read my I Know Where I’m Going: Katharine Hepburn Biography Review )

One of my favorite pastimes or guilty pleasures is (as you’d expect) watching movie classics. Old Hollywood, the Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood’s Golden Era… whatever name it goes by, it is absolute magic as far as I’m concerned. There’s just nothing quite like curling up in my favorite swivel rocker, with hot chocolate or tea, my favorite throw, and at least one cat nearby.

However, over the years I’ve found that there’s another guilty Old Hollywood-related pleasure that ranks right up there with watching the movies, themselves…. reading about the colorful, larger than life men and women who made the magic happen.

Old Hollywood biographies, autobiographies, and books line my bookshelves and the collection continues to grow. To be perfectly honest, I just can’t get enough of them!

{Continued below Princess Huck admiring Katharine Hepburn…}

I Know Where I’m Going: Katharine Hepburn, A Personal Biography

I Know Where I’m Going is one of the first Old Hollywood book reviews I wrote on Hollywood Yesterday and it remains one of my all-time favorite books of all time.

(See I Know Where I’m Going: Katharine Hepburn Review)

The review, linked to above, will go into greater detail about exactly what makes this book such a knock out. It isn’t just a MUST read for Katharine Hepburn fans and it isn’t just a MUST read for fans of Old Hollywood… it’s a MUST read for anyone who enjoys a great book.

The past week, I’ve been going through old posts and articles on the blog and “freshening” up pictures, deleting irrelevant posts, etc. I was anxious to add fresh pictures to this particular book review. When I wrote the review, my camera was a horrible excuse for a camera. So, I snatched I Know Where I’m Going off of my Old Hollywood Books shelves and arranged a photo shoot.

For my food blog as well as a few of my other blogs, I do a LOT of book reviews. I meticulously plan photo shoots for the books to better show them off to my readers. As you can see from these pictures (as well as ones in the review, itself), I had “help” – one of our kittens, Princess Huck, decided she just had to read the book then and there.

I decided, “Fine. You want to be in the pictures… you’ll be in the pictures!” I may or may not spoil my cats.

I have a LOT of book and biography reviews coming up, so keep an eye or two out for those. You’ll forgive me, I trust, if a cat or two or six make their way into the pictures.

~ Joi (“Joy”)

Old Hollywood Biographies on Hollywood Yesterday:

Old Hollywood Biographies Coming SOON…

Ginger: My Story by Ginger Rogers
Steps in Time by Fred Astaire
Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn
Love, Lucy

I Know Where I’m Going: Katharine Hepburn, A Personal Biography (Review)

July 29, 2011 By Joi 1 Comment

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

I was recently sent an exceptional book to review, I Know Where I’m Going: Katharine Hepburn, A Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler. Katharine Hepburn has always fascinated me (more so than most Hollywood stars present or past), so this is a biography that I have truly savored. Many times I find myself re-reading certain passages several times because you can really get the essence of the great and beautiful legend on each page of this outstanding book.

As you can imagine, I read everything I can get my hands on about the Golden Age of Hollywood. Autobiographies, biographies, magazines, memoirs… you name it, I’m on it.

Over the years, I’ve read about some truly remarkable lives. Many times I’ve closed the book, looked at the face on the cover of the biography (or autobiography) and said, “Your life was more interesting than all of you movies combined.” Nothing, of course, against their movies – it’s just that most of the time, reel life has absolutely nothing on real life.

Katharine Hepburn (even with her incredibly impressive body of work) is no exception. The lady, herself, is far more fascinating and complex than any character Hollywood could dream up. The things she does couldn’t be scripted and the words out of her mouth? No dialogue writer in the world could dream up. I’ve read about some interesting actors, actors, and directors over the years, but most of them cannot hold a candle to Katharine Hepburn. She is the perfect blend of intelligence, beauty, spirit, determination, talent, vulnerability, and strength. Many of her best traits contradict one another and that’s what makes her so deliciously fascinating.

Writing book review, or recommending books, is a lot like movie reviews for me. I want so badly to tell you all the reasons you should (even must!) read the book or see the movie. However, I want you to experience it, just as I did – without knowing what’s coming. I live in fear of giving anything away that’ll spoil the experience for the next person!

There are so many trying and tragic moments in Katharine Hepburn’s life that are tempting for me to talk about. Moments that would, definitely, make you want to grab a copy of the book and… as they say, “Read All About It!” But, I’m picking the lock because I want you to have the same, “Oh my!” moments I had while enjoying this book.

Suffice to say, I know where Katharine Hepburn got her strength. She earned it. With some of the things life threw at her, her choices were to let life BREAK her spirit or MAKE her stronger. She chose the latter. Boy did she choose the latter!

The beautiful thing is this: Although life handed this legendary actress and international style and beauty icon several blows, she has always enjoyed life and embraced it as much as anyone I’ve ever read about. The lady loves life frontwards, backwards, upwards, downwards, and inside out! She approaches life as if it’s a carnival and each day is a joyride. I honestly believe I connected more with her through reading about her life than any other individual I’ve ever read about.

Halfway through the book, I thought, “This book has to be used as a basis for a movie about Katharine Hepburn. I want to see this play out onscreen!!!” However, by the end of the book, I thought, “There isn’t an actress alive that could pull off Katharine Hepburn.” And even though her story would, indeed, make one of the most fascinating and inspiring movies of all time, I’m sticking to my guns. There’s only one actress in the world who could even come close to Katharine Hepburn and that’s the lady, herself.

Katharine Hepburn’s love of her family is something else that stands out to me. Her fierce devotion to them and the fact that she would fight the demons of hell for any of them left quite an impression on me. The same devotion, loyalty, and love is evident throughout her life with her friends as well.

I have to honestly say that Katharine Hepburn had always been a favorite actress of mine. With such talent, style, intelligence, and beauty – how could she not be? However, after reading I Know Where I’m Going: Katharine Hepburn, A Personal Biography , I’ve moved from Katharine Hepburn fan to Katharine Hepburn fanatic. This is an exceptional book and I marvel at the author Charlotte Chandler. To have such a larger than life subject like Katharine Hepburn, she no doubt had many times when she wondered how to fit it all in!

Katharine Hepburn is a fascinating, one of a kind, lady and I am just SO hoping you click through one of the links in this post and buy the book. I want so much for you to meet and get to know this incredible woman. Her story isn’t just entertaining and getting to know her won’t just make you smile (and often laugh out loud at her spirit and sass!). Katharine Hepburn’s life is inspiring and even uplifting. She showed up to Hollywood, and to life in general, and knew who she was and what she wanted to accomplish. She has always known who she was and defied anyone to imply that wasn’t good enough.

When you look at her pictures, you can see the intelligence, determination, and spirit in her eyes. They tell the story! I can’t tell you how many times I turned to the cover of the book and was simply awestruck by the perfection of both the title and the picture used on the cover. The picture captures her beauty, originality, style, intelligence, and strength and the title couldn’t possibly reflect the essence of Katharine Hepburn any more than it does.

You’ll love the author’s wonderful writing style, you’ll love the priceless photographs in the middle of the book, and you’ll love reading about all of the Hollywood names and how they interacted with Katharine Hepburn. Most of all, of course, you’ll fall head over heels in love with the great lady, herself. If you’re a Katharine Hepburn fan, you’ll become a Katharine Hepburn fanatic. Trust me.

I’ll end with one of the most “defining” sections of the book. There were many, so the choice was difficult. Truth be told, some of the most defining pages were toward the front of the book when Katharine Hepburn talks about her family.

Another favorite passage is toward the end of the book (which, by the way, I HATED to get to – I wanted the book to last forever, I suppose). Katharine Hepburn is discussing “The Creature.” One of the most incredible things about her is the fact that she beautifully kept her public self and private self separate. She didn’t think of her public image as Katharine Hepburn. She thought of her as, “The Creature.” Her public image.. the persona… was for the world and she recognized that it was different from the REAL her. She told the author that she called it “the Creature” and that it should be spelled with a capital C.

In closing, here are a few paragraphs from page 325 of this exceptional book:

When I first visited Kate in her home, I hadn’t seen any pictures of her from the days of her glamorous career. “I don’t keep pictures here in my home of my professional self because those aren’t pictures of me. Those are photographs of the Creature, and I don’t bring her home. I don’t allow her in my house.”

In our conversations, she previously had touched on the subject of the Creature, but it was the last time I saw her that she offered her most extensive discussion on the subject. She said she could do this because she was dismantling the Creature, the Creature having held her in bondage for so long. Now, she had no more need for her, so the Creature no longer had any power over her.

“I was called Kathy when I was a little girl, and I guess I never grew up or outgrew that little girl. I feel very much the same inside. It’s how I think of myself, which is quite often.”

“I created the Creature, but I didn’t completely understand her. Sometimes, she took off on her own. Ungrateful thing. She didn’t remember I created her, and I was put in the position of being her psychiatrist or a personal assistant or even a white slave because she knew I was more dependent on her than she was on me.”

“I believed if people knew the person I really am, they wouldn’t have been very interested in me. They might have said, ‘Boring.’ So I had to always think first about the Creature before I thought of myself.”

“I’ll tell you someone I felt sorry for. That was Marilyn Monroe. You know why? She let her Creature take over.”

Whether you are already a Katharine Hepburn fan or are only just now “getting to know” her, I STRONGLY recommend I Know Where I’m Going: Katharine Hepburn, A Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler. It’ll be one of the most fascinating books you’ve ever read.

You’ll never forget it OR the beautiful face gracing the cover.