Old Hollywood Book Reviews | Hollywood Yesterday

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

January 21, 2019 By Joi 3 Comments

Feuding Fan Dancers: Faith Bacon, Sally Rand, and the Golden Age of the Showgirl is the latest book from actress and author Leslie Zemeckis and it is breathtaking. One of my favorite pastimes is reading Old Hollywood biographies and autobiographies, so when I was offered a copy of Feuding Fan Dancers in exchange for telling you about the book, I jumped at the chance so fast I startled both the cat in my lap and the one on the back of my chair.

Like many people who spend a great deal of their time in Classic Hollywood, I was somewhat familiar with Sally Rand. I had not heard of Faith Bacon, however. While my knowledge of Sally was limited (I knew she had danced with feathers and that she’d been in a couple of movies), at least I could put a face to the name. I couldn’t have told you who Faith Bacon was if I’d had to.

Clearly I needed an education on the Golden Age of the Showgirl and Leslie Zemeckis provided it. I assure you, no other textbook could compare to this one – or even come close!

From the Inside Cover:

Leslie Zemeckis continues to discover the forgotten feminist histories of the golden age of entertainment, turning her sights on the lost stories of Sally Rand and Faith Bacon―icons who each claimed to be the inventor of the notorious fan dance

Some women capture our attention like no others. Faith Bacon and Sally Rand were beautiful blondes from humble backgrounds who shot to fame behind a pair of oversize ostrich fans, but with very different outcomes. Sally Rand would go on to perform for the millions who attended the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago, becoming America’s sweetheart. Faith Bacon, the Marilyn Monroe of her time––once anointed the “world’s most beautiful woman”––would experience the dark side of fame and slip into drug use.

It was the golden age of American entertainment, and Bacon and Rand fought their way through the competitive showgirl scene of New York with grit and perseverance. They played peek-a-boo with their lives, allowing their audiences to see only slivers of themselves. A hint of a breast? A forbidden love affair? They were both towering figures, goddesses, icons. Until the world started to change. Little is known about who they really were, until now.

Feuding Fan Dancers tells the story of two remarkable women during a tumultuous time in entertainment history. Leslie Zemeckis has pieced together their story and―nearly one hundred years later― both women come alive again.

Those last five words jumped off the page at me when I first opened the book, “…both women come alive again.” That’s my personal mission when it comes to Hollywood Yesterday. Few things excite me more than seeing stars from yesterday shining just as brightly as they did when they walked the earth. Through the pages of Feuding Fan Dancers, each beautiful showgirl is with us as we read about their heartbreaks and triumphs, their bold creativity and talent, and even their masterful twisting of reality (especially entertaining).

When doing book reviews, I am always mindful of several things – telling the reader why he or she should read the book is, obviously, right up there, but I also put a lot of effort into not giving anything away. When an author writes a book, they unveil truth and information in a particular, well thought-out manner. They put a lot of time and effort (often years) into research and writing and I have zero intention of letting any secrets out of the jar. The author has earned that right to lift that lid.

I will say that you’ll be amazed by the things life threw at these ladies as well as the things they threw back at life.

Feuding Fan Dancers is an especially fascinating book and is a joy to read. It reads at a very fast-pace as each star’s life unfolds before the reader’s eyes. The two showgirls come alive on each page and they bring a lot of fascinating people with them… many of whom you have heard of.

A VERY impressive amount of research went into this wonderful book. I am blown away by the facts the author was able to piece together from so long ago. As I hinted at earlier, both Sally Rand and Faith Bacon got pretty creative with their “facts.” Truth be told, they were almost as creative with reality as they were feathers. The fact that Leslie Zemeckis was able to travel back in time and sift though all of the information is truly remarkable.

I love everything about the way the book is written. Each woman’s life is told separately, culminating to the point where each became… for better or worse… aware of the other.

As I said, I knew of Sally Rand before reading Feuding Fan Dancers but had never heard of Faith Bacon. After reading this remarkable book, however, I’ll never forget Faith Bacon. There was something mesmerizing about her – a mixture of strength and vulnerability. While Sally often displayed even more strength – she never seemed as vulnerable as Faith Bacon, which, given the time and circumstances, is a real testament to her self will and confidence.

I’ll never forget either lady and I am profoundly glad to have gotten the chance to know each better. In fact, I have grown so fond of them that I’ve already started reading the book a second time! While I often re-read my favorite biographies, I seldom begin a second time through on the very day I finish, but this was the case with Feuding Fan Dancers.

Their lives turned out differently, I look forward to revisiting them a second time and seeing what circumstances and even people could have helped them reach such horrifyingly different destinations.

About the Author: Leslie Zemeckis is an entertainer, author and award-winning documentarian, specializing in early American forms of entertainment (from burlesque to the circus). With an impressive burlesque collection.

Zemeckis wrote/produced/directed the critically acclaimed documentary shown on Showtime “Behind the Burly Q” the true story of old-time burlesque. Her second film, “Bound by Flesh” about Daisy and Violet Hilton, sideshow “freaks” won many festival awards as both best documentary and best director and can be seen on Netflix. Her current film “Mabel, Mabel, Tiger Trainer,” is about the world’s first female tiger trainer.

Her book “Goddess of Love Incarnate; the Life of Stripteuse Lili St. Cyr” is the best-selling in-depth story of the influential burlesque dancer in Hollywood in the ’30s-50s, Montreal nightclubs, and Swinging 52nd Street in New York.

Zemeckis is co-staring in the film “Welcome to Marwen” opposite Steve Carell Dec 2018.

Her latest best-seller FEUDING FAN DANCERS is about Sally Rand, Faith Bacon and the golden age of the Broadway showgirl. She extensively interviewed and researched both fan dancers ground-breaking performances, the history of the American world’s fairs and early Hollywood. Find more at lesliezemeckis.com.

Read more about Feuding Fan Dancers by clicking the links. You’ll find many glowing reviews – which the book and author both certainly deserve.

More Classic Hollywood Book Reviews on Hollywood Yesterday.

Unsinkable: A Memoir by Debbie Reynolds (Review)

August 7, 2018 By Joi 1 Comment

Buy Unsinkable on Amazon

I have always loved Debbie Reynolds – she was adorable (every single day of her life), a wonderful actress, great singer and dancer, and all around…. well… lovable. How anyone could ever conceivably claim to not like her would worry me.

After all, how could you not like Debbie Reynolds?? That’d be like saying you didn’t think Rita Hayworth was beautiful. Or you weren’t quite sure Lucille Ball was funny. That you were up in the air over Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis AND Joan Crawford’s acting chops.

Okay, you get the point. You can’t dislike Debbie Reynolds. Impossible.

Now that we have that settled….. I actually remember my first Debbie Reynolds movie – Singing in the Rain. 10 minutes after she first arrived on the scene, I was ready to like, love, or hate any other star or character based solely on how they treated her. She just had a certain something about her that drew you to her and every character she breathed life into. Though I’d always been a huge fan of Elizabeth Taylor, when I read about her “you know what” with “you know who,” I wrote her AND “you know who” both off.

Years later, I read that Elizabeth Taylor and Debbie Reynolds had become friends again – proving, yet again, that they don’t come any more special than Ms. Reynolds.

As for “you know who…” well, I never forgave him.

I just finished a wonderful book, Unsinkable – a memoir by Debbie Reynolds, herself, and I couldn’t wait to tell you about it. I’m obsessed with Old Hollywood biographies, but when they’re about stars who happen to be favorites, I often read a chapter twice simply to make sure I’ve devoured every word possible. If you aren’t convinced of my infatuation with these biographies on that alone, I can do you one better. I take notes from each book I read. Yep – like a college student. Whether they’re Old Hollywood biographies or another passion, historical biographies (Cleopatra, Harriet Tubman, First Ladies, and Abraham Lincoln are some of my personal favorites) – I jot down quotes or information I want to remember.

As you’d imagine, I have a lot of notebooks and go through a lot of pens.

People often ask me if I prefer autobiographies and memoirs or biographies and I truthfully cannot say. Autobiographies and personal memoirs reach somewhere other biographers can’t even touch… inside the star’s head. The stars, themselves, can tell you what they were thinking and how they felt. Biographers have to rely on assumption or secondhand knowledge.

Having said that, I’ve read enough of each to know that you often get more “raw facts” from a biographer than a star. Many stars, understandably, don’t want to give everything away. Can NOT blame them for that!

Debbie Reynolds is, in my opinion, one of the most open and honest stars when it comes to her memoirs. She isn’t vindictive, didn’t have a “narrative” or ax to grind. She simply tells her fascinating stories and in a way that, quite frankly, feels like you’re having coffee with your hilarious aunt. The aunt who is as lovely inside as out, yet has a crazy sense of humor that sometimes makes you kind of blush. YES… that Debbie Reynolds. YES… that Old Hollywood’s Sweetheart. Her humor will catch you off guard and, if she were the aunt you were having coffee with, you’d have to put your cup down often to keep from choking on the coffee.

After all, laughing and swallowing aren’t mutually compatible.

She. Is. Hilarious.

Before I continue with the book review, take a look at the picture from the cover (below). Gorgeous, right?! You know who she reminds me of here? If you watched soap operas back in the day, you’ll know who I’m talking about. If you didn’t, you’ll have to take my word for it. She reminds me A LOT of the beautiful actress Robin Strasser (Dorian, One Life to Live).

{Review Continued Below]

Unsinkable is the definitive memoir by film legend and Hollywood icon Debbie Reynolds.

In Unsinkable, the late great actress, comedienne, singer, and dancer Debbie Reynolds shares the highs and lows of her life as an actress during Hollywood’s Golden Age, anecdotes about her lifelong friendship with Elizabeth Taylor, her experiences as the foremost collector of Hollywood memorabilia, and intimate details of her marriages and family life with her children, Carrie and Todd Fisher.

A story of heartbreak, hope, and survival, “America’s Sweetheart” Debbie Reynolds picks up where she left off in her first memoir, Debbie: My Life, and is illustrated with previously unpublished photos from Reynolds’s personal collection.

Debbie Reynolds died on December 28, 2016, at the age of 84, just one day after the death of her daughter, actress and author Carrie Fisher. – From Amazon

If you read many Old Hollywood biographies and memoirs, you know that one of the funnest things about them is when you “bump into” other actors, actresses, and celebrities on the pages. Sometimes they’re expected, other times not. Either way, I always get a huge kick out of the book’s subject’s interactions, relationships, and inward thoughts about these stars.

You can often learn as much (or more!) about someone from another person’s words and/or opinion of them. There are numerous such “encounters” on the pages of Unsinkable and they are sometimes hilarious, sometimes disappointing, and always fascinating. Unsinkable was written by Debbie Reynolds and a longtime friend of her’s, Dorian Hannaway. These ladies created a book that will go down as one of my personal favorites. Talk about a FUN read.

As with all of my reviews, I detest the thought of giving anything away… so I won’t allow myself to say too much. After all, the best way to get to truly know these magical stars of Hollywood Yesterday is to read about them. Since my number one goal with this blog is to keep these stars shining brightly, I desperately want as many people to get to know them as possible. This means I want as many of you to read these biographies as possible. If I give things away, you’ll be less apt to do that… and Debbie Reynolds is a star I absolutely want as many people as possible to get to know better.

There’s so much more to her than her uncommonly sweet smile and beauty. A lot more… and much of it will catch you off guard.

The two things I take away the most from this book are:

Her sense of humor was outrageous. Although she isn’t known for comedy, she’d have been HUGE in the genre. She had a natural sense of humor and ability to find the fun, humor, and playfulness in just about every corner of life.
She loved her family completely, intensely, and passionately. Her love for her children and granddaughter – and her pride in everything about them – defined Debbie Reynolds. They were her world… to the very end. So much so that, after her beloved daughter Carrie Fisher passed away, it would appear that she wanted only one thing.. to follow Carrie and make certain she was safe.

This is a book I know you’ll want to read and this is a lady I know you’ll love. You can find Unsinkable by Debbie Reynolds and Dorian Hannaway on Amazon or in your favorite bookstore.

By the way, if you were a One Life to Live fan (I was for more years than I could begin to count), you’ll recognize the gorgeous actress in the picture above with Debbie Reynolds, her son Todd, and Carrie Fisher… Catherine Hickland – one of the best actresses to ever grace daytime television OR nighttime. She played Lindsay on OLTL and she is one of my all-time favorites. She is actually married to Debbie Reynold’s beloved son Todd.

Small world… and, very often, an especially beautiful world. ~ Joi (“Joy”)

Review: Ball of Fire – The Tumultuous Life and Comic Art of Lucille Ball by Stefan Kanfer

February 20, 2018 By Joi 1 Comment

Ball of Fire: The Tumultuous Life and Comic Art of Lucille Ball by Stefan Kanfer

One of my favorite pastimes, hobbies, and passions is reading old Hollywood biographies, memoirs, and autobiographies. I’m absolutely obsessed with them. When they happen to be about one of my personal favorites, I can barely make myself put the book down. I devour each word (often twice) and study the pictures as though I’m searching for hidden clues.

Lucille Ball is one of my favorite television actresses… movie actresses…stars.. comedians.. oh, heck, she’s one of my favorite humans to ever draw breath. Let’s just leave it at that. I read everything about her that I can get my hands on.

Ball of Fire is the latest Lucille Ball biography I’ve read and it’s easily one of the best.

From the Back Cover:

As a movie actress Lucille Ball was, in her own words, “queen of the B-pluses.” But on the small screen she was a superstar – arguably the funniest and most enduring in the history of TV. In this exemplary biography, Stefan Kanfer explores the roots of Lucy’s genius and places it in the context of her conflicted and sometimes bitter personal life.

“Elegant, entertaining… engaging and immensely readable. – The Boston Globe”

Ball of Fire gives us Lucy in all her contradictions. here is the beauty who became a master of knock-down slapstick; the control freak whose comic alter ego thrived on chaos; the worshipful TV housewife whose real marriage ended in public disaster. Here, too, is an intimate view of the dawn of television and of the America that embraced it. Charming, informative, touching, and laugh-out-loud funny, this is the book Lucy’s fans have been waiting for.

A delightful… Encyclopedia Lucytania, guiding us through every possible detail of the woman’s history and legacy. – San Francisco Chronicle

Lucille Ball Fans: This Has to be the Next Book You Read

If you love Lucy like I love Lucy (sorry, I had to), you’ll want to read this book cover to cover, possibly twice. While we’ve all known and celebrated the fact that Lucille Ball was one of the most beautiful, talented, and gifted stars Hollywood ever saw, this great book is a reminder of the strength this lady possessed. When you read about everything she had to overcome (and remind yourself that this was a time when feminine strength wasn’t celebrated as it is today), you realize that she never simply waltzed into stardom, she kicked, scratched, and clawed every step of the way.

Needless to say, that makes her fans love her even more.

While I love everything about this book, one of the things that stands out to me is the fact that the author doesn’t try to “steer” the facts toward any set narrative. As a fan of many actors and actresses from Old Hollywood, I have to say that this would be difficult (if not impossible) for me. If, say, I were writing a biography of any of my favorite stars, I’d want desperately to show them at their best on each page of the book. I’d steer everything in a preconceived direction… Happy Town, U.S.A.

Warts? Not a one. Negative actions? Never! How dare you ask? Promiscuous? I should say not!

See why I don’t write biographies… everyone would come off like a choir boy or Sunday school teacher. To be able to give an accurate, beautifully rounded portrait of an individual takes a lot of talent and, I’d wager, self-control. As an avid reader of Old Hollywood biographies, I’m overjoyed that such authors exist. After all, none of us expect our favorite stars to have been perfect – even the men and women (except for One) in the Bible weren’t perfect!

It’s the imperfections we identify with – the weaknesses that we love seeing them overcome and the demons we love seeing them defeat. It makes them more real to us and makes us love them even more. Author Stefan Kanfer does a beautiful job of showing complete respect to Lucille, Desi, William Frawley, Vivian Vance, and the many other household names who “guest starred” in our favorite Lucy’s life.

Unlike some biographers, he doesn’t fixate on a star’s less-than-perfect traits but he doesn’t gloss over them as a certain Old Hollywood blogger we know would have done. *Raises hand with guilt on her face

This particular biography gives us a beautiful look at the mesmerizing life of Lucille Ball – from her earliest days to her last days. While it would be impossible to give the totality of a life within one book, Mr. Kanfer comes alarmingly close. I feel like I know her better after this book than I did before and, as someone who truly adores Lucille Ball, I will forever be thankful for that.

I Love Lucy Fans: Consider this a MUST READ BOOK

As a Lucille Ball fanatic, I’m sure you won’t be the least bit surprised to know that I can recite episodes of I Love Lucy along with the stars. I know what they’re going to say right before they say it and yet laugh each time as though it were the first time. That’s the magic of the stars, the writers, and everyone involved. While Ball of Fire (obviously) focuses on arguably the greatest comedic talent of all time, herself, there is gold… and a lot of it… for fans of I Love Lucy.

Even I read stories about casting (William Frawley, Vivian Vance, and memorable guest stars) in Ball of Fire I’d never heard… and I was pretty sure I was a walking/talking/coffee-chugging I Love Lucy encyclopedia! I honestly don’t want to give anything away, here, because I want you to read the book for yourself and be just as surprised and delighted with each turn of the page. I will say this, however – I’ve always known that Desi Arnaz deserves more credit for his acting and comedic genius. After reading Ball of Fire, I realize that he deserves A LOT more credit for the success of the series. He was more active behind the scenes than most of us would have ever guessed and he may have had one of the greatest eyes for casting of all time.

He was more than just a source of facial expressions for Lucy’s antics or verbal expressions for Lucy’s humor – he was one of the driving forces behind the series. I desperately want to find a read a biography of Desi Arnaz after reading Ball of Fire because it has caused me to be even more of a fan of this complex, talented, diverse, and often complicated man.

I only wish this particular author would write such a biography!

As I said, I refuse to give any of the wonderful details or stories away but I want to implore you again… if you’re a fan of I Love Lucy, you’ll love the amount of time devoted to the series. I read and reread the pages and am looking forward to pulling out my dvds and finding the episodes mentioned. The Grape-Stomping episode will be one of the first I re-watch!

I’d better move along before I DO give something away.

Ball of Fire is, As Much as Anything a Love Story

Not only is this book, at heart, a love story – it’s one of the best love stories you’ll ever read. When I read (pages 63-65) about the first time Lucille an Desi met, I literally had goose bumps. Now, I know the word literally is overused and misused these days but trust me – I’m neither overusing or misusing. I legit had goosebumps as well as a lump in my throat. The feelings would return (often along with teary eyes) when the author talked about Lucy’s desire to have children, when the marriage began (and continued) to unravel, and when both Desi and Lucille died.

The love these two gifted stars shared for one another was absolutely palpable. When you read the book, it becomes more clear than ever that Lucille and Desi were soulmates, just as Lucy and Ricky were. Sadly, soulmates don’t always go the distance with one another – especially when Hollywood is concerned. Hollywood is like a whole other world and very few couples navigate it from start to finish hand in hand. I’m convinced that, had they lived in any other place, they’d have made it.

Finally….

As I’ve said many times on Hollywood Yesterday, old movies, classic television, and Old Hollywood biographies are part of my DNA. I love for an author to take me on a journey where I’m able to spend time with current favorites and meet stars who I become so smitten with, they often go on to become favorites. A notable star this happened with was Carole Lombard. Her name kept popping up in various biographies (Lucille Ball, Ginger Rogers….) and she was always such a scene-stealer that I sought out more information about her. I found that she was, indeed, beautifully colorful and wonderfully full of life. She, along with other household names (Clark Gable, Ginger Rogers, Claudette Colbert, etc) are here in Ball of Fire – woven into the fabric that is the magical life of Lucille Ball. They add to the mystique and heighten the magic.

What more can I say? This is a breathtaking book and I really hope you read it as soon as possible. Ball of Fire is available on Amazon in paperback for less than $5 and hardback for not much more.

EDIT: I just searched for the author (Stefan Kanfer) on Amazon – determined to buy any and all biographies he has written. Am I ever in luck? He has several – so, needless to say, you’ll be seeing the reviews soon!

Somebody: The Reckless Life and Remarkable Career of Marlon Brando
Tough Without a Gun: Humphrey Bogart, Men in Movies, and Why It Matters
Groucho: The Life and Times of Julius Henry Marx

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”)