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Double Life: A Love Story from Broadway to Hollywood
Gay marriage is at the forefront of America's political battles. The human story at the center of this debate is told in Double Life: A Love Story, a dual memoir by a gay male couple in a 50 plus year relationship. With high profiles in the entertainment, advertising and art communities, the authors offer a virtual timeline of how gay relationships have gained acceptance in the last half-century. At the same time, they share inside stories from film, television and media featuring the likes of Marlon Brando, Katharine Hepburn, Rock Hudson, Barbra Streisand, Laurence Olivier, Truman Capote, Bette Davis, Robert Redford, Lee Radziwill and Frances Lear.
“We both grew up at a time when homosexuality was not even spoken about,” the couple writes. “There were certainly no books that could help a young person understand that two people of the same sex could build a happy, productive and loving life together. When we entered our 50th year, another same sex couple told us we were ‘an inspiration’, so we began to feel we had the responsibility to make what we’ve experienced available to others. We also wanted to show people who were not gay that our life was not unlike theirs. We are all pretty much the same, so we deserve equal protection under the Constitution.”
Alan Shayne retired as President of Warner Brothers Television in 1986, following a career that included Broadway, playing opposite Lena Horne and spanned forty years. As a leading casting director, he worked on such films as Catch 22, All the President’s Men and many others. At Warner Brothers, he shepherded such long-running television series as Alice, Night Court and The Dukes of Hazard.
Norman Sunshine was a successful magazine illustrator in New York who went on to be a painter and sculptor whose works are in museums and in important collections. In the early years of his career, he was vice president, creative director of an advertising agency, and coined the phrase, “What Becomes a Legend Most?” as well as “Danskins are not just for Dancing.” He interrupted his painting career when Frances Lear asked him to spearhead Lear’s Magazine in the 1980s.
Upon the two men meeting in New York in 1958, “We didn’t want to live together,” says Shayne. “We didn’t have any examples of what a good love relationship between two men could be. And there was always the problem of hiding so no one would know we were gay. There was no question that if I were known to be gay, living with another man, it would make it more difficult for me to get work as an actor.”
As an artist, Sunshine was able to maintain a moderately out lifestyle. But when the first exhibition of his paintings in New York brought on a profile in The New York Times in 1968, he was photographed in the apartment that he admitted sharing with Shayne. At both his advertising agency and Shayne’s television production company, the article was met with absolute silence.
Even in the 1970s, when Sunshine won an Emmy for the graphics and title design he had created for one of Shayne’s television productions, “Alan and I agreed it was not a good idea for us to be seen together at an industry event,” he remembers. “Alan, after all, was one of the very few homosexuals who had such a powerful, high profile job, and who lived openly with a man. Homophobia had its adherents and some ruthless climber up the executive ladder would certainly love an opportunity to use it…’Better to be seen with a woman,’ we were advised by a very trusted friend, ‘Makes everyone more comfortable.’”
Happily, in 2004, the State of Massachusetts allowed the opportunity for the couple to be married on a beach in Nantucket. “We were like a long, empty, closed-up house where the windows have just been opened,” writes Shayne. “The fresh air thrilled through us, and after years of only being who we were in the privacy of our homes or with a few friends, we were out in the world, under the sky, no longer pretending. We were at last free.”
Double Life is a trip through the entertainment world and a gay partnership in the latter half of the 20th century. As more and more same sex couples find it possible to say “I do,” the book serves as an important document of how far we’ve come.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2010
107 people are currently reading
409 people want to read
About the author
Alan Shayne
7 books30 followersAlan Shayne, co-writer of the memoir Double Life with Norman Sunshine, was President of Warner Brothers Television for ten years, where he shepherded such hit shows as Alice, The Dukes of Hazard, Night Court, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Head of the Class and Growing Pains. In addition to holding other positions at the Warner Brothers Studio, he has been an independent film and television producer with such projects as The Bourne Identity starring Richard Chamberlain (nominated for an Emmy), and he won a Christopher Award for The House Without a Christmas Tree. He began his career in television with David Susskind’s production company, after working in the Broadway casting office for David Merrick. Prior to that, he was an actor on Broadway and in television.
Shayne is the author of the children’s book, The Minstrel Tree¸ illustrated by Sunshine.
Shayne is the author of the children’s book, The Minstrel Tree¸ illustrated by Sunshine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
November 4, 2022
The format of this book makes it doubly interesting! It mostly alternates chapters from each author, and they pick up where the other left off, much like any long term couple who finish each other's sentences.
The result is a book which feel deeper than a single memoir; it is like a long weekend at the country where you have a chance to hear the life story of each charming host.
One of the writers is a painter/sculptor, and the other is a TV and movie producer. In fact both of them did many things, and the name-dropping is effortless! As well, this double memoir offers a slice of social history from the 1950s until 2010 which is fascinating all on its own.
Well worth reading for anyone interested in the arts, show business, or simply the lives of gay men who are not accustomed to talking about their lives, and then, thankfully, finally do. Thanks guys!
The result is a book which feel deeper than a single memoir; it is like a long weekend at the country where you have a chance to hear the life story of each charming host.
One of the writers is a painter/sculptor, and the other is a TV and movie producer. In fact both of them did many things, and the name-dropping is effortless! As well, this double memoir offers a slice of social history from the 1950s until 2010 which is fascinating all on its own.
Well worth reading for anyone interested in the arts, show business, or simply the lives of gay men who are not accustomed to talking about their lives, and then, thankfully, finally do. Thanks guys!
June 13, 2021
Lovely poignant non fiction real life memoir of two men who fell in love, how they navigated the various career changes /phases they each went through, with the fact that they are gay and it was illegal during those times.
Also very interesting to read about the various people/celebrities they met. Heard or know about some of them and the rest I had fun googling.
I just checked that they are on FB and the love they have for each other still shines through the posts they write. They are 95 and 91 yo and have been together for about 60 years and counting.
Also very interesting to read about the various people/celebrities they met. Heard or know about some of them and the rest I had fun googling.
I just checked that they are on FB and the love they have for each other still shines through the posts they write. They are 95 and 91 yo and have been together for about 60 years and counting.
January 10, 2012
This is actually way closer to a four, but there were times when it fell into celebrity gossip (which is fun to hear) but the reason why I wanted to read this book was to know more about the couple writing it - and these frequent little trips down memory lane distracted from their story and took up valuable space which could have been devoted to them.
Because it is a fascinating story. A gay couple that have been together for fifty years, and lived semi-openly but quietly despite the nature of their work (one as an artist and the other as an actor and eventual television studio head). There are still so many fights in the battle for queer equality that it is aching to look back and actually realise how far we have come when we look at the lives of others. For these men, who got together in the late fifties, to be able to marry on a Massachusetts beach fifty years later, is something they thought would never be possible. Their story is both one of reflection and of hope that things truly can get better.
Because it is a fascinating story. A gay couple that have been together for fifty years, and lived semi-openly but quietly despite the nature of their work (one as an artist and the other as an actor and eventual television studio head). There are still so many fights in the battle for queer equality that it is aching to look back and actually realise how far we have come when we look at the lives of others. For these men, who got together in the late fifties, to be able to marry on a Massachusetts beach fifty years later, is something they thought would never be possible. Their story is both one of reflection and of hope that things truly can get better.
June 17, 2012
When one considers that Edward Carpenter, socialist, political activist and poet lived as an openly gay may with George Merrill from 1898 to 1928 (when Merrill died) and endured a great deal more in Victorian England, this book is really very slight. At times just celebrity gossip, but really not much insight into the changing attitudes of the last 50 years. Very glad that they have had a great relationship and it is celebrated. (One major peeve is the appalling editing that saw a story repeated twice)
October 7, 2024
I loved how this was written in a back-and-forth format, alternating reflections on both of their careers and lives together. Still, something fell a bit short, and some parts dragged—hence the 3 stars.
June 18, 2020
Double Life: A Love Story from Broadway to Hollywood is an autobiographical memoir written by Alan Shayne and Norman Sunshine and a forward written by Mike Nichols. It explores the entertaining and invigorating story of Shayne and Sunshine's enduring relationship.
Alan Shayne was an actor, casting director, producer, and former President of Warner Brothers Television. Norman Sunshine is a painter and sculptor whose work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Their relationship began in 1958 when homosexuality was considered a disease. At the time of their first meeting, the divorced Shayne was trying to cure himself of his homosexuality via deep analysis. Shayne, an aspiring actor at the beginning of the book, became a casting director, and, eventually, the president of Warner Brothers Television. Sunshine started out as a freelance illustrator in New York and developed into an accomplished painter, media consultant, and Emmy Award winner.
Despite their career successes, the couple lived a less-than open life. In 1968, when Sunshine admitted to a New York Times reporter that he lived with Shayne, they were met with deafening silence from colleagues and friends.
Double Life: A Love Story from Broadway to Hollywood is written rather well. Shayne and Sunshine include entertaining stories about stars, from a young Marlon Brando, to a generous Rock Hudson, to a bitter Lena Horne was written with candor and genuine emotion, which values sincerity over political correctness. Shayne and Sunshine gives the reader a unique perspective on the discretion they needed to succeed, not always staying in the closet, but too often forced to choose between viability and assertiveness.
All in all, Double Life: A Love Story from Broadway to Hollywood is as much a love letter as a look at how society's views on homosexuality have changed over the last fifty years.
Alan Shayne was an actor, casting director, producer, and former President of Warner Brothers Television. Norman Sunshine is a painter and sculptor whose work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Their relationship began in 1958 when homosexuality was considered a disease. At the time of their first meeting, the divorced Shayne was trying to cure himself of his homosexuality via deep analysis. Shayne, an aspiring actor at the beginning of the book, became a casting director, and, eventually, the president of Warner Brothers Television. Sunshine started out as a freelance illustrator in New York and developed into an accomplished painter, media consultant, and Emmy Award winner.
Despite their career successes, the couple lived a less-than open life. In 1968, when Sunshine admitted to a New York Times reporter that he lived with Shayne, they were met with deafening silence from colleagues and friends.
Double Life: A Love Story from Broadway to Hollywood is written rather well. Shayne and Sunshine include entertaining stories about stars, from a young Marlon Brando, to a generous Rock Hudson, to a bitter Lena Horne was written with candor and genuine emotion, which values sincerity over political correctness. Shayne and Sunshine gives the reader a unique perspective on the discretion they needed to succeed, not always staying in the closet, but too often forced to choose between viability and assertiveness.
All in all, Double Life: A Love Story from Broadway to Hollywood is as much a love letter as a look at how society's views on homosexuality have changed over the last fifty years.
October 31, 2012
A success on many levels. Easily the best non-fiction book I've read this year.
June 20, 2021
Very good read. Both guys take turns to tell their part of the story.
Reading this you get an inside into their working lives and what life was like generally back then.
It is most interesting and enjoyable. I would have liked to have more about the dogs though.
Reading this you get an inside into their working lives and what life was like generally back then.
It is most interesting and enjoyable. I would have liked to have more about the dogs though.
June 28, 2022
It's was okay.
August 21, 2011
"Double Life" refers to the fact that the two authors of this memoir, Norman Sunshine and Alan Shayne, lived quietly as a not-quite-out gay couple in the entertainment and advertising industries for 50 years. The great accomplishment of their life together may be the fact that they never overtly hid their relationship, but instead lived together for most of these decades, in a time when most gay high-powered Hollywood and New York City professionals stayed on the down low in separate homes or lived a life of promiscuity and secrecy, rather than making a lasting commitment.
The title of this book could just as easily refer to the content of the memoir itself, however. "Double Life" is more than just a love story; it's a dishy behind-the-scenes look at Mad Men era NYC advertising, the changing face of the L.A. and NYC art world, and Hollywood--particularly TV and film development--during the 1960s and 1970s.
Those interested in TV and entertainment history should love this book. Shayne served as President of Warner Television for 10 years during the 70s and 80s (retiring in 1986). (He also worked in casting for many years.) During his careers in casting and in development, he was intimately involved in the development of shows like Wonder Woman, Spenser: For Hire, The Dukes of Hazzard, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Growing Pains, and Night Court. He helped launched Robby Benson's writing career, and he got The Thorn Birds made into a miniseries. His descriptions of what it was like to work in entertainment during this era--the frustrations of dealing with actors and executives, in particular--are fascinating. (The Lee Radziwell story in particular, about trying to get a TV movie of "Laura" made starring Jackie Kennedy's inexperienced non-actress sister in the lead role, is very funny.)
Norman Sunshine's parallel career trajectory is just as fascinating and high-achieving, as he moves from being a top illustrator to an advertising copywriter (inventing the famous ad slogans, "What becomes a legend most?" and "Danskins aren't just for dancing") to a successful professional painter to the art director of Lear's Magazine--picking up an Emmy along the way for the creatively-designed titles sequence and original art he created for a TV movie Shayne developed ("The House without a Christmas Tree" -- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068720/).
What I liked most about this book was its honesty; neither narrator projects the limitless confidence you might expect from such successful men. Instead, they recount what it was like to fall into surprising, challenging and sometimes overwhelming career changes that they were able to turn into remarkable opportunities and successes. Through it all, there runs the narrative thread of their evolving relationship, a source of strength and support to each of them as their high-powered and influential creative careers develop. Every decision they make, they make mutually, based on what is best for their relationship. There are a few stumbles along the way, but how they get past them is what makes for such touching reading.
By the end of the memoir, Shayne and Sunshine have spent 50 fulfilling years together as a committed couple, and are finally able to make it legal in Massachusetts in 2004--an extremely touching and moving ending to the book, but hopefully not to their ongoing story.
I haven't read a lot of entertainment and celebrity memoirs, but I've read a few, and this is the best by far. Highly recommended to fans of film and TV history and Mad Men.
The title of this book could just as easily refer to the content of the memoir itself, however. "Double Life" is more than just a love story; it's a dishy behind-the-scenes look at Mad Men era NYC advertising, the changing face of the L.A. and NYC art world, and Hollywood--particularly TV and film development--during the 1960s and 1970s.
Those interested in TV and entertainment history should love this book. Shayne served as President of Warner Television for 10 years during the 70s and 80s (retiring in 1986). (He also worked in casting for many years.) During his careers in casting and in development, he was intimately involved in the development of shows like Wonder Woman, Spenser: For Hire, The Dukes of Hazzard, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Growing Pains, and Night Court. He helped launched Robby Benson's writing career, and he got The Thorn Birds made into a miniseries. His descriptions of what it was like to work in entertainment during this era--the frustrations of dealing with actors and executives, in particular--are fascinating. (The Lee Radziwell story in particular, about trying to get a TV movie of "Laura" made starring Jackie Kennedy's inexperienced non-actress sister in the lead role, is very funny.)
Norman Sunshine's parallel career trajectory is just as fascinating and high-achieving, as he moves from being a top illustrator to an advertising copywriter (inventing the famous ad slogans, "What becomes a legend most?" and "Danskins aren't just for dancing") to a successful professional painter to the art director of Lear's Magazine--picking up an Emmy along the way for the creatively-designed titles sequence and original art he created for a TV movie Shayne developed ("The House without a Christmas Tree" -- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068720/).
What I liked most about this book was its honesty; neither narrator projects the limitless confidence you might expect from such successful men. Instead, they recount what it was like to fall into surprising, challenging and sometimes overwhelming career changes that they were able to turn into remarkable opportunities and successes. Through it all, there runs the narrative thread of their evolving relationship, a source of strength and support to each of them as their high-powered and influential creative careers develop. Every decision they make, they make mutually, based on what is best for their relationship. There are a few stumbles along the way, but how they get past them is what makes for such touching reading.
By the end of the memoir, Shayne and Sunshine have spent 50 fulfilling years together as a committed couple, and are finally able to make it legal in Massachusetts in 2004--an extremely touching and moving ending to the book, but hopefully not to their ongoing story.
I haven't read a lot of entertainment and celebrity memoirs, but I've read a few, and this is the best by far. Highly recommended to fans of film and TV history and Mad Men.
April 28, 2021
Loved parts of this book, was bored to death by other parts. It's a "double book," two partnered gay lovers who were together for over 50 years each write back-and-forth chronology of their lives together. Some of it is very good and there are plenty of surprises, but most of the good parts are done by former Warner Brothers TV head Alan Shayne. The sections by artist Norman Sunshine are mostly dull and go on and on and on with his neurotic ramblings. The lengthy book is worth reading but only if you tolerate the dull sections.
The most fun is reading about how these two intersected with many famous people in history. Streisand, Rock Hudson, Lena Horne, Tina Sinatra, Kate Hepburn, Norman Lear. And these weren't just quick encounters--they actually dealt closely with them. However, there is not anywhere near enough detail about these associations. There's only a couple paragraphs about Shayne basically discovering Streisand for her first Broadway show and working with her. He needs to write a book just about his career, not this love-story based book that downplays their work.
Then Shayne is in charge of Warners TV and lists the shows he got on the air--but gives zero details about them other than one or two failures. Look at his IMDB page and get a feel for some of the movie or TV hits he worked on (All the Presidents Men, Alice) then there are dozens more he approved for pilots or TV series. There are a few funny inside Hollywood and Broadway stories, but the book seems like a wasted opportunity by Shayne to give detailed stories about his amazing work life.
Sunshine doesn't fare so well. He is constantly complaining. He had a well-off childhood and was given all sorts of opportunities that most of us would call elitist. He claims his family was "upper middle class" when in truth he was in the upper couple percent of America. One of the main problems with the whole book is that these two think they don't have much--if you don't count the four multimillion dollar homes (including Palm Springs and the California beach), the non-stop moving or redecorating, the many worldwide trips, etc. In truth these two are rich, successful men--Shayne is humble about it but Sunshine just plain whines about not being as famous as he wants to be.
Worst is this Sunshine paragraph on page 190: "I experienced only sadness. All I could see was a devastated family: a father who could never forgive his wife for having an affair and who lost his business and committed suicide after it went bankrupt; a mother whose anguish pushed her into a series of nervous breakdowns; a brother whose alcoholism would lead him to an early death; and a sister whose smoking would eventually cause her death from lung cancer." That is the ONLY time Sunshine mentions ANY of that in the book! How do you go 350 pages and not give details about all those family tragedies? Why isn't that part of the narrative instead of his 20-page essay on clearing land in the forest or how he creates his paintings (which, to be honest, aren't very good)?
By the way, most of the book takes place before the 1990s and they rush an ending that summarizes a few highlights of their final twenty years together. Shayne retired over 25 years before the book was published, so what happened in the years since???
Then there's the overall lingering theme of the book: two gay men live together for decades but never let others know about their homosexuality. They blame society and try to use the final pages to turn this into an LGBT anthem for standing up for gay rights. But it fails because for 50 years they did nothing but assume what other people thought and out of fear did not live honest lives. Namely, this book really tells a gay person how not to live life.
No wonder both of them are so hesitant and unemotional throughout--they were both petrified of being found out, but other than a few bad words thrown at them in childhood they don't have one single example of when their sexuality caused them problems. They just assumed people wouldn't accept them or it would cost them work. For all the talk the two did together they never seem to truly be comfortable with each other.
For a while I thought they were a decent (and rare) example of how a relationship should work. Then I realized that they were more like respectful roommates, too anxious to truly reveal to each other their feelings about things and always slightly frustrated at the other person while remaining needy and clingy. It highlights so many things that are a problem for gay men and their relationships.
Shayne even claims in the final pages, "Gay people have so many more challenges and difficulties than heterosexuals do." Um, I disagree based on my experiences, and you certainly wouldn't know it by this book. These two live lavish lives where everyone accepts them, no one belittles or rejects them, and they actually seem to be able to move through life with great success. If this book truly reflects what "difficulties" are then we should all wish for them or learn that sometimes just having a quiet private life can bring a life that's mostly happiness.
By the way, gay couples have been out and around in Hollywood and on Broadway long before these two were a couple. Even some of the authors' best friends in the business were gay couples. So their claim that they couldn't come out due to potential industry rejection is absurd, especially as it gets into the 1990s.
I absolutely love parts of this book and will reread it at some point. Shayne stumbled into one of the most amazing careers of the 20th century, but he always acts like he was a bottom-rung loser. Sunshine had some surprises of his own, coming up with a couple of the great advertising lines in history when working for the control freak Jane Trahey and then helping another control freak Frances Lear put together her failed magazine.
Shayne became famous for producing (and really starting the template for) TV mini-series. This book reads like one of those--it has spectacular scenes that leave you wanting more, mixed with mediocre long-winded talk about nothing. It's a double-sided Double Life.
The most fun is reading about how these two intersected with many famous people in history. Streisand, Rock Hudson, Lena Horne, Tina Sinatra, Kate Hepburn, Norman Lear. And these weren't just quick encounters--they actually dealt closely with them. However, there is not anywhere near enough detail about these associations. There's only a couple paragraphs about Shayne basically discovering Streisand for her first Broadway show and working with her. He needs to write a book just about his career, not this love-story based book that downplays their work.
Then Shayne is in charge of Warners TV and lists the shows he got on the air--but gives zero details about them other than one or two failures. Look at his IMDB page and get a feel for some of the movie or TV hits he worked on (All the Presidents Men, Alice) then there are dozens more he approved for pilots or TV series. There are a few funny inside Hollywood and Broadway stories, but the book seems like a wasted opportunity by Shayne to give detailed stories about his amazing work life.
Sunshine doesn't fare so well. He is constantly complaining. He had a well-off childhood and was given all sorts of opportunities that most of us would call elitist. He claims his family was "upper middle class" when in truth he was in the upper couple percent of America. One of the main problems with the whole book is that these two think they don't have much--if you don't count the four multimillion dollar homes (including Palm Springs and the California beach), the non-stop moving or redecorating, the many worldwide trips, etc. In truth these two are rich, successful men--Shayne is humble about it but Sunshine just plain whines about not being as famous as he wants to be.
Worst is this Sunshine paragraph on page 190: "I experienced only sadness. All I could see was a devastated family: a father who could never forgive his wife for having an affair and who lost his business and committed suicide after it went bankrupt; a mother whose anguish pushed her into a series of nervous breakdowns; a brother whose alcoholism would lead him to an early death; and a sister whose smoking would eventually cause her death from lung cancer." That is the ONLY time Sunshine mentions ANY of that in the book! How do you go 350 pages and not give details about all those family tragedies? Why isn't that part of the narrative instead of his 20-page essay on clearing land in the forest or how he creates his paintings (which, to be honest, aren't very good)?
By the way, most of the book takes place before the 1990s and they rush an ending that summarizes a few highlights of their final twenty years together. Shayne retired over 25 years before the book was published, so what happened in the years since???
Then there's the overall lingering theme of the book: two gay men live together for decades but never let others know about their homosexuality. They blame society and try to use the final pages to turn this into an LGBT anthem for standing up for gay rights. But it fails because for 50 years they did nothing but assume what other people thought and out of fear did not live honest lives. Namely, this book really tells a gay person how not to live life.
No wonder both of them are so hesitant and unemotional throughout--they were both petrified of being found out, but other than a few bad words thrown at them in childhood they don't have one single example of when their sexuality caused them problems. They just assumed people wouldn't accept them or it would cost them work. For all the talk the two did together they never seem to truly be comfortable with each other.
For a while I thought they were a decent (and rare) example of how a relationship should work. Then I realized that they were more like respectful roommates, too anxious to truly reveal to each other their feelings about things and always slightly frustrated at the other person while remaining needy and clingy. It highlights so many things that are a problem for gay men and their relationships.
Shayne even claims in the final pages, "Gay people have so many more challenges and difficulties than heterosexuals do." Um, I disagree based on my experiences, and you certainly wouldn't know it by this book. These two live lavish lives where everyone accepts them, no one belittles or rejects them, and they actually seem to be able to move through life with great success. If this book truly reflects what "difficulties" are then we should all wish for them or learn that sometimes just having a quiet private life can bring a life that's mostly happiness.
By the way, gay couples have been out and around in Hollywood and on Broadway long before these two were a couple. Even some of the authors' best friends in the business were gay couples. So their claim that they couldn't come out due to potential industry rejection is absurd, especially as it gets into the 1990s.
I absolutely love parts of this book and will reread it at some point. Shayne stumbled into one of the most amazing careers of the 20th century, but he always acts like he was a bottom-rung loser. Sunshine had some surprises of his own, coming up with a couple of the great advertising lines in history when working for the control freak Jane Trahey and then helping another control freak Frances Lear put together her failed magazine.
Shayne became famous for producing (and really starting the template for) TV mini-series. This book reads like one of those--it has spectacular scenes that leave you wanting more, mixed with mediocre long-winded talk about nothing. It's a double-sided Double Life.
August 31, 2013
For the full review please follow the link.
http://curiosityofasocialmisfit.blogs...
With the whole equality and marriages being in the news so much these days, I was a little worried that this book may come across as a little bit preachy but that wasn't the case.
The problem with this site and rating books is that you can't give half stars. Rating it a 3 makes it sound like the book isn't as good as it actually is yet I wouldn't say it's good enough for a four, hence the 3.5 score on my site.
Story wise, the love between these two men is brilliantly written and most definitely the core of the book and worth getting for that alone. However, it's when the book veers off in to celebrity gossip that it kind of loses it's way a little.
Don't let that minor flaw put you off of getting the book, it's well worth a read.
http://curiosityofasocialmisfit.blogs...
With the whole equality and marriages being in the news so much these days, I was a little worried that this book may come across as a little bit preachy but that wasn't the case.
The problem with this site and rating books is that you can't give half stars. Rating it a 3 makes it sound like the book isn't as good as it actually is yet I wouldn't say it's good enough for a four, hence the 3.5 score on my site.
Story wise, the love between these two men is brilliantly written and most definitely the core of the book and worth getting for that alone. However, it's when the book veers off in to celebrity gossip that it kind of loses it's way a little.
Don't let that minor flaw put you off of getting the book, it's well worth a read.
February 8, 2015
This book is about many things, but at its core is the 50+ year long marriage of two interesting people: Alan Shayne, an actor turned producer, and Norman Sunshine, an artist in many areas. Parts of the book describe their friendships with a great many famous people, so, fun to read. the heart of the book, though, is the love Alan and Norman share, practically from the moment they met, the bickering and misunderstandings that are part of any relationship, and of course, the double life they had to lead, keeping their identity as a couple private, in order to succeed in their fields in the forties, fifties, and sixties. The book is written in both of their voices, so in that sense, it's the autobiography of a double life, the shared lives of two people. It's a wonderful book, a story of life well-lived. Highly recommended.
July 22, 2013
"Double Life by Alan Shayne Double Life: A Love Story from Broadway to Hollywood" by Alan Shayne is a memoir, a love story and an important piece of gay literature. The media couple met in 1958 and were together since, now they got married in 2011.
This is their story, told in alternating viewpoints, beautifully and in much detail about how politics, attitudes, legislation and their friends and colleagues changed over the 50 years of their love.
While homosexuality was cast out many had no role models and so this manifest of a long term companionship in the worlds of theatre and film is heart warming as it is informative, since we are permitted a sneak view behind the curtains.
Much more personal than mere political this is moving more than it is lecturing, a welcome turn within the gay literature scene.
This is their story, told in alternating viewpoints, beautifully and in much detail about how politics, attitudes, legislation and their friends and colleagues changed over the 50 years of their love.
While homosexuality was cast out many had no role models and so this manifest of a long term companionship in the worlds of theatre and film is heart warming as it is informative, since we are permitted a sneak view behind the curtains.
Much more personal than mere political this is moving more than it is lecturing, a welcome turn within the gay literature scene.
December 18, 2011
I won this through First Reads, and it ended up being the 2nd great memoir I've read recently. It was an ambitious concept to treat this as a dual memoir of a life shared, but it worked. Both Alan & Norman had successful lives independently but just as great of a story is the one they had together. Reading through the 50+ years covered in this book reminds us that as far as we have to go regarding equality in this country (and world), we've come a very long way. Also, both authors are forthcoming with failures and indiscretions in their lives. There's a recognition that the bad times and missteps were necessary for the larger journey.
Read
February 5, 2016Memoir written be two lovers--each taking alternating chapters--to review their lives as closeted gay men in the second half of the 20th Century. Yes, the book is about gay men; yes it is sort of a history of the time, the two remaining for the most part closeted in order to suceed in their respective fields; yes, they are in a 50 plus year monogous relationship in which they are finally allowed to marry in Mass. However, the book is completely devoid of any gay history. It does include a few antedotes of entertainment history.
September 18, 2013
It was a good book and an enjoyable read. However, it did start to drag on a bit at the end. They are both interesting people, but there wasn't much story to keep the reader interested. Perhaps seeing how "normal" this gay couple was through their 50 years was the point. I'm very happy I read it, but I was very happy when it was over.
They do seem like amazing people. It would be awesome to meet them in real life. I wish them many more years of happiness.
They do seem like amazing people. It would be awesome to meet them in real life. I wish them many more years of happiness.
April 28, 2020
I was very taken with the alternating pov. Loved the way the relationship developed.
The last portion somehow didn't register with me. Still, a good read.
The last portion somehow didn't register with me. Still, a good read.
May 26, 2025
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: Gay marriage is at the forefront of America’s political battles
The human story at the center of this debate is told in Double Life, a dual memoir by a gay male couple in a fifty-plus year relationship. With high profiles in the entertainment, advertising, and art communities, the authors offer a virtual timeline of how gay relationships have gained acceptance in the last half-century. At the same time, they share inside stories from film, television, and media featuring the likes of Marlon Brando, Katharine Hepburn, Rock Hudson, Barbra Streisand, Laurence Olivier, Truman Capote, Bette Davis, Robert Redford, Lee Radziwill, and Frances Lear.
Double Life is a trip through the entertainment world and a gay partnership in the latter half of the twentieth century. As more and more same sex couples find it possible to say “I do,” the book serves as an important document of how far we’ve come.
I RECEIVED THIS BOOK FROM THE GOODREADS M/M GIFT EXCHANGE. THANKS!
My Review: Do I need to say that this is, by its nature, a cautionary tale about what's at stake if you and I do not resist, now and for the future I can see?
Well worth reading for those interested in the entertainment and art world from 1950 to 2010. Well worth reading for any queer guy who thinks "I can't have a solid committed love when the world is what it is." They did, and it was even more repressive then than it is now.
Well worth reading for anyone who enjoys hearing stories from happy people's lives.
Don't fail to listen to your old gay uncles as they tell you their stories. I promise you, from bitter experience, you will never regret listening anywhere near as sharply and painfully as you'll regret not asking.
A document of a time there are far too many in this vale of tears who want to drag us back into. Why is that bad? Read the book and find out, as well as have yourself a good long laugh...these old guys, they lived them a life. And they did it together. In spite of troubles, in spite of things not ever being perfect, they laughed at it all. Together.
Sixty years of life together. They met and set up home together when I was a toddler. How do people do that? Read the book and find out.
There's nothing for you in the past? Read this book...you'll find yourself everywhere. People in love are grappling with all the same questions of boundaries, appropriate expressions of feelings, what about jealousy, regardless of time and place. We're all very much the same. The variations we all have from one another are less fundamental than the haters will tell you they are.
This is a fun read by two men who, like any longterm couple, finish each others' thoughts, In this case they do it in alternating chapters. I think anyone who likes relationship stories, gossipy memoirs, or carefully non-prescriptive models for relationships will batten on this read.
The Publisher Says: Gay marriage is at the forefront of America’s political battles
The human story at the center of this debate is told in Double Life, a dual memoir by a gay male couple in a fifty-plus year relationship. With high profiles in the entertainment, advertising, and art communities, the authors offer a virtual timeline of how gay relationships have gained acceptance in the last half-century. At the same time, they share inside stories from film, television, and media featuring the likes of Marlon Brando, Katharine Hepburn, Rock Hudson, Barbra Streisand, Laurence Olivier, Truman Capote, Bette Davis, Robert Redford, Lee Radziwill, and Frances Lear.
Double Life is a trip through the entertainment world and a gay partnership in the latter half of the twentieth century. As more and more same sex couples find it possible to say “I do,” the book serves as an important document of how far we’ve come.
I RECEIVED THIS BOOK FROM THE GOODREADS M/M GIFT EXCHANGE. THANKS!
My Review: Do I need to say that this is, by its nature, a cautionary tale about what's at stake if you and I do not resist, now and for the future I can see?
Well worth reading for those interested in the entertainment and art world from 1950 to 2010. Well worth reading for any queer guy who thinks "I can't have a solid committed love when the world is what it is." They did, and it was even more repressive then than it is now.
Well worth reading for anyone who enjoys hearing stories from happy people's lives.
Don't fail to listen to your old gay uncles as they tell you their stories. I promise you, from bitter experience, you will never regret listening anywhere near as sharply and painfully as you'll regret not asking.
A document of a time there are far too many in this vale of tears who want to drag us back into. Why is that bad? Read the book and find out, as well as have yourself a good long laugh...these old guys, they lived them a life. And they did it together. In spite of troubles, in spite of things not ever being perfect, they laughed at it all. Together.
Sixty years of life together. They met and set up home together when I was a toddler. How do people do that? Read the book and find out.
There's nothing for you in the past? Read this book...you'll find yourself everywhere. People in love are grappling with all the same questions of boundaries, appropriate expressions of feelings, what about jealousy, regardless of time and place. We're all very much the same. The variations we all have from one another are less fundamental than the haters will tell you they are.
This is a fun read by two men who, like any longterm couple, finish each others' thoughts, In this case they do it in alternating chapters. I think anyone who likes relationship stories, gossipy memoirs, or carefully non-prescriptive models for relationships will batten on this read.
July 31, 2022
An interesting memoir co-written by a gay couple who got together in the 1950s and stayed together ever since. (In case you're wondering, they survived the 80s by not sleeping with other people.)
It's not particularly well-written and a whole lot of it recounts Hollywood gossip, which is really not the thing I wanted this book to be about -- it's not even gay Hollywood gossip! -- but buried underneath there is an interesting view of societal changes toward queer people over the long term. There are more than a few moments of crushing homophobia -- in addition to the usual police entrapment and violence, one of the men was actually in a lavender marriage (with a lesbian) so he could get work in the 50s and no one would think he was gay, and eventually it ends with them getting legally married in Massachusetts, so, you know. Progress.
There's a fair amount of goings-on that would -- I hope -- not be acceptable now (like sleeping with much, much older men as underage teenagers) and even the more modern section has attitudes that I would still consider outdated wrt gender identity and performance -- the authors were very proud of a letter one of them wrote to the NYT about gay marriage, which includes their belief that as society accepts gay people more, more gay men will hopefully be less femme and lesbians will be less butch. So, uh, thanks for that.
But, still, it's an interesting look back through the past and the history of societal acceptance of homosexuality and I wish there had been more of that and less discussion of which Hollywood actors were terrible people to work with.
It's not particularly well-written and a whole lot of it recounts Hollywood gossip, which is really not the thing I wanted this book to be about -- it's not even gay Hollywood gossip! -- but buried underneath there is an interesting view of societal changes toward queer people over the long term. There are more than a few moments of crushing homophobia -- in addition to the usual police entrapment and violence, one of the men was actually in a lavender marriage (with a lesbian) so he could get work in the 50s and no one would think he was gay, and eventually it ends with them getting legally married in Massachusetts, so, you know. Progress.
There's a fair amount of goings-on that would -- I hope -- not be acceptable now (like sleeping with much, much older men as underage teenagers) and even the more modern section has attitudes that I would still consider outdated wrt gender identity and performance -- the authors were very proud of a letter one of them wrote to the NYT about gay marriage, which includes their belief that as society accepts gay people more, more gay men will hopefully be less femme and lesbians will be less butch. So, uh, thanks for that.
But, still, it's an interesting look back through the past and the history of societal acceptance of homosexuality and I wish there had been more of that and less discussion of which Hollywood actors were terrible people to work with.
December 22, 2022
The authors (and subjects) of the autobiography Double Life: A Love Story from Broadway to Hollywood write, alternately, about their lives together—and occasionally separately—as a gay couple. Norman Sunshine’s journey from advertising man to fine artist and Alan Shayne’s from actor to movie executive, all while navigating a more than fifty year relationship, are compelling. From the 1950s, when being openly gay was career suicide, to the early 2000s, when the men were able to be legally married, theirs is a fascinating story. What is refreshing is to hear from two men whom the general public wouldn’t know. Yes, Shayne was head of Warner Brothers Television for ten years and responsible for such shows as Alice and Spencer for Hire and worked with luminaries like Helen Hayes and Bette Davis; and yes, Sunshine won an Emmy for his artwork and held sold-out gallery shows, with his work ending up in prestigious museums and the homes of celebrities. But their names are only recognizable to those in their respective industries. Their lives, however, are remarkable. Famous names crop up constantly, and their dealings with those famous people are not only interesting but often inspiring. Their meeting of Rock Hudson, a neighbor they’d barely spoken to, is particularly heartwarming and tells us so much about this movie icon. A Google search tells me Shayne and Sunshine are still living, both in their mid-eighties. May they have many more years to come.
September 18, 2022
A double memoir of two men who spent over fifty years together and then committed to a legal marriage. There is very little conflict in this tale and what there is appears at times a bit contrived especially in the case of Alan who rapidly rises in the ranks of show business from the status of B actor to studio president. Admittedly, these are two talented men, whose careers straddle the times of not being able to be open about their feelings through the early 2000s when they could, but one gets the impression they are both rubbing their nails on their vests more often than not and when things are going too smoothly one or the other throws in an anecdote about the time he was insulted by a straight socialite or set up on a morals charge by undercover police. Norman, who is an artist, with great facility, and sometimes through knowing the right people, gets one museum show after another and sells most of his work which is eye-catching. In short, this is the double memoir of two very lucky and talented individuals who worked together to achieve their success and were blessed by meeting each other at a relatively young age. I recommend their story even though it is not fraught with difficulty and perseverance as it might have been given the time frame because of the charming presentation and co-authorship.
June 27, 2017
For those who still deny others the right to love should read this book. I am not going to say it will make you cry (it certainly did me), however, it might inspire you to stop for a minute and re-evaluate your worldview and maybe revise your values.
It is a lovely story from start to finish. There is not a one dull moment. The book is written by two people in an alternating manner. They start out by telling us a bit about their backgrounds growing up in a bygone era filled with ignorance and prejudices. The rest of the book is about their lives together each telling their side of the story. It is a story about a human relationship, one that is fueled by love. There are the ups and the downs, the are the disagreements and arguments but there is also the mutual understanding and support every healthy relationship needs to blossom. This is one of the best non-fiction books I read in a while and I recommend it to everyone.
It is a lovely story from start to finish. There is not a one dull moment. The book is written by two people in an alternating manner. They start out by telling us a bit about their backgrounds growing up in a bygone era filled with ignorance and prejudices. The rest of the book is about their lives together each telling their side of the story. It is a story about a human relationship, one that is fueled by love. There are the ups and the downs, the are the disagreements and arguments but there is also the mutual understanding and support every healthy relationship needs to blossom. This is one of the best non-fiction books I read in a while and I recommend it to everyone.
July 25, 2020
The story of two men who lived together since the 1950s, and how they had to hide their relationship. Both men were creative, and wrote this book together
Alan Shanye started as an actor, then transition into production and casting on Broadway. After many twists and turns, he became a TV executive, and eventually the president of Warner Brothers TV. Norman Sunshine was an commercial artist, moved into advertising, and then took the leap and became a full time painter, with great success.
We quickly forget how recently gay people had to hide who they were. If one of them was up for an award, like an Emmy, he wouldn't bring his partner as his guest. Instead, a friend who was a woman would be invited.
They have had fascinating lives. Filled with difficulties, but also with many exciting experiences. A pleasant read.
Alan Shanye started as an actor, then transition into production and casting on Broadway. After many twists and turns, he became a TV executive, and eventually the president of Warner Brothers TV. Norman Sunshine was an commercial artist, moved into advertising, and then took the leap and became a full time painter, with great success.
We quickly forget how recently gay people had to hide who they were. If one of them was up for an award, like an Emmy, he wouldn't bring his partner as his guest. Instead, a friend who was a woman would be invited.
They have had fascinating lives. Filled with difficulties, but also with many exciting experiences. A pleasant read.
June 12, 2022
Suurepäraselt kirjutatud teos kahe geimehe pikaajalise suhte kohta USAs. Huvitav oli nendega koos jälgida suhte tõuse ja mõõnasid, ning selle kõige kiuste koos püsimist. Kindlasti sain siit ühe hea eeskuju, kuidas suhet pikaajaliselt hoida. Lisaks oli tähtsal kohal teoses nende mõlema karjäär, Alanil näitleja, castingu direktori ja lõpuks tippjuhina, Normanil illustraatori ja kunstnikuna.
Kõige selle kõrvalt jäi mulle ikka mõru maik suhu, kõrvutades seda praeguse Eesti olukorraga, mis meenutab USAt paar aastakümmet tagasi, kuidas paljud teadsid, et härrad on paar, ent avalikult sellest ei räägitud, neid ei kutsutud paarina üritustele ning Alan ei saanud olla koos Normaniga, kui too sai Emmy. Vastik, kuidas me siiani pole jõudnud abieluvõrdsuseni.
Kindlasti on tegemist teosega, mida tasub lugeda.
Kõige selle kõrvalt jäi mulle ikka mõru maik suhu, kõrvutades seda praeguse Eesti olukorraga, mis meenutab USAt paar aastakümmet tagasi, kuidas paljud teadsid, et härrad on paar, ent avalikult sellest ei räägitud, neid ei kutsutud paarina üritustele ning Alan ei saanud olla koos Normaniga, kui too sai Emmy. Vastik, kuidas me siiani pole jõudnud abieluvõrdsuseni.
Kindlasti on tegemist teosega, mida tasub lugeda.
August 1, 2012
Double Life is a really enjoyable memoir of the 50-plus year relationship of Norman Sunshine and Alan Shayne, two people who are very much in love, and lucky enough to share their very rich lives together.
To use my favorite (borrowed line), Alan and Norman were "gay before it was fashionable." They meet in the late 1950s/early 60s, when Alan was a struggling actor and Norman was a freelance illustrator, both living in New York. Both are veterans of failed marriages with women and difficult early experiences with men. Both are closeted, though to different degrees. Alan is in therapy to try to "cure" his homosexuality, which is personally and professionally difficult for him (while gay actors were generally accepted by other actors, agents, producers, and directors would not cast or audition known gay men, essentially ending their careers). Norman is bouncing between secret, unsatisfying sexual interludes. Both accept that this is "just the way things are" and neither imagine the possibility of any kind of satisfying, long-term relationship with another man. But then, like a scene from a 1950s technicolor drama, Norman and Alan "meet cute" backstage one day, and the rest is history. 52 years later, they remain a loving couple, and thanks to the State of Massachusetts, they have the legal marriage to prove it.
Double Life is told in alternating chapters, with Norman and Alan taking turns. Sometimes they cover the same event from different points of view, other times they offer a "Meanwhile, back at home" perspective of what each is up to while the other is away for work or some other reason. In addition to being a fascinating memoir of their lives as a gay couple, this is also a really entertaining story of two prestigious careers in the art and entertainment industry. Alan begins as an actor, becomes a casting agent, and eventually ends up as the head of television for Warner Brothers. He's responsible for casting movies like All the President's Men (everytime I see Robert Redford, I will thank Alan) and series like Wonder Woman (he insisted on Lynda Carter), Dukes of Hazzard, and Growing Pains. Norman goes from freelance illustrator, to advertising executive (a real 1960s Mad Man), to respected artist. Together they write, paint, produce, in New York, LA and elsewhere. They were Rock Hudson's neighbors and one of the few people allowed to see the star as he was dying of AIDS. They were good friends with Katherine Hepburn (the Kate anecdotes were a special treat for me), Gore Vidal, Mike Nichols, etc etc etc. It's interesting to read an art and entertainment memoir from the perspective of non-actors, as it's always a fascinating reminder of just how much goes into each gallery viewing or television show that the viewers never see. This book would make a great gift for any arts-focused person in your life for the professional anecdotes alone.
Norman and Alan are not professional writers, so their memoir is conversational in style. It reads as a little stripped down, lacking in heavy metaphor or histrionics, but in a way that makes it more impactful. Every slight and snub aimed their way because of their relationship, though reported in simple language almost without comment, radiates off the page. After a lifetime of these kinds of small cuts, it seems the authors want you to think it doesn't hurt them anymore, even though it's clear it does.When Alan (I'm pretty sure it was Alan...) writes about how they watched many friends die of AIDS, and waited for news like war veterans awaiting lists of the wounded, the words were sparse but they still made me cry. When they write about their wedding ceremony, I cried again.
At first, I held it against Alan and Norman that they weren't exactly gay rights crusaders. They don't seem to be that interested in the political world in general, and very little of the book is devoted to commenting on political issues or concerns. They live, they work, they love (the definition of Freudian sanity), and that's about it. When people tell them they shouldn't appear at industry functions together, they bring female dates instead. It's known that they're a couple, and they don't hide it. But they're conscious of how it could be a liability for them, especially professionally, so they take pains to make sure they "don't rub it in people's faces." They're out, but only with friends or at home, which is part of the reason why they remain withdrawn from events outside of their carefully built, comfortably financed world.
At first this struck me as a little selfish. Knowing that real crusaders were out there risking everything, how could they live a life so silent? But this is real life, not a morality tale or a novel. Norman and Alan want to be happy, they want to work, they want to be together, and they figure out a way to make all of those things happen. There's no law that says they must suffer nobly because they're gay. They're allowed to be happy too. And in their own quiet way, they are revolutionaries. They may have been the first men to openly state that they lived together in the NY Times. When they lose friends and loved one to AIDS they switch all of their charitable giving to AIDS charities. When Missouri declares gay marriage illegal and unnatural, they get married. And of course, they decided to write this book. In a day and age when so many teens kill themselves rather than face what they think will be a lonely, unloved life as a gay person, Alan and Norman have written a memoir that says not only can life get better, but it can be long, full of love, and shared with a truly great partner.
To use my favorite (borrowed line), Alan and Norman were "gay before it was fashionable." They meet in the late 1950s/early 60s, when Alan was a struggling actor and Norman was a freelance illustrator, both living in New York. Both are veterans of failed marriages with women and difficult early experiences with men. Both are closeted, though to different degrees. Alan is in therapy to try to "cure" his homosexuality, which is personally and professionally difficult for him (while gay actors were generally accepted by other actors, agents, producers, and directors would not cast or audition known gay men, essentially ending their careers). Norman is bouncing between secret, unsatisfying sexual interludes. Both accept that this is "just the way things are" and neither imagine the possibility of any kind of satisfying, long-term relationship with another man. But then, like a scene from a 1950s technicolor drama, Norman and Alan "meet cute" backstage one day, and the rest is history. 52 years later, they remain a loving couple, and thanks to the State of Massachusetts, they have the legal marriage to prove it.
Double Life is told in alternating chapters, with Norman and Alan taking turns. Sometimes they cover the same event from different points of view, other times they offer a "Meanwhile, back at home" perspective of what each is up to while the other is away for work or some other reason. In addition to being a fascinating memoir of their lives as a gay couple, this is also a really entertaining story of two prestigious careers in the art and entertainment industry. Alan begins as an actor, becomes a casting agent, and eventually ends up as the head of television for Warner Brothers. He's responsible for casting movies like All the President's Men (everytime I see Robert Redford, I will thank Alan) and series like Wonder Woman (he insisted on Lynda Carter), Dukes of Hazzard, and Growing Pains. Norman goes from freelance illustrator, to advertising executive (a real 1960s Mad Man), to respected artist. Together they write, paint, produce, in New York, LA and elsewhere. They were Rock Hudson's neighbors and one of the few people allowed to see the star as he was dying of AIDS. They were good friends with Katherine Hepburn (the Kate anecdotes were a special treat for me), Gore Vidal, Mike Nichols, etc etc etc. It's interesting to read an art and entertainment memoir from the perspective of non-actors, as it's always a fascinating reminder of just how much goes into each gallery viewing or television show that the viewers never see. This book would make a great gift for any arts-focused person in your life for the professional anecdotes alone.
Norman and Alan are not professional writers, so their memoir is conversational in style. It reads as a little stripped down, lacking in heavy metaphor or histrionics, but in a way that makes it more impactful. Every slight and snub aimed their way because of their relationship, though reported in simple language almost without comment, radiates off the page. After a lifetime of these kinds of small cuts, it seems the authors want you to think it doesn't hurt them anymore, even though it's clear it does.When Alan (I'm pretty sure it was Alan...) writes about how they watched many friends die of AIDS, and waited for news like war veterans awaiting lists of the wounded, the words were sparse but they still made me cry. When they write about their wedding ceremony, I cried again.
At first, I held it against Alan and Norman that they weren't exactly gay rights crusaders. They don't seem to be that interested in the political world in general, and very little of the book is devoted to commenting on political issues or concerns. They live, they work, they love (the definition of Freudian sanity), and that's about it. When people tell them they shouldn't appear at industry functions together, they bring female dates instead. It's known that they're a couple, and they don't hide it. But they're conscious of how it could be a liability for them, especially professionally, so they take pains to make sure they "don't rub it in people's faces." They're out, but only with friends or at home, which is part of the reason why they remain withdrawn from events outside of their carefully built, comfortably financed world.
At first this struck me as a little selfish. Knowing that real crusaders were out there risking everything, how could they live a life so silent? But this is real life, not a morality tale or a novel. Norman and Alan want to be happy, they want to work, they want to be together, and they figure out a way to make all of those things happen. There's no law that says they must suffer nobly because they're gay. They're allowed to be happy too. And in their own quiet way, they are revolutionaries. They may have been the first men to openly state that they lived together in the NY Times. When they lose friends and loved one to AIDS they switch all of their charitable giving to AIDS charities. When Missouri declares gay marriage illegal and unnatural, they get married. And of course, they decided to write this book. In a day and age when so many teens kill themselves rather than face what they think will be a lonely, unloved life as a gay person, Alan and Norman have written a memoir that says not only can life get better, but it can be long, full of love, and shared with a truly great partner.
June 29, 2018
This was a pretty fun read. Hollywood autobiographies can be ego-centric, fake, sugar-coated or just full of preciousness. I just didn’t get that from these guys. It’s quite an accomplishment for any couple to be together for over 50 years and live to tell about it! I think it’s even more extraordinary for 2 gay men to do the same considering the times they were living in. An interesting read!
June 3, 2021
Apt title
Living in private, each successful in different phases of their lives, finally public together, married after 50 years together.amazing true-life love story, seasoned with the art world, Madison ave, and Hollywood, each setting a story unto itself. This book is also a historical documentation about the plight of gay men trying to live in the world. I couldn't put it away.
Living in private, each successful in different phases of their lives, finally public together, married after 50 years together.amazing true-life love story, seasoned with the art world, Madison ave, and Hollywood, each setting a story unto itself. This book is also a historical documentation about the plight of gay men trying to live in the world. I couldn't put it away.
November 20, 2018
A lovely story
Alan and Norman,two young gays, fall in love and spend their lives together. We follow them through their life together from the early years through their late years. From New York to Hollywood to Connecticut where late in life marriage becomes legal. They marry on the beach in Nantucket.
Alan and Norman,two young gays, fall in love and spend their lives together. We follow them through their life together from the early years through their late years. From New York to Hollywood to Connecticut where late in life marriage becomes legal. They marry on the beach in Nantucket.
June 28, 2021
Portrait of a time before mine.
Beautifully remembered and funny, bitchy, honest and fair it seems to me and a journey that preceded my own by a crucial decade, another generation. Their story adds crucial background and richness to the stories that followed in abundance from Rechy, through Kramer and more. It was no doubt a lonelier time. I’m glad they had each other.
Beautifully remembered and funny, bitchy, honest and fair it seems to me and a journey that preceded my own by a crucial decade, another generation. Their story adds crucial background and richness to the stories that followed in abundance from Rechy, through Kramer and more. It was no doubt a lonelier time. I’m glad they had each other.
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