Hollywood Babylon--It's Back 1st (first) edition Text Only

by Darwin Porter

For decades, there s been speculation that somebody, somewhere, would produce an updated version of Hollywood Babylon , perhaps even more notorious than the first two volumes compiled a half-century ago by avant-garde filmmaker Kenneth Anger. For pop culture fanatics, his books became an underground legend. Anger s original version had to be published in Paris, as it was too hot for America at the time. But beliefs about celebrities, sexuality, and morality have changed radically since then. New waves of narcissists, exhibitionists, and looney toons have invaded the entertainment industry. The gossip industry has transformed America into a nation of voyeurs. By today s standards, Anger s spin on Babylon looks downright demure.With a respectful nod to those long-ago statements by Kenneth Anger, Blood Moon is proud to release another Hollywood Babylon, in this case more shocking and more scandalous than before. Within this first volume, we visit Babylon as well as Sodom and Gomorrah. And we don t deal just with Hollywood s Golden Age we zero in on some present-day brouhahas as well.Buyer The scandals exposed within this book are not for the faint-of-heart. You might not think of the old pinups in quite the same way after reading this edition. Those offended by male movie stars dropping trou for offscreen cameras should stick to Alice in Wonderland.It s We re not shy about male nudity, or even female nudity. Today, nudity in films is commonplace.In the past, the porno films made by major movie stars (including Joan Crawford and Sylvester Stallone) were enveloped in a sense of secrecy and, perhaps, shame. Today, what would previously have been defined as pornography regularly makes its way onto the screen.Within this book, Blood Moon daringly applies the gossipy reportage of today to the tabloid scandals of yesterday think Confidential Magazine on amphetimines with access to the Internet. Breast measurements of Hollywood bombshells are being widely publicized. Even the mainstream press has gotten more graphic. Time Magazine has even published the length (in inches) of Hugh Grant s penis.Scandal is not limited just to events within America. Within this edition of Hollywood Babylon, it goes global. As such, we visit the Vatican boudoir of a former pope and his male lovers. And we document Sir Winston Churchill s onetime sexual liaison with Britain s most handsome actor.There's more. Revealed for the first time are stories about James Dean, the child molester; Bette Davis, offscreen murderess; Errol Flynn, the incestuous father; Ava Gardner, the part-time lesbian; and Marilyn Monroe s involvements with Jackie Kennedy and Elvis Presley.We ll even tell you about what happened to Judy Garland s body before it was finally laid to rest.Hollywood celebrity biographer Darwin Porter and former New York Times reporter Danforth Prince take you on a roller-coaster ride through the scandals of yesterday and today. An early reviewer referred to this book as A movieland massacre, followed by an autopsy with a scalpel whose cutting edge is coated with Lucretia Borgia s poison. It s about The Good, The Bad, and the Fabulous.To those who love her, Hollywood was and is a gossipy, mendacious (Big Daddy's word), and whorish place that remains captivating despite the passage of time. In Hollywood Babylon, it s depicted at its sleaziest, most venal, and most deliciously unseemly.Rock Hudson said it all In Hollywood, you can keep a mistress, or a boyfriend, maybe both. You can go gay, -bi, or pan-sexual. Just don't tell anybody, and don't get caught.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sexuality

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Darwin Porter (1937-) is an American travel writer, producing numerous titles, mostly for the Frommer guidebook series, over a 50-year career span.

Reviews

[Anthony McGill · Rating 1 out of 5]

More garbage from the trash duo of Porter and Prince. Don't know how I ended up with a copy, obviously had more money than sense at the time.
Full of nonsense, sloppily put together and just downright silly.
Just another example where you can write outrageous things about (mostly) deceased celebrities and laugh all the way to the bank. Pity the writers couldn't keep their masturbatory thoughts to themselves, instead of wasting our valuable forests.

Granted there is always a curiosity factor with this type of book but with so many fine film books out there containing interesting facts about personalities, and maybe a little "dirt", without resorting to all this unsubstantiated tripe.

I need a 'garbage shelf' to catalogue this one, before it ends up in the charity bin.

[Kaazmik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I throughly enjoyed this read these entertainers people worship hide some dark twisted secrets, and if this type of sh*t was going on then, imagine how it is now smh .. this book is basically like a celebrity gossip magazine but Uncut. Trust ull be shocked.

[Mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

Every bit of second-hand pandering gossip ever uttered by the uninformed, spiteful, or inconsiderate glopped together and presented as tarnished truth. The biggest waste of my time since dating that girl who always brought her friend, her friend's kids, or her sister with her on dates back in college. While that was awful, this was even worst. Leave this book in the gutter.

[Tony Romine · Rating 1 out of 5]

GARBAGE! I don't know what I was expecting. On the outset it seems very interesting and attention grabbing, maybe you'll find a story about your favorite actor you never knew, but once you about halfway in and realize you've only been reading hearsay about actor's manhoods and possible homosexual trysts (literally nothing else other than those topics), you start to feel sad and dirty. Yes, it's tabloid trash, but it's supposed to be tabloid trash. The biggest issue with this book is that there is no substance, nothing to verify any of the outlandish claims and all of it is put together in a sloppy mess like the ramblings of a perverted gay psychopath rather than an actual readable format. Read the original Hollywood Babylon and ignore this bullshit trying to cash in on it's name.

[Darlene Payne]

I really hate to stop reading a book until it's finished, which is the only reason I finished this one. It was awful, full of unsubstantiated rumors, made up lies, and just plain misinformation. I knew I was going to have a problem with this book when it told, early on, the "true story" of the death of Lupe Velez, which was the lie that was started by Kenneth Anger in the original Hollywood Babylon many years ago. According to this book, Bette Davis was probably a murderer, Lucille Ball was a prostitute, and everyone slept with everyone. Also, in almost every story about a gay man, real or rumored, there's at least one story about them being a pedophile, which is beyond insulting and disgusting.
Don't waste your time on this book. It contains nothing of value.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book, I was amused by it, but I don't believe a fraction of it - I know Hollywood was full of closeted gays but the stories here are just wish fulfilment by the mind of a pretty vulgar 15 year old with rampant masturbatory hallucinations. I would love if even an attempt was made to justify a fraction of the stories here - but there isn't and I doubt that they could be. Also the book steals its title from Kenneth Anger's far more original, shocking and certainly better written book of the same name. Honestly read it an enjoy it if you must but there are so many better scandal books out there which at least have the advantage of being based on a degree of truth.

[Lou · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolute junk, incredibly disjointed. I still don't know what Winston Churchill or Pope John VI had to do with Hollywood, but the gossip laid out here is probably second hand, with a ton of meaningless commentary boxes littering the text. Kenneth Anger's books at least had some elegantly snide putdowns - this is all venal old queen tales. Don't bother with this, unless you want to know about Elvis's bi side or Lucille Ball's shady past.

[Michael Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many of the men in Hollywood seemed to be gay and the women lesbians. If not for the bisexuals, there would have been little ACCEPTABLE fodder for the tabloids on who is sleeping with who. The book is packed with pictures of men's penises, so is like a gay's guide to Hollywood. Some surprising famous names among the gays though I won't spoil it by saying who. I don't think I can ever look at them in a film or TV series quite the same.

[Kuljinder Singh · Rating 1 out of 5]

worst book of the year I have read

[Downward dog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and sometimes, disturbing.

[StephenPaul ChaseJr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love scandals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Brenda Mannino]

I don't know how to rate this book. It was fascinating, but very racy. Almost too much information . However, if you want fame you give up your right to privacy is my opinion.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but who the hell knows how true any of it is?

[C. Witch · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pale imitation of the Kenneth Angler classics. None of the compassion doused with bursts of schadenfreude that made the first two so delicious.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not very well written and laid out terribly but the stories are good fun gossip so I was very forgiving

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disjointed collection of what various people said about other people. Some interesting stuff though.

[Tirodopolus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, Fun, Fun. The best gossip ever. Not as dark as Kenneth Anger's versions before At all