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Hello, Gorgeous: Becoming Barbra Streisand
In 1960, she was a seventeen-year-old Brooklyn kid with plenty of talent but no connections and certainly no money; her mother brought her soup to make sure she stayed fed as she took acting classes and scraped out a living. Just four years later, Barbra Streisand was the top-selling female recording artist in America and the star of one of Broadway’s biggest hits. Now the acclaimed Hollywood biographer William Mann chronicles that dizzying ascent, telling the riveting behind-the-scenes story of how Streisand and her team transformed her from an unknown dreamer into a worldwide superstar.
Drawing on the private papers of Jerome Robbins and Bob Fosse, and interviewing scores of the friends and lovers who knew Barbara before she became Barbra, Mann recreates the vanished world of 1960s New York City and uncovers the truth behind the myths of her formative years. He shows us how Funny Girl was slowly altered, by Fosse and Robbins among others, from a Fanny Brice bio into a star-making vehicle for Streisand; takes us into the clubs and onto the set for her early nightclub and television appearances, including her torch-handing turn with Judy Garland; and introduces the canny marketing team whose strategies made her stardom seem inevitable. The Streisand who emerges is a revelation: a young woman who, for all her tough-skinned ambition, was surprisingly vulnerable in love.
Everyone who has felt outside the gate, as she once did, remembers a time when the newness and difference of Barbra Streisand changed everything and rewrote all the rules. In Hello, Gorgeous, Mann incisively illuminates the woman before she became the icon and pays tribute to one of the world’s most beloved performers.
Drawing on the private papers of Jerome Robbins and Bob Fosse, and interviewing scores of the friends and lovers who knew Barbara before she became Barbra, Mann recreates the vanished world of 1960s New York City and uncovers the truth behind the myths of her formative years. He shows us how Funny Girl was slowly altered, by Fosse and Robbins among others, from a Fanny Brice bio into a star-making vehicle for Streisand; takes us into the clubs and onto the set for her early nightclub and television appearances, including her torch-handing turn with Judy Garland; and introduces the canny marketing team whose strategies made her stardom seem inevitable. The Streisand who emerges is a revelation: a young woman who, for all her tough-skinned ambition, was surprisingly vulnerable in love.
Everyone who has felt outside the gate, as she once did, remembers a time when the newness and difference of Barbra Streisand changed everything and rewrote all the rules. In Hello, Gorgeous, Mann incisively illuminates the woman before she became the icon and pays tribute to one of the world’s most beloved performers.
566 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2012
290 people are currently reading
914 people want to read
About the author
William J. Mann
46 books255 followersAlso writes children's books under the pseudonym Geoffrey Huntington.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews
December 24, 2012
This was a tedious and pretentious read.It seemed to have a lot of padding added to it by the writer because I do not believe he knew exactly what Streisand and her friends were feeling in 1960 or 1961.A lot of what was written makes me think he wasn't entirely truthful in this biography writing because it was written so 'story like". It also only covered 5 years of Streisand's life and went into detail about her performances...all that were long before Mann's time so it makes me side-eye him as writer.
I also admit that halfway through, I started skimming the book instead of reading all that was written because it got repeative. I also was dismayed to see in the appendix that he was using old magazines as sourcing for information at times which I found odd. He could have done a lot more research and less padding with speculative "She felt..." stuff.
Definitely not a good biography read.
I also admit that halfway through, I started skimming the book instead of reading all that was written because it got repeative. I also was dismayed to see in the appendix that he was using old magazines as sourcing for information at times which I found odd. He could have done a lot more research and less padding with speculative "She felt..." stuff.
Definitely not a good biography read.
May 25, 2013
Added 4/20/13
Barbra Streisand fascinates me. She is an original. As the book suggests, she has many sides to her personality... and they are ALL original! She's different! Have those many odd characteristics been magnified and merchandised to finally bring her fame? Maybe. No matter. She made it! And she's still different. And gifted with a gorgeous voice.
I'm impressed with the way make-up has brought out her hidden beauty. She was fortunate enough to run into the right people who knew how to handle her and market her. But her own strong ambition was a large part of her success. Of course, her incredible talent was the underlying reason for her success. That goes without saying. Without that, nothing.
April 2013 - I'm still reading. I'm on page 190 out of 505 pages. In addition to those pages, there's a full index and an extensive list of source notes.
The writer, William J. Mann sure knows how to tell a story! He's very articulate and perceptive. I enjoy his writing style. I plan to read his bio of Katherine Hepburn, Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn after I finish this bio of Barbra! (She dropped the second "a" in Barbara just to be different!)
An example of the type of thing which kept me reading was the suspense I experienced as I read about all the ups and downs Streisand endured during the time that the powers-that-be were choosing a performer to be the star of the Broadway play, "Funny Girl". There were several candidates and the delays and complications (and personality conflicts!) were excruciating at times. That's show business!
5/25/13 - I wrote the following at my GR group:
===================================
Today I finished reading Hello, Gorgeous: Becoming Barbra Streisand by William J. Mann. It was fascinating to watch Streisand's rise to fame (from her life as a young girl in Brooklyn). The research done by the author is incredible. There were so many people who influenced her life. A good read!
====================================
Five Stars!
PS-I have found an excellent GR review (by GR member "Alla") of the book at:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Excerpt (See more at the review itself):
====================================
"“Hello, Gorgeous: Becoming Barbra Streisand” by William J. Mann tracks the four years, 1960-1964, that turned Streisand from a seventeen-year-old wannabe to an outright star, starring in a Broadway play after successfully securing her management team and seducing large crowds with her nightclub singing, and poised to enter Hollywood. This isn’t a story about what she did after she became famous, but rather how she became famous in the first place.
Interestingly enough, even though these four career-making years in Streisand’s life happened nearly fifty years ago, the author was able to meticulously research the timeline of places and events, with so much detail that at times it feels like the events described just happened. I’ve seen bios of current stars, detailing their whole lives, one half the size of Streisand’s bio about four years in her life. In other words, the author did a masterful job with the research, as the thick bibliography section proves. The book itself is divided by the years and corresponding seasons in Barbra’s life—starting from the Winter of 1960.
====================================
Barbra Streisand fascinates me. She is an original. As the book suggests, she has many sides to her personality... and they are ALL original! She's different! Have those many odd characteristics been magnified and merchandised to finally bring her fame? Maybe. No matter. She made it! And she's still different. And gifted with a gorgeous voice.
I'm impressed with the way make-up has brought out her hidden beauty. She was fortunate enough to run into the right people who knew how to handle her and market her. But her own strong ambition was a large part of her success. Of course, her incredible talent was the underlying reason for her success. That goes without saying. Without that, nothing.
April 2013 - I'm still reading. I'm on page 190 out of 505 pages. In addition to those pages, there's a full index and an extensive list of source notes.
The writer, William J. Mann sure knows how to tell a story! He's very articulate and perceptive. I enjoy his writing style. I plan to read his bio of Katherine Hepburn, Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn after I finish this bio of Barbra! (She dropped the second "a" in Barbara just to be different!)
An example of the type of thing which kept me reading was the suspense I experienced as I read about all the ups and downs Streisand endured during the time that the powers-that-be were choosing a performer to be the star of the Broadway play, "Funny Girl". There were several candidates and the delays and complications (and personality conflicts!) were excruciating at times. That's show business!
5/25/13 - I wrote the following at my GR group:
===================================
Today I finished reading Hello, Gorgeous: Becoming Barbra Streisand by William J. Mann. It was fascinating to watch Streisand's rise to fame (from her life as a young girl in Brooklyn). The research done by the author is incredible. There were so many people who influenced her life. A good read!
====================================
Five Stars!
PS-I have found an excellent GR review (by GR member "Alla") of the book at:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Excerpt (See more at the review itself):
====================================
"“Hello, Gorgeous: Becoming Barbra Streisand” by William J. Mann tracks the four years, 1960-1964, that turned Streisand from a seventeen-year-old wannabe to an outright star, starring in a Broadway play after successfully securing her management team and seducing large crowds with her nightclub singing, and poised to enter Hollywood. This isn’t a story about what she did after she became famous, but rather how she became famous in the first place.
Interestingly enough, even though these four career-making years in Streisand’s life happened nearly fifty years ago, the author was able to meticulously research the timeline of places and events, with so much detail that at times it feels like the events described just happened. I’ve seen bios of current stars, detailing their whole lives, one half the size of Streisand’s bio about four years in her life. In other words, the author did a masterful job with the research, as the thick bibliography section proves. The book itself is divided by the years and corresponding seasons in Barbra’s life—starting from the Winter of 1960.
====================================
October 30, 2012
“Hello, Gorgeous: Becoming Barbra Streisand” by William J. Mann tracks the four years, 1960-1964, that turned Streisand from a seventeen-year-old wannabe to an outright star, starring in a Broadway play after successfully securing her management team and seducing large crowds with her nightclub singing, and poised to enter Hollywood. This isn’t a story about what she did after she became famous, but rather how she became famous in the first place.
Interestingly enough, even though these four career-making years in Streisand’s life happened nearly fifty years ago, the author was able to meticulously research the timeline of places and events, with so much detail that at times it feels like the events described just happened. I’ve seen bios of current stars, detailing their whole lives, one half the size of Streisand’s bio about four years in her life. In other words, the author did a masterful job with the research, as the thick bibliography section proves. The book itself is divided by the years and corresponding seasons in Barbra’s life—starting from the Winter of 1960.
As the book starts, Barbra has just graduated high school and, despite her high grades, decides to skip college and try to build her career. Her primary goal is to become an actress, and singing just becomes a means to this end. Her dream is to join the prestigious Actors Studio, which becomes difficult and Strasberg is dismissive of her. Streisand wins roles in some minor plays, but it is the nightclub singing which ultimately financially supports her and gets her introduced to a manager and agent, who help secure her future singing gigs and even manage to get her on evening talk shows.
From then on, Babra’s star grows brighter as powerful players in the business get behind her and public adoration grows. There’s one scene in the book when Streisand stops by Judy Garland’s new talk shows, and the veteran singer/actress is more nervous than Streisand is, even though, with Streisand’s lack of experience at that point, it should have been the other way around. As careers of stars of the past decline, Streisand’s is on the way up—and despite feeling pity for Garland, she recognizes that—even as the incident sheds some light on the ephemeral nature of stardom. Overall, a very well researched book and highly recommended for fans of Streisand.
Interestingly enough, even though these four career-making years in Streisand’s life happened nearly fifty years ago, the author was able to meticulously research the timeline of places and events, with so much detail that at times it feels like the events described just happened. I’ve seen bios of current stars, detailing their whole lives, one half the size of Streisand’s bio about four years in her life. In other words, the author did a masterful job with the research, as the thick bibliography section proves. The book itself is divided by the years and corresponding seasons in Barbra’s life—starting from the Winter of 1960.
As the book starts, Barbra has just graduated high school and, despite her high grades, decides to skip college and try to build her career. Her primary goal is to become an actress, and singing just becomes a means to this end. Her dream is to join the prestigious Actors Studio, which becomes difficult and Strasberg is dismissive of her. Streisand wins roles in some minor plays, but it is the nightclub singing which ultimately financially supports her and gets her introduced to a manager and agent, who help secure her future singing gigs and even manage to get her on evening talk shows.
From then on, Babra’s star grows brighter as powerful players in the business get behind her and public adoration grows. There’s one scene in the book when Streisand stops by Judy Garland’s new talk shows, and the veteran singer/actress is more nervous than Streisand is, even though, with Streisand’s lack of experience at that point, it should have been the other way around. As careers of stars of the past decline, Streisand’s is on the way up—and despite feeling pity for Garland, she recognizes that—even as the incident sheds some light on the ephemeral nature of stardom. Overall, a very well researched book and highly recommended for fans of Streisand.
November 21, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed this biography and wish the author had continued past the stage production of "Funny Girl." He went into so much depth as he followed Streisand's rise to fame that I felt cheated out of "the rest of the story." Mann's writing kept me engaged, and the pages flew by. I have not read any other Streisand biographies, but I highly recommend this one and desperately request a Part 2!!
September 24, 2017
You have to be a fan to slog through this one. As other reviewers have said, the details about the early '60 s entertainment scene are Interesting. The author's style is pedestrian, puffy, and sometimes hilarious. There must be six or seven instances where he writes, "It was on this day, or one very much like it . . ." There is a lot of detail about what Barbra was wearing, what Barbra was eating, how Barbra wore her hair, what Barbra said, what Barbra was really thinking on a particular day or one very much like it. I've been a Streisand fan since damn near the beginning of this story and, I gotta say, by the end of this tome I was thoroughly sick of Barbra.
November 17, 2012
Before Madonna, before Lady Gaga, before Nicki Minaj or any other performer of the past 50 years, there was Barbra. Hello Gorgeous is a well-structured look at how a quirky teenager who desperately wanted to become an actress became one, but not before becoming the toast of Broadway and a woman who didn't even realize the power of her gift -- that voice. That glorious voice.
William J. Mann, whose previous books include biographies of Elizabeth Taylor, Katherine Hepburn and John Schlesinger, as well as novels, has put together bits and pieces of not only the legend, but also stories from people who knew her when. The result is a coherent and cohesive narrative of how Streisand became an overnight sensation after only four years.
Mann recounts Streisand's early acting classes and compares the myth to what he can document. He takes the same approach through her tutelage under her first boyfriend, actor Barry Dennen, who encouraged her to sing and who introduced her to music she later incorporated in early nightclub appearances. Two other friends helped Streisand with her distinctive makeup and fashion sense to cultivate the thriftshop look that became an early trademark.
Throughout, there is a consistent sense that Streisand wanted to be the best and do her best, although doing the same performance night after night after night soon grew tiresome in her first Broadway show, I Can Get It For You Wholesale. Streisand made a splash in that show and captured the heart of leading man Elliot Gould in her small role. Mann recounts the lack of warmth and support from her mother without making her a monster.
Between the show and her nightclub appearances, comparisons soon began between her and Fanny Brice. The convoluted path that led to her getting the role of a lifetime in Funny Girl is described chronologically and thoroughly. Even knowing the outcome and the bare bones of the myth, Mann's account makes for compelling reading.
Mann is careful about noting his sources, but part of his writing style does grate. When he refers to how Streisand or others must be feeling or how if something didn't happen on one night it happened on a night like this, the reader can be forgiven for pausing to question, well, how does he know? Because so much of this comprehensive look at Streisand's path to stardom is documented here with credit to primary sources, these narrative tics take away from the scholarship that was plainly involved.
Even so, Hello Gorgeous is an engaging look at a star and the era when she first blossomed.
William J. Mann, whose previous books include biographies of Elizabeth Taylor, Katherine Hepburn and John Schlesinger, as well as novels, has put together bits and pieces of not only the legend, but also stories from people who knew her when. The result is a coherent and cohesive narrative of how Streisand became an overnight sensation after only four years.
Mann recounts Streisand's early acting classes and compares the myth to what he can document. He takes the same approach through her tutelage under her first boyfriend, actor Barry Dennen, who encouraged her to sing and who introduced her to music she later incorporated in early nightclub appearances. Two other friends helped Streisand with her distinctive makeup and fashion sense to cultivate the thriftshop look that became an early trademark.
Throughout, there is a consistent sense that Streisand wanted to be the best and do her best, although doing the same performance night after night after night soon grew tiresome in her first Broadway show, I Can Get It For You Wholesale. Streisand made a splash in that show and captured the heart of leading man Elliot Gould in her small role. Mann recounts the lack of warmth and support from her mother without making her a monster.
Between the show and her nightclub appearances, comparisons soon began between her and Fanny Brice. The convoluted path that led to her getting the role of a lifetime in Funny Girl is described chronologically and thoroughly. Even knowing the outcome and the bare bones of the myth, Mann's account makes for compelling reading.
Mann is careful about noting his sources, but part of his writing style does grate. When he refers to how Streisand or others must be feeling or how if something didn't happen on one night it happened on a night like this, the reader can be forgiven for pausing to question, well, how does he know? Because so much of this comprehensive look at Streisand's path to stardom is documented here with credit to primary sources, these narrative tics take away from the scholarship that was plainly involved.
Even so, Hello Gorgeous is an engaging look at a star and the era when she first blossomed.
January 22, 2013
Covers a crucial 5 years in Streisand's life when she goes from 17 year old wannabe to stardom. Nothing new in this book, although it is pretty well written. Lots of speculative sentences which became annoying after a while. If you don't know for sure, don't include it. Not sure why the author wrote it when there are so many biographies of Streisand. The only thing that it did confirm is that most biographers have a hard time getting past Streisand's abrasive and self-centered personality. She comes off in each and every biography, including this one, as a complete self-absorbed narcissist who can be difficult and just plain gratuitously nasty. To be sure, they try to excuse this obnoxious behavior by saying that she had such a difficult childhood. Well, you know, a lot of other kids did too and they got beyond having a ham handed mother. Streisand has been in therapy for decades and her behavior has remained the same. Someone should tell her to ask for her money back.
November 16, 2012
I thought this book was a full biography of Barbra Streisand and was disappointed that it only cover a few of the early years of her career. The last 40 years of her life are quickly summarized in the final paragraphs of the book. I felt short changed.
Read
October 9, 2012I'm looking forward to my interview with William J. Mann on The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Wednesday 3 pm ET October 10th to discuss his wonderful biography of Barbra Streisand. http://bit.ly/U4EEMd
May 4, 2018
I loved this book! I've had some difficulty finding a job, so I decided to read about one of my heroes, Barbra, for some inspiration. Damn, is she an inspiration! In just four years, Barbra went from being basically homeless, carrying all of her clothes in a couple of shopping bags and staying with a different friend every night, to being the highest-paid woman in show business with her own swanky townhouse on Park Avenue. I've always admired Barbra for her drive, but this book truly put into perspective how incredibly hard she busted her ass to get to where she is. Yes, she's a bit of a narcissist, but William J. Mann makes it very clear that she had to believe so deeply in herself because no one else did.
One thing that truly blew my mind is that singing was her back-up career! Before reading this book, I knew she always considered herself "the actress who sings," but I did not realize she just fell into a singing career. One of the best things about this book is the way Mann emphasizes her hard work, her determination, and her strengths and flaws with thoughtfulness and honesty. He doesn't try to sanitize her character, but he does explain her choices always with wisdom and plenty of information to show why she had to make choices that she did. I also liked that the book was written like a gossip column with lots and lots of short chapters. I couldn't put this book down, and I savored every page. If anything, it made me go back and listen to Barbra's earlier albums. I can't wait to re-watch Funny Girl knowing what I do now about how much work she put into the stage production. The success of the entire thing rested on her 21-year-old shoulders, and she pulled it off.
If you're a hard-core Barbra fan like me, you MUST read this book! I'm so glad to have added it to my library. Great read!
One thing that truly blew my mind is that singing was her back-up career! Before reading this book, I knew she always considered herself "the actress who sings," but I did not realize she just fell into a singing career. One of the best things about this book is the way Mann emphasizes her hard work, her determination, and her strengths and flaws with thoughtfulness and honesty. He doesn't try to sanitize her character, but he does explain her choices always with wisdom and plenty of information to show why she had to make choices that she did. I also liked that the book was written like a gossip column with lots and lots of short chapters. I couldn't put this book down, and I savored every page. If anything, it made me go back and listen to Barbra's earlier albums. I can't wait to re-watch Funny Girl knowing what I do now about how much work she put into the stage production. The success of the entire thing rested on her 21-year-old shoulders, and she pulled it off.
If you're a hard-core Barbra fan like me, you MUST read this book! I'm so glad to have added it to my library. Great read!
January 24, 2015
HELLO GORGEOUS, BECOMING BARBRA STREISAND
By William J. Mann
I want to start out with the fact that I love William J. Mann as an author. I have read all of his books (except the last one). But, if had never read this biographic novel concerning Barbra Streisand, I would have missed nothing.
I guess as much as I love William J. Mann, matches how much I dislike Barbara Streisand. I picked up the book ONLY because William J. Mann wrote it.
He contains his writing to her early years, winter 1960 thru spring 1964. Barbra started early in life, very early, and she did pay her dues, somewhat. I mean, she didn't spend 20 years to become an “overnight star”. It was more like 1.5 years!
Barbra always wanted to be a Broadway Star, she wanted to play Juliet. She didn't think much of her singing. She didn’t find it hard, and she didn’t work at it like she did acting. She had no idea how good she was, or more like, she didn’t want people to recognize her singing but her acting.
But, here lies the first problem. When she was in the Broadway Show, I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE, she became bored with doing the same part over and over. But, still she wanted to get the part of Fannie Brice in Funny Girl.
Barbra has said she wanted to win an Oscar, Grammy, and a Tony Award. Did you know that she did it!
Barbra had to control everything, and I mean everything. Since she was either starring in the role, or singing the song, she wanted it arranged her way!
Now, this would get her into trouble when she was starring in Funny Girl. She was experiencing boredom once again. The writers or maybe it was the producers were out of town for an extended leave, and she began to play with her role, changing dialog, to relive boredom, or shorten the scene to get off early. It was a long play.
When the writer or producer got back, and saw what she was doing, he became irate! Basically, told her when Funny Girl when to the Big Screen, she would not be starting in it. Barbra knew this was not a idle threat, because she could name three stars of Broadway who did not get the parts in the movies.
Now, I did learn to appreciate by what Mr. Mann taught me. You see Barbra was recording albums in 1962, 1963, and 1964. 1964 is an important year in music. The Beatles came to America and change the music scene.
We also had the Motown Sound which was crossing over to mainstream, not just Soul Music; everyone was DANCING IN THE STREETS!
So for Barbara to put out three albums all three were on the Top 100 records, she did very well for someone who didn’t take singing seriously.
I could tell you this book was more about Funny Girl than Barbra Streisand, and I would not be wrong, but during these years, it was hard to tell them apart. The play started out about being a story of Fannie Brice, but ended up being just a play starring Barbra Streisand.
I think it took me 3 months to wade thru this book, but I am glad that I read it. And, when I have the money, I will be buying her first recording, since have read so much about it.
At the end, the last chapter, William Mann sums up her life, telling you about her son, Jason, born in December 1966, and her divorce from Elliott Gould. I notice a great similarly between Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross, both are narcissist.
By William J. Mann
I want to start out with the fact that I love William J. Mann as an author. I have read all of his books (except the last one). But, if had never read this biographic novel concerning Barbra Streisand, I would have missed nothing.
I guess as much as I love William J. Mann, matches how much I dislike Barbara Streisand. I picked up the book ONLY because William J. Mann wrote it.
He contains his writing to her early years, winter 1960 thru spring 1964. Barbra started early in life, very early, and she did pay her dues, somewhat. I mean, she didn't spend 20 years to become an “overnight star”. It was more like 1.5 years!
Barbra always wanted to be a Broadway Star, she wanted to play Juliet. She didn't think much of her singing. She didn’t find it hard, and she didn’t work at it like she did acting. She had no idea how good she was, or more like, she didn’t want people to recognize her singing but her acting.
But, here lies the first problem. When she was in the Broadway Show, I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE, she became bored with doing the same part over and over. But, still she wanted to get the part of Fannie Brice in Funny Girl.
Barbra has said she wanted to win an Oscar, Grammy, and a Tony Award. Did you know that she did it!
Barbra had to control everything, and I mean everything. Since she was either starring in the role, or singing the song, she wanted it arranged her way!
Now, this would get her into trouble when she was starring in Funny Girl. She was experiencing boredom once again. The writers or maybe it was the producers were out of town for an extended leave, and she began to play with her role, changing dialog, to relive boredom, or shorten the scene to get off early. It was a long play.
When the writer or producer got back, and saw what she was doing, he became irate! Basically, told her when Funny Girl when to the Big Screen, she would not be starting in it. Barbra knew this was not a idle threat, because she could name three stars of Broadway who did not get the parts in the movies.
Now, I did learn to appreciate by what Mr. Mann taught me. You see Barbra was recording albums in 1962, 1963, and 1964. 1964 is an important year in music. The Beatles came to America and change the music scene.
We also had the Motown Sound which was crossing over to mainstream, not just Soul Music; everyone was DANCING IN THE STREETS!
So for Barbara to put out three albums all three were on the Top 100 records, she did very well for someone who didn’t take singing seriously.
I could tell you this book was more about Funny Girl than Barbra Streisand, and I would not be wrong, but during these years, it was hard to tell them apart. The play started out about being a story of Fannie Brice, but ended up being just a play starring Barbra Streisand.
I think it took me 3 months to wade thru this book, but I am glad that I read it. And, when I have the money, I will be buying her first recording, since have read so much about it.
At the end, the last chapter, William Mann sums up her life, telling you about her son, Jason, born in December 1966, and her divorce from Elliott Gould. I notice a great similarly between Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross, both are narcissist.
June 30, 2014
Here is a secret about me, movie trivia is my thing. Not current stuff, I'm talking tidbits from the silent era to about 1970. I often lament...If only I could cash in on my worthless movie knowledge. Honest to goodness, I'm a savant when it comes to this topic, which brings me to my other secret love and that is reading autobiographies and biographies of actresses, actors, directors, producers, screenwriters...well, you get the idea, so I'd never pass up the opportunity to read about one of the greats: Barbra Streisand.
Having read oodles and oodles of this genre I can say without hesitation that this is a great read! I stop here to add that this is not your typical biography. It does not cover Streisand's entire career, but rather a crucial period of five years at the start: 1960-65. Seventeen in 1960 we see just how one with the right mix of determination and talent makes it. The only downside to the book is that Mann doesn't tell us the rest of the Streisand story. If you enjoy peeking inside the world of movie icons then this is a must read.
Thank you Net Galley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for allowing me access to a review copy of Hello, Gorgeous: Becoming Barbra Streisand by William J. Mann.
Having read oodles and oodles of this genre I can say without hesitation that this is a great read! I stop here to add that this is not your typical biography. It does not cover Streisand's entire career, but rather a crucial period of five years at the start: 1960-65. Seventeen in 1960 we see just how one with the right mix of determination and talent makes it. The only downside to the book is that Mann doesn't tell us the rest of the Streisand story. If you enjoy peeking inside the world of movie icons then this is a must read.
Thank you Net Galley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for allowing me access to a review copy of Hello, Gorgeous: Becoming Barbra Streisand by William J. Mann.
June 5, 2014
If you are wanting a biography of Barbra from start to now... this is not that book. However if you want to know what the early years were like for Barbra and those around her this is that book.
Barbra decided that she wanted to be an actress, but to make money she needed to sing. She didn't want to be a singer, but she did want to eat. Others saw in her something special, something unique that was not only marketable but stunning.
When Barbra sang, she sang from her heart and soul. She gave it her all, and although the few acting jobs that she had were hard in the fact that she did the say thing everyday on stage. That was not the part of acting that appealed to her, but she understood that it took hard work, determination and confidence. Something that she excelled in.
Barbra rose to stardom quicker that any around her and stayed at the top. Her goal was to receive every award she could in the business. Not only did she do that but she has kept on going.
Barbra decided that she wanted to be an actress, but to make money she needed to sing. She didn't want to be a singer, but she did want to eat. Others saw in her something special, something unique that was not only marketable but stunning.
When Barbra sang, she sang from her heart and soul. She gave it her all, and although the few acting jobs that she had were hard in the fact that she did the say thing everyday on stage. That was not the part of acting that appealed to her, but she understood that it took hard work, determination and confidence. Something that she excelled in.
Barbra rose to stardom quicker that any around her and stayed at the top. Her goal was to receive every award she could in the business. Not only did she do that but she has kept on going.
January 7, 2013
A fascinating account of the legendary singer that concentrates solely on the crucial first five years of her career. And what a five years! I'm a Streisand fan and it was great to learn so much about this driven, gifted artist and her single-minded pursuit to become the star she is today. Mann is a superb writer and biographer and his work here is extremely well-researched and thorough. I found it interesting that Mann was not a big fan of Streisand and think this may have helped in his objective overview of her career. Lots of juicy details, of course, but his (unauthorized) biography never seems mean-spirited. I think the singer herself might even approve! I look forward to Mann's inevitable sequels. There's still a lot of story to tell.
June 1, 2014
Biography spanning the years 1960 to 1964 which were pivotal and career-defining ones for Streisand.
I felt Mann tried too hard at making it read like a story with descriptions that the author could not possibly have known. For example what colour the sky was that day, how she was feeling, what he was thinking, how he woke her with a kiss on the cheek, etc. Sparse insertions of historic events to set the scene did however work well, e.g. Marilyn Monroe's suicide, the Cuban Missile Crisis, JFK's assassination, etc.
In a world where the term diva is used so often and undeservedly so, Streisand is a true diva. She's done it all: singing, acting, theatre, TV, film, entertaining, winning awards in all categories.
I felt Mann tried too hard at making it read like a story with descriptions that the author could not possibly have known. For example what colour the sky was that day, how she was feeling, what he was thinking, how he woke her with a kiss on the cheek, etc. Sparse insertions of historic events to set the scene did however work well, e.g. Marilyn Monroe's suicide, the Cuban Missile Crisis, JFK's assassination, etc.
In a world where the term diva is used so often and undeservedly so, Streisand is a true diva. She's done it all: singing, acting, theatre, TV, film, entertaining, winning awards in all categories.
October 31, 2019
This was a hard book to get into and I think a lot of it has to do with the style of writing. When I read a biography I wanna read the facts. I don’t wanna read about the what the weather was like or what the person was wearing unless it’s essential to the story.
December 3, 2012
Absorbing in parts; skimmable elsewhere. How Barbra became Barbra; sort of the like exploration of her immortal HeLa cells. It's _science._
May 27, 2016
If you're really a Barbra Streisand fan, you'll love this book. The entire book covers her early career up to the opening of Funny Girl on Broadway.
October 31, 2024
Quite good!
October 28, 2019
Barbra Streisand is a complicated person. This book focuses on her early years and how she rose to success. Her voice is what got her there, despite her desire to be an actress, not a singer. She had an intense desire to succeed, perhaps partially due to her mother’s belief that she could not, which may have been due to her own crushed dreams. I admire Barbra’s ambition, but I thought it was awful that the early friends who helped her develop her style were left behind, one of whom discouraged her from getting a nose-job. According to the book, she was ruthless. Maybe that’s a quality you need to succeed. Despite everything, her talent is undeniable and she’s mesmerizing to watch. She has a gift and a will to be the best. She was strong enough to survive the industry, unlike so many self-destructive talents. She’s tough and learned to get what she wanted, but the book portrays her as insensitive to those who supported her early on and were close friends to her. This is a fascinating story of how a talented young woman managed to rise to the top so quickly in a very competitive industry in New York. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.
June 16, 2018
This is a fascinating account of the first five years of Barbra Streisand's career. Her meteoric success was the result of her extrordinary talent and personal ambition, but also the contributions of friends who helped her develop her public persona, a management team which went to amazing lengths (and fudging of facts) to get her name into newspapers nationwide, and many, many others. Alhough Streisand did not cooperate with the author, he made excellent use of the private papers of such legends as Jule Styne and Jerome Robbins, and personal interviews. The result is a very intimate portrait of a complex, driven, and talented young woman, and a particular place and time in the theatrical and pop culture of the United States.
My one disappointment was that Mann never mentioned Marvin Hamlisch, who was starting what was to be his own brilliant career as the rehearsal pianist for "Funny Girl." Hamlisch and Streisand became friends and continued to work together over the years, and I wanted to learn more about that. His omission from the book is puzzling.
My one disappointment was that Mann never mentioned Marvin Hamlisch, who was starting what was to be his own brilliant career as the rehearsal pianist for "Funny Girl." Hamlisch and Streisand became friends and continued to work together over the years, and I wanted to learn more about that. His omission from the book is puzzling.
February 26, 2025
Disclosure: I like some of Barbra's work, but I am not a devotee. Seems like this book is aimed at the latter audience, with plenty of name-dropping and dish. The first quarter of the book, that documents Barbra's background and upbringing, sets the stage for her strong minded goal achievements. The book makes it clear that she was quite happy to use her friends and network to her own ends but not good at repaying anyone, or even acknowledging their help. The quotes from her guest appearances on talk shows are so cringe-worthy to be avoided. The last 3/4 of the book is focused on her single-minded campaign to get the starring role in "Funny Girl," with lots of boring repetition and back fighting. Looking back, I cannot imaging anyone else in that role, but I also think that achievement was her pinnacle. This door-stop of a book wasn't very pleasant, and certainly glosses over her vocal achievements (which was the reason I wanted to read the book). For big fans only.
March 7, 2018
Overall, a great success as the first book I have read in detail of these years and the story is closely corroborated by YouTube of her TV shows, early appearance s, concerts. Very well-documented, detailed and insightful, giving a very illuminating insight to her personality and what drove her. To be honest, one came away with much more respect for her, personally, as well as her talent and seeing her as more likeable than assumed to be. Amazing obstacles she had to overcome. The only downside was the sometime cheesiness of the author describing her private life, conversations and even losing her virginity. This veered into Docudrama and Mills and Boon terrority. Would have been 5 stars otherwise. Still loved it though, and made even more interesting by the inclusion of many famous characters of yesteryear, their stories, and their part in the story.
January 10, 2024
I don’t like how he described her 17 yr old self, and the way he writes about her is like—she’s a character instead of a real person, with alot of filler information that he is just pulling out of thin air and feeding into the “character” Barbra.
I am so upset at myself for getting the hard back book And audiobook. The audiobook I shall keep, cause it’s not the narrators fault that the author is a baboon of a man.
I am so upset at myself for getting the hard back book And audiobook. The audiobook I shall keep, cause it’s not the narrators fault that the author is a baboon of a man.
June 14, 2025
Very well written and quite interesting to say the least. it was very detailed and gave such great background of Barbra and how she viewed how life happened. I have always found her to be such a phenomenal singer, had no idea she viewed herself as an actor 1st. That had always been her dream, but to me Singer will always be number 1. It is alot , took me 2 years to read it, in between many easy fun, quick reads. I enjoyed the journey, but am so glad to finally be done reading it.
July 26, 2020
I’m a real Streisand fan, having started listening to her in the early 60s. I actually went to Funny Girl in 1965, after Johnny Desmond had taken over the male lead. So this book is made for people like me. It seems to be factual, with lots of interviews and quotes from her early friends and contacts. There’s not really a lot new here, but just a bit more depth.
September 23, 2022
Got to be the most indepth recalling of someone's life over a few years feels like a day to day update in scale it's incredible.
The ground work put down to be able to write this book is mind boggling.
I really enjoyed it and couldn't put it down but think the pacing and writing may appeal more if they saved detail as twists and shocks but that was not it's goal.
The ground work put down to be able to write this book is mind boggling.
I really enjoyed it and couldn't put it down but think the pacing and writing may appeal more if they saved detail as twists and shocks but that was not it's goal.
February 17, 2018
Well, it only took me over 3 years to finish this book but I did it!
I picked it up and put it back down so many times...within those 3 years I received a Masters Degree, directed 4 productions and performed in one! Babs' drive inspired me all the way.
I picked it up and put it back down so many times...within those 3 years I received a Masters Degree, directed 4 productions and performed in one! Babs' drive inspired me all the way.
December 23, 2019
Engaging. Informative. Full of facts about the life of an icon before fame. Endearing. Well written. I really enjoyed this book and made time to read it in the middle of a super busy month! Enjoy it everyone!
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