House of Barrymore

by Margot Peters

In a riveting group biography full of legends and anecdotes, Peters illuminates the full, independent, and often tragic lives of the Barrymores--the first great actors of the American stage to become stars of American film. "Biography with the grip of a le Carre novel".--Los Angeles Times. 48 pages of photographs.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir

Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Robin Zebley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm an old movies fan so a book about the Barrymores should be my dream. It was just too darned long, and the author's opinions dominated too much. Did Ethel favor John? Maybe, but do we have to read about it every few pages?

I was disappointed that so little was written about the goings on in the movies they made. A LINE for Captains Couragous, one of Lionel's very best performances? No trivia, just a plodding of the timeline of which of them made what when, and focus on the negatives of Ethel and John.

What I liked was reading in general about the life of actors as they made their living performing all over the country. I liked reading about the Philadelphia connections, even google earthed their old haunts. And I liked learning about Lionel's art. But all in all, a book that would improve a ton by a lot of editing and a little more balance.

[Rebecka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found out things about the Barrymores that I didn't know. Isn't that why one reads ;-) I like Lionel the best.

[Tony Siciliano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I was not very familiar with the Barrymore family, I wanted to learn a bit more about them. I thought this book quite ambitious to take on all three of them. The author developed the personalities of John, Ethel, and Lionel, even though only John's life seems to have provided a thorough accounting. John was the brilliant actor incapable of self-discipline, always searching for love, always subverted by alcohol and profligacy. Ethel was the undisputed queen of the theater, remote, self-contained and cautious. She, too, had her problems with alcohol for many years. Lionel, the frustrated artist and musical composer, is almost disdainful of the actor many of us still remember for his feisty, confrontational, and often brilliant performances. He was not close to either of his siblings, aware of that constant competition between John and Ethel for the heights of fame and success. He fought a life-time battle with drug addiction. None of them had any skill at handling money, each of them ending their lives in very diminished circumstances. If you are a lover of the American theater, you will find much to delight you. Even if you are not, you will find the narration interesting and often sparkling. In the end, it is an excellent study of America's most famous acting family.

[Michael Van Duzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough examination of the Barrymore and Drew acting families. While the general bios of the famous trio, Lionel, Ethel and John, are fairly well-known, there are assumptions I made from their public images (mostly that they were actually close) that prove to be untrue.

For me, the early years of the Arch Theater through the early successes of the trio, are the most interesting.

Sad to realize that such important figures in the world of American acting were such lonely and haunted people.

[Zayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was in my late teens, I was a little obsessed with John Barrymore. This is easily the best portrait of the great actor as well as his endlessly fascinating family that we're likely to get. I also recommend Damned In Paradise by John Kobler for an even deeper look into John Barrymore's long, sad decline.

[Thomas Schulte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am embarked on a three-book look into multiple generations of this acting family. It is not them that fascinate me, per se, but biographies of lives with grand arcs.

[Mom's Travel Team - Loeza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a little slow for me and overwhelming. I didn't finish it, but donated to the used bookstore for others to enjoy.

[Francesca Penchant · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative, psychologically in-depth, and fascinating look at the creative and troubled Barrymore family. My only complaint is that the author spends too much time on John Barrymore's later outrageous exploits, when he was suffering from the beginnings of Altzheimer's disease, and wasn't completely responsible for his actions. (This book must've been published before theories of Altzheimer's were developed, because no mention is made of the disease.)

All-in-all, a thrilling look at three complex artists: Lionel, John, and Ethel.

(I listened to the audio version of this book.)

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

All about the acting family-a dry read.

[Valerie Rimoldi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting but it moved pretty slow.

[Robert2481 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful journey through the history of american theater & early hollywood. I've read it twice & enjoyed it just as much as I did the 1st time.

[Lisa St Clair · Rating 2 out of 5]

Long and somewhat plodding timeline - interesting when describing other aspects of their lives like friends, hobbies, illnesses, etc.