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Wisecracker: The Life and Times of William Haines, Hollywood's First Openly Gay Star
Chronicles the saga of 1930s film star William Haines, his survival in Hollywood's gay subculture, and his rise to fame as a top interior decorator after being blacklisted by the movie industry. 15,000 first printing. First serial, Vanity Fair. Second serial, Architectural Digest.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
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828 people want to read
About the author
William J. Mann
45 books256 followersAlso writes children's books under the pseudonym Geoffrey Huntington.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
December 11, 2020
Fleeing his Virginia home, young Billy Haines (1900-1973) arrived in NYC after WW1, ready and willing for anything. He was smart, irreverent, charming and cool about sex. His attitude was, Why not? Never mind who. What to do with his life ? A talent agent (so the story goes) cooed, "I like your face." His answer: "So do I." Pause. "I'm breaking it in for a friend."
The story, true or not, sums up the Haines personality, of which there was plenty. The funny & likeable Billy casually met the unknown George Cukor, Jack Kelly (later costume designer Orry-Kelly) and the guy he lived with, an acrobat named Archie Leach (later Cary Grant). NYC in the early 20s : anything went and the fluidity of your sexuality was more of Why not?
What to do kerplunked him in big, dumb, easy Movieland (it's even dumber today) where you could become a big, dumb, easy millionaire ohnight. Ew, Hollywood! A spotty squeeze w actress Barbara La Marr helped, but she became demanding, wanting thisa-thata. No, said Billy. After small roles, he found himself w the cross-eyed (lol) Norma Shearer : "The one woman who got a rise out of me and that's saying a mouthful." He had a brief bash with Ramon Novarro.
Movieland then was mostly het, unlike the gay agents, producers who dominate today and yet insist that gay talent stay closeted, or you won't get STAR roles. Billy, by mid-1920s, found himself a #1 star comedian and he didn't keep his gay preferences secret. In 1926 he started living openly w Jimmie Shields, a nice, sexy nobody-in-particular who "looked after the house." This relationship lasted until his death. ~ Cary Grant, by then, was living openly w Randolph Scott; Gary Cooper shared his bath w actor Anderson Lawler; Stanwyck kept to herself, though Claudette Colbert muffed around w Dietrich, and Garbo -- we know why she "vanted to be alone."
Until the Depression hit home and the Production Code (a Roman Catholic fart) slammed LaLA, no one much cared what stars did off-screen. Suddenly, early 30s, everything changed. The most odious mogul of 'em all, Louis B Mayer, demanded that stars "get married." You had to Play the Game, as did Grant, Scott, Cooper, Claude and so on, even those who weren't under Metro contract. Mayer was a ruthless hypocrite, given to screwing starlets while praying on his knees. (Decades later you couldnt grow up in LA, without hearing, as did I, what LB did to Judy Garland - with her mum's blessing).
He insisted that Billy Haines Get Married. You're like a son to me, he slobbered. "I am married," Haines dared to reply, referring to Jimmie Shields. LB wept. On the 3rd go-round, Billy began weeping too. LB wasnt amused. The ugly pharisee realized Billy was mocking him. Since Billy wouldn't Get Married -- and continued to flaunt his gay life -- Mayer ended his contract, c 1933. All movie doors were closed. (By contrast, others like Cary Grant/ Geo Cukor realized that, in Hollywood, "image IS reality" and were discreet. This is true today as publicists and the media burp baloney of Holly "romances" and marriages).
Here's a love story (Haines-Shields) that defied Hollywood conventions. Very well-written, it also adds insightful sociology of the period. The author admits that he couldn't discuss the Haines-Shields M.O. as those they knew were all dead. We do know that Haines supported his family through the years. The couple also kept their love alive by seeing Other People -- which makes perfect sense (as all worldlies, het or hs, know). Illuminating history, and otherwise.
Haines started an interior decorating bizness, after his blackball, which became world famous. We now know that loyalist pal Joan Crawford had her home toilet seats changed after every divorce. That's important. ~ That's Hollywood!
The story, true or not, sums up the Haines personality, of which there was plenty. The funny & likeable Billy casually met the unknown George Cukor, Jack Kelly (later costume designer Orry-Kelly) and the guy he lived with, an acrobat named Archie Leach (later Cary Grant). NYC in the early 20s : anything went and the fluidity of your sexuality was more of Why not?
What to do kerplunked him in big, dumb, easy Movieland (it's even dumber today) where you could become a big, dumb, easy millionaire ohnight. Ew, Hollywood! A spotty squeeze w actress Barbara La Marr helped, but she became demanding, wanting thisa-thata. No, said Billy. After small roles, he found himself w the cross-eyed (lol) Norma Shearer : "The one woman who got a rise out of me and that's saying a mouthful." He had a brief bash with Ramon Novarro.
Movieland then was mostly het, unlike the gay agents, producers who dominate today and yet insist that gay talent stay closeted, or you won't get STAR roles. Billy, by mid-1920s, found himself a #1 star comedian and he didn't keep his gay preferences secret. In 1926 he started living openly w Jimmie Shields, a nice, sexy nobody-in-particular who "looked after the house." This relationship lasted until his death. ~ Cary Grant, by then, was living openly w Randolph Scott; Gary Cooper shared his bath w actor Anderson Lawler; Stanwyck kept to herself, though Claudette Colbert muffed around w Dietrich, and Garbo -- we know why she "vanted to be alone."
Until the Depression hit home and the Production Code (a Roman Catholic fart) slammed LaLA, no one much cared what stars did off-screen. Suddenly, early 30s, everything changed. The most odious mogul of 'em all, Louis B Mayer, demanded that stars "get married." You had to Play the Game, as did Grant, Scott, Cooper, Claude and so on, even those who weren't under Metro contract. Mayer was a ruthless hypocrite, given to screwing starlets while praying on his knees. (Decades later you couldnt grow up in LA, without hearing, as did I, what LB did to Judy Garland - with her mum's blessing).
He insisted that Billy Haines Get Married. You're like a son to me, he slobbered. "I am married," Haines dared to reply, referring to Jimmie Shields. LB wept. On the 3rd go-round, Billy began weeping too. LB wasnt amused. The ugly pharisee realized Billy was mocking him. Since Billy wouldn't Get Married -- and continued to flaunt his gay life -- Mayer ended his contract, c 1933. All movie doors were closed. (By contrast, others like Cary Grant/ Geo Cukor realized that, in Hollywood, "image IS reality" and were discreet. This is true today as publicists and the media burp baloney of Holly "romances" and marriages).
Here's a love story (Haines-Shields) that defied Hollywood conventions. Very well-written, it also adds insightful sociology of the period. The author admits that he couldn't discuss the Haines-Shields M.O. as those they knew were all dead. We do know that Haines supported his family through the years. The couple also kept their love alive by seeing Other People -- which makes perfect sense (as all worldlies, het or hs, know). Illuminating history, and otherwise.
Haines started an interior decorating bizness, after his blackball, which became world famous. We now know that loyalist pal Joan Crawford had her home toilet seats changed after every divorce. That's important. ~ That's Hollywood!
April 1, 2012
Lovely, actually, at the end. What a brave man he was. In some ways, I suppose, he might be seen as superficial, but he was not defeated by the bigotry of Louis B. Mayer. Haines stood up to Mayer when the studio head told him to dump his lover, Jimmie Shields, if Haines expected to stay a star. Haines told Mayer to go to hell, left movies, and became one of the great interior decorators of the 20th century. Perhaps it isn't Rosa Parks, but this man always insisted on the right to sit wherever he damned pleased and with whomever he damned pleased. So much of their relationship is still a mystery, but I wept when I read how Shields just couldn't go on without Haines. Jimmie killed himself a couple of months after his mate died. The loneliness was just too much. No mention of their 40 years together was mentioned in Haines's obituary and Jimmie didn't even have one. But their urns stand together at Woodlawn Mausoleum in Santa Monica, the way it should be.
November 16, 2025
Wisecracker, gay icon queen.
Want to read
August 19, 2016I recently read an article on Haines life that moved me. Can't wait to read a full biography on him.
May 1, 2022
The first two thirds of this extreemely well-researched bio, covering Haines' early life and movie career, kept me keenly interested. The wild parties of pre-code Hollywood and the lurid details of movie star lives were enthralling enough to make up for Mann's bad habit of too frequently listing who was a habitué of whose parties. Plus there's plenty of romance and scandal. Alas, the last third - dealing with Haines' interior decorating career - dragged because the party guest lists were accompanied by more information than I cared to hear about antiques and wallpapers. I'm not sure I would've liked Haines at all. Examples of his much vaunted wisecracking were pretty unfunny, the tales of his exquisite taste were exquisitely boring, and his apolitical attitude reeked of moral cowardice. Worse, the half-century long object of his affections sounds like the sort of tediously piss elegant little queen I'd cross the street to avoid. And yet, I deeply admire his courage in being "out," despite the serious consequences and I also admire (yes, I'm old-fashioned this way!) the fact that he stuck with his lover through thick and thin for half a century. Hip hip hooray for Old Married Folk!
April 3, 2013
I thought this was a brilliantly researched book on a little known star of the early cinema. I knew nothing about the man before I read it but was a lot wiser after reading this. I get the impression that the book is more a labour of love rather than a shot at writing a Hollywood book judging by the amount of detail in it. He must have trawled through thousands of Hollywood magazines to get the stories about Haines which are so frequently quoted in the book. If the readers were so inclined they could look up the magazine and newspaper articles themselves following the references at the end of the book. From reading the book I have a much broader knowledge of the whole early Hollywood scene covering the move from the silents to the talkies which I knew next to nothing about before and it was very entertainingly presented. I was wondering how the author could fill so many pages but a lot of the writing is placing Haines in his situation - be it in the cinema, interior design world, the political climate at the time etc so after reading this you really ought to be a lot more informed on the late `20s to early `30s in Hollywood with a good glimpse into a long lost world.
November 3, 2014
Billy Haines is one of my new heroes. He was such a fascinating and complicated person who lived as an openly gay actor in the early days of Hollywood, was fired by Louis B. Mayer for refusing to get married to a woman ("I'm already married [to a man]," he said), and later counted the Reagans as friends. William Mann does a great job of capturing all the eras Billy lived through, and the lasting effect he had on the worlds of film and interior design. Before reading this book, I was only vaguely aware that there was this early film star who got fired for being gay and then became an interior designer. Now, thanks to William Mann's biography, I find myself noticing pictures and mentions of Billy all over the place. Turns out, he's an incredibly famous and influential character who (until now) went completely unnoticed by me and many others.
November 28, 2007
William Haines was a fun and interesting actor who is unfairly forgotten today - he played the "Wisecracker" who always got his comeuppance by the final reel. Devastatingly handsome and incredibly witty, he was popular on and off the screen. He was, however, openly gay (Joan Crawford referred to he and his partner, Jimmie Shields, as the "happiest marriage in Hollywood") and refused to toe the company line by marrying for appearances' sake. Gone from the screen in 1934, he became one of the 20th century's most sought-after interior decorators, and his pieces are still prized. William J. Mann covers all of this and more, in an engaging, compulsively readable style.
May 28, 2024
A deeply-researched, engaging nonfiction work on William "Billy" Haines, a major star of the silent era and the start of the talkies, whose unwillingness to play the Hollywood game of a straight man ended his career in movies--and took him to an incredibly satisfying career as a top interior designer for Hollywood.
Haines is a complicated man. Born in a rural Virginia town, he was bullied as effeminate from an early age, and grew up in the shadow of his Confederate-hero grandfather. He ran away from home--with a boyfriend--as a young teen, and after a brief return home, went to New York City, where he relished in the sexual freedoms of Greenwich Village. His beautiful face garnered him a ticket to Los Angeles and a movie contract, but he had to first learn how to act. Once he did, though, he began to repeatedly play a certain type, an arrogant man who eventually humbles and gets the girl. He also soon fell for a former sailor, Jimmie Shields, and began to enjoy the wild night life the city offered, much to the chagrin of producer Louis B. Mayer. Other gay stars were willing to at least marry a woman or pretend an interest in the other sex, but Billy wisecracked, dodging the issue by making jokes. This strategy could only last for so long.
I read this for research, and I found an incredible amount of useful material. Mann did an amazing amount of research on his book; it came out in 1998, and he had the benefit of speaking to a few people still alive who knew Billy well. Do be aware that there is a lot of sexual discussion in this book, some quite graphic, as Billy and Jimmy treated their exploits as something of an avocation for much of their lives. They were together for almost 50 years. There is one particular matter in their lives that remains vague, though, and that is what truly happened in El Porto, California, where Jimmie was accused of molesting a young boy and a mob descended on the two party houses of gay men and ran them out of town; the details there are particularly disturbing, in regards to the inciting incident and the almost-lynch mob afterward.
If people are reading this for the Hollywood gossip a century after the fact, there's a lot of that, but I also found the details about his interior designing career to be interesting. His work with the Reagans--their politically duplicitous nature, and Ronald Reagan's small show of humanity after Billy's death--were insightful. Really, Mann explores human psychology with a deft touch. You really feel for the people he writes about, like Cary Grant, who does what Billy does not and sells his soul to have his career, and ends up a lonely, bitter man.
Haines is a complicated man. Born in a rural Virginia town, he was bullied as effeminate from an early age, and grew up in the shadow of his Confederate-hero grandfather. He ran away from home--with a boyfriend--as a young teen, and after a brief return home, went to New York City, where he relished in the sexual freedoms of Greenwich Village. His beautiful face garnered him a ticket to Los Angeles and a movie contract, but he had to first learn how to act. Once he did, though, he began to repeatedly play a certain type, an arrogant man who eventually humbles and gets the girl. He also soon fell for a former sailor, Jimmie Shields, and began to enjoy the wild night life the city offered, much to the chagrin of producer Louis B. Mayer. Other gay stars were willing to at least marry a woman or pretend an interest in the other sex, but Billy wisecracked, dodging the issue by making jokes. This strategy could only last for so long.
I read this for research, and I found an incredible amount of useful material. Mann did an amazing amount of research on his book; it came out in 1998, and he had the benefit of speaking to a few people still alive who knew Billy well. Do be aware that there is a lot of sexual discussion in this book, some quite graphic, as Billy and Jimmy treated their exploits as something of an avocation for much of their lives. They were together for almost 50 years. There is one particular matter in their lives that remains vague, though, and that is what truly happened in El Porto, California, where Jimmie was accused of molesting a young boy and a mob descended on the two party houses of gay men and ran them out of town; the details there are particularly disturbing, in regards to the inciting incident and the almost-lynch mob afterward.
If people are reading this for the Hollywood gossip a century after the fact, there's a lot of that, but I also found the details about his interior designing career to be interesting. His work with the Reagans--their politically duplicitous nature, and Ronald Reagan's small show of humanity after Billy's death--were insightful. Really, Mann explores human psychology with a deft touch. You really feel for the people he writes about, like Cary Grant, who does what Billy does not and sells his soul to have his career, and ends up a lonely, bitter man.
October 2, 2014
More than any other star William Haines epitomized the "anything
goes" attitude of the 1920s. This is just a splendidly written
book by William T. Mann which could equally have had the title
"The Devastating Boy". Billy was aware of his sexuality from his
early teens and ran away from home at 14 with his boyfriend to
industrial town Hopewell where as a young entrepreneur he started
a dance hall (a code name for brothel). After the town burned
down Haines, who for some reason couldn't go home (the author
gives his reasonable thoughts on this) goes to New York where he
is there at the start of the Greenwich Village trend. Yes, he
seemed a bit of a hustler but no-one disliked him due to his wit and
wisecracks. Once he got to Hollywood - care of a New Faces contest where the female winner was Eleanor Boardman, no-one beat a path to his door, unlike Boardman who was instantly picked as an up and comer - he was too carefree and trying to live the movie star life style. By 1925 he got serious - especially when his new found friend Joan Crawford's, who arrived in Hollywood early that same year, career took off in leaps and bounds.
Then he met Jimmy while in New York and, as Joan Crawford said,
theirs was the happiest marriage in Hollywood. After the roaring
twenties came the depressed and repressed thirties and the free and
easy life style that Billy and his crowd had enjoyed came to an
end. Suddenly fan magazines were not so protective of star's
alternative lifestyles and actors found if they wanted career
longevity they had to appear "just plain folk" - and that wasn't
Billy's way. One thing I found interesting was how unprepared MGM
was for the talkie revolution. I knew Garbo was making silent like
"The Kiss" in 1929 but Haines who starred in MGM's first talkie
"Alias Jimmy Valentine"(1928) and had a perfect talkie voice,
didn't get to star in another until "Navy Blues" in December, 1929.
By the mid 1930s Haines was in demand as an interior designer (he
hated the word decorator) to the stars but in 1936 there was an
unsavoury scandal - not involving Billy but his long time partner
Jimmy Shields and suddenly friends (like Carole Lombard - who was
probably influenced by homophobic Clark Gable) gave him the cold
shoulder. Not "Cranberry" Crawford - she was his friend and
supporter until the end. He and his business recovered and by the
late 1960s he and his business partner were in England redesigning
Winfield House.
The last part of the book I found very moving - Billy Haines, the
kid who ran away at 14 had definitely triumphed!! By being true to
himself and living life honestly and on his own terms. Someone
asked did Haines ever "come out" but as far as this book is concerned
he was never "in" - he never disguised his true self or lived a lie.
The book shows that stars who did repress their true sexuality (and
I was really surprised at the names named) who married to please the
studio, lived lonely, sometimes bitter lives, usually resorting to
alcohol.
Very Recommended.
goes" attitude of the 1920s. This is just a splendidly written
book by William T. Mann which could equally have had the title
"The Devastating Boy". Billy was aware of his sexuality from his
early teens and ran away from home at 14 with his boyfriend to
industrial town Hopewell where as a young entrepreneur he started
a dance hall (a code name for brothel). After the town burned
down Haines, who for some reason couldn't go home (the author
gives his reasonable thoughts on this) goes to New York where he
is there at the start of the Greenwich Village trend. Yes, he
seemed a bit of a hustler but no-one disliked him due to his wit and
wisecracks. Once he got to Hollywood - care of a New Faces contest where the female winner was Eleanor Boardman, no-one beat a path to his door, unlike Boardman who was instantly picked as an up and comer - he was too carefree and trying to live the movie star life style. By 1925 he got serious - especially when his new found friend Joan Crawford's, who arrived in Hollywood early that same year, career took off in leaps and bounds.
Then he met Jimmy while in New York and, as Joan Crawford said,
theirs was the happiest marriage in Hollywood. After the roaring
twenties came the depressed and repressed thirties and the free and
easy life style that Billy and his crowd had enjoyed came to an
end. Suddenly fan magazines were not so protective of star's
alternative lifestyles and actors found if they wanted career
longevity they had to appear "just plain folk" - and that wasn't
Billy's way. One thing I found interesting was how unprepared MGM
was for the talkie revolution. I knew Garbo was making silent like
"The Kiss" in 1929 but Haines who starred in MGM's first talkie
"Alias Jimmy Valentine"(1928) and had a perfect talkie voice,
didn't get to star in another until "Navy Blues" in December, 1929.
By the mid 1930s Haines was in demand as an interior designer (he
hated the word decorator) to the stars but in 1936 there was an
unsavoury scandal - not involving Billy but his long time partner
Jimmy Shields and suddenly friends (like Carole Lombard - who was
probably influenced by homophobic Clark Gable) gave him the cold
shoulder. Not "Cranberry" Crawford - she was his friend and
supporter until the end. He and his business recovered and by the
late 1960s he and his business partner were in England redesigning
Winfield House.
The last part of the book I found very moving - Billy Haines, the
kid who ran away at 14 had definitely triumphed!! By being true to
himself and living life honestly and on his own terms. Someone
asked did Haines ever "come out" but as far as this book is concerned
he was never "in" - he never disguised his true self or lived a lie.
The book shows that stars who did repress their true sexuality (and
I was really surprised at the names named) who married to please the
studio, lived lonely, sometimes bitter lives, usually resorting to
alcohol.
Very Recommended.
May 13, 2017
I am an interior designer and a gay man so this book appealed to me on both levels.
I had previously known about William (Billy) Haines before. Our professional lives barely overlapped and I would have loved to have met him. What caused me to want to read this biography was his love story with Jimmie Sheilds during a time that being gay was something to be hid. As if it's all peaches and cream now in the age of Trump.
I have vaguely known Billy was a silent movie star, but that era did not hold a lot of interest for me. However this biography was amazing in its detail and descriptions of those times. He also went into great detail about his teenage years which was also fascinating. Billy was at the right place at the right time and had the right friends to launch himself into a fantastic design career. As is still true today, stars want publicity and decorating a star's home brings publicity to the designer. Billy's personality reminds me of one of my mentors, Val Arnold. He was also a decorator to the stars and used that for his own publicity. I believe they knew each other but were not friends.
I first became aware of Mr. Haines with the publication of Winfield House, the official residence of the US ambassador to Great Brittian. The house was an amazing compilation of antiques, chinoiserie and modern sensibilities it took my breath away. I recently was able to tour Sunnylands in Palm Springs which remains in perfect condition as Billy originally designed it. An amazing tour de force of architect/interior designer/landscape architect under the patronage of the Annenbergs.
The seem to be hundreds of stars homes that Mr. Haines designed. I have tried to find photos of some including George Cukors stunning house as well as Billy and Jimmie's house.
The author explains the relationship Billy and Jimmie had in as much detail as he could find from sources other than the subjects as they kept their personal lives quite private. As public as they were a couple, their home life was kept close to the vest. I wish to have known more so I could have learned from them.
One of the fascinating things I learned from this book was that the 1920's were a lassiez-faire period for gay people. There was an amazing amount of bi-sexuality amongst the entire Hollywood Colony of this period. An extensive amount of research has been done by the author on this. This was a formative time for Billy and crystallized for him how he would live his life with Jimmie at his side...unapologetic that they were a couple...even in the face of Louie B Mayer demanding that he marry a woman to keep his acting career. Such courage.
The one fault for me in the book was the repetition of the same facts in discussing all the different stars and their relationships. I now plan to buy the photography book on Willian Haines decorating.
I had previously known about William (Billy) Haines before. Our professional lives barely overlapped and I would have loved to have met him. What caused me to want to read this biography was his love story with Jimmie Sheilds during a time that being gay was something to be hid. As if it's all peaches and cream now in the age of Trump.
I have vaguely known Billy was a silent movie star, but that era did not hold a lot of interest for me. However this biography was amazing in its detail and descriptions of those times. He also went into great detail about his teenage years which was also fascinating. Billy was at the right place at the right time and had the right friends to launch himself into a fantastic design career. As is still true today, stars want publicity and decorating a star's home brings publicity to the designer. Billy's personality reminds me of one of my mentors, Val Arnold. He was also a decorator to the stars and used that for his own publicity. I believe they knew each other but were not friends.
I first became aware of Mr. Haines with the publication of Winfield House, the official residence of the US ambassador to Great Brittian. The house was an amazing compilation of antiques, chinoiserie and modern sensibilities it took my breath away. I recently was able to tour Sunnylands in Palm Springs which remains in perfect condition as Billy originally designed it. An amazing tour de force of architect/interior designer/landscape architect under the patronage of the Annenbergs.
The seem to be hundreds of stars homes that Mr. Haines designed. I have tried to find photos of some including George Cukors stunning house as well as Billy and Jimmie's house.
The author explains the relationship Billy and Jimmie had in as much detail as he could find from sources other than the subjects as they kept their personal lives quite private. As public as they were a couple, their home life was kept close to the vest. I wish to have known more so I could have learned from them.
One of the fascinating things I learned from this book was that the 1920's were a lassiez-faire period for gay people. There was an amazing amount of bi-sexuality amongst the entire Hollywood Colony of this period. An extensive amount of research has been done by the author on this. This was a formative time for Billy and crystallized for him how he would live his life with Jimmie at his side...unapologetic that they were a couple...even in the face of Louie B Mayer demanding that he marry a woman to keep his acting career. Such courage.
The one fault for me in the book was the repetition of the same facts in discussing all the different stars and their relationships. I now plan to buy the photography book on Willian Haines decorating.
April 3, 2017
Mann's book looks at the career of William Haines an openly gay actor who lived in Hollywood during the 1920 and 1930s. As the political climate changed in the 1930s and became more intolerant Mayer at MGM who was known for his homophobia refused to renew Haines' contract because Haines lived openly with his partner, Jimmy. Because he couldn't work on screen, Haines became Hollywood's interior designer of choice decorating the homes of Hollywood's elite. It is an important book, that while gossipy in tone details the story about queer lives before and after the Productions Codes.
"He shared de Wolfe’s vision about how a house should function: “a synthesis of comfort, practicality, and tradition.” 256
"He shared de Wolfe’s vision about how a house should function: “a synthesis of comfort, practicality, and tradition.” 256
August 6, 2014
As a fan of both the stories of old Hollywood and the stories of people who live life against the grain, I was attracted to this biography. Mann gives us a detailed account of a man brave enough to risk his career to live life by his own terms. Lots of other Hollywood personalities appear throughout the narrative, but the focus remains on Haines, a man I knew almost nothing about prior to reading the book. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Hollywood biographies and/or LGBT history.
June 9, 2008
I love a biography of a film star or director that makes me want to see examples of the subject's work. This one did in two areas - Haines' films (he was a great comic actor) and his interior design. It was well written and held my interest.
November 17, 2025
I have visited his burial place three times in Santa Monica just because his story moved me so much.
February 9, 2025
As far as gay biographies go, I must say this book on silent movie star William Haines is one of the best I’ve read. Not only did it help me learn more about a person I knew little about, but it also kept me anchored in a time period that was essential to understanding that person’s life. The author, William Mann, does a great job at keeping everything relative to the time period in which it’s happening, while also keeping in perspective the changes that would result from trailblazers like William Haines. Also, from here on out, I’ll be referring to William Haines as Billy (because I think he’d prefer that) and the author as Mann.
The first thing that struck me about this book was how well Mann described 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s Hollywood. Not only in a physical sense, but also in a socioeconomic and political aspect. I also loved the glimpse we got into New York’s Greenwich Village, where Billy first started and learned to become himself. I never knew there was a huge lesbian and gay presence there. It was very refreshing! It also occurred to me while learning about these places and time periods that Mann makes the era a character in this book. This makes sense since Billy was very much a man of his time and reflected the world he lived in. (He was also very much ahead of his time as well.) Mann really puts us in the same world as Billy and I commend him for that.
Another thing the author does very successfully is explaining the culture and society that Billy operated in. I didn’t realize how freewheeling and open the roaring 20’s were in terms of sexuality. This set the standard that Billy would live his life by, which meant being 100% authentically himself. It explains why he wouldn’t want to hide his queerness. Also, once he became rich and famous, it was even easier for him to “get away” with being himself. This authenticity soon becomes threatened by MGM studio mogul Louis B. Mayer and the wave of ethics codes that would hit Hollywood once America started becoming more conservative after the Great Depression and First World War. Billy soon found that being gay was not only unacceptable, but also an attack on the very existence of everyday Americans and manhood. This shift in culture is felt very deeply and swiftly in Mann’s narrative and you feel that loss of sexual freedom that Billy had in the beginning of his life.
This change in culture also sets us up for the most notorious part of Billy’s story. He basically tells his boss, Mayer to screw himself because he’s not going to marry a woman or play straight for anyone, including his job. That’s a very bold move and obviously did not work out well for Billy at the time. He gets mad respect from me for it though. To be so strong in your convictions and so sure of yourself, it’s very inspiring and admirable. The relationship he had with his lifetime partner Jimmie Shields for many decades was also endearing. Although Jimmie was reckless sometimes, it’s clear the their love was strong and unbreakable. They are definitely relationship goals. As a gay man myself, it’s nice to see two old gay guys get a happy ending. It very rarely happens. Although, I guess I shouldn’t say the ending is completely happy, maybe bittersweet, as Jimmie’s suicide letter stating how much he missed Billy after his death was heartbreaking. It made me cry and I’m not embarrassed to admit it. The fact that two people could love so deeply is overwhelmingly humbling.
It’s also important to note that Billy had great friendships throughout his life. The most notable with Joan Crawford, who had his back through anything and everything their entire life. If Jimmie was Billy’s soulmate, then Joan was his partner in crime. It’s also very humbling to see gay men back in the day have such strong allies. It’s also amazing that Billy was able to reinvent himself throughout his life with the help of Joan, since he helped reinvent her at the beginning of her career all those years ago when they were first starting out. They both helped each other live and learn. Joan was also Billy’s first client when he was forced to move his career from actor to designer and interior decorator. She opened doors to him that allowed him to find much success later in life. It’s also nice to see Billy find his true calling after stardom. He’s a testament to the fact that you never stop learning and growing. He was also very good at what he did.
I must say I was so close to giving this book a five star rating! The only reason I didn’t is because I feel like some of the sources are very questionable. And I want to be clear, I don’t question Mann’s ability to research his subject, because this book is researched the house down, but I question the people who made comments that sometimes felt like gossip that had no merit. Anita Page for instance just had a lot to say. Too much, in my opinion. I feel like some people want to insert themselves in Hollywood lore and what we get is a game of telephone or straight out lies (but we’ll never know for sure). This fact alone made me question how much of what Mann was told actually happened (if it was second hand accounts especially). I mean, he accused Clark Gable of bottoming for William Haines with no concrete facts! I gay gasped! I truly wasn’t ready for that juicy tidbit. I also didn’t like how the book skirted around the important topic of race relations. Billy had Black housekeepers his entire life and although he treated them well, that’s something that needs to be addressed and rectified with as an author, but Mann blows it off as a sign of the times and makes claims “Billy had a great appreciation for black culture,” but doesn’t go into details or give evidence to support how that’s true. Sorry Mann, but I couldn’t overlook that either. One thing I will give him credit for his questioning Billy’s involvement with right wing politicians and people who would vote and work against his own cause as a gay man. I just wish we would’ve delved into that fact a bit more because it was the one thing I couldn’t get behind with Billy.
Other than these couple critiques, I think Mann’s biography of Billy Haines is complete and well written. I got a real sense of who Billy was as a person and I feel like I was transported to another time while reading. It would have been absolutely crazy being an out gay man during the beginning of the 20th century, but now I think I have a better grasp on what that would mean (albeit through the extreme lens of fame and money). I definitely recommend if you love old Hollywood, lesbian and gay stories, or just a good love story. Billy’s life had it all, I promise!
The first thing that struck me about this book was how well Mann described 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s Hollywood. Not only in a physical sense, but also in a socioeconomic and political aspect. I also loved the glimpse we got into New York’s Greenwich Village, where Billy first started and learned to become himself. I never knew there was a huge lesbian and gay presence there. It was very refreshing! It also occurred to me while learning about these places and time periods that Mann makes the era a character in this book. This makes sense since Billy was very much a man of his time and reflected the world he lived in. (He was also very much ahead of his time as well.) Mann really puts us in the same world as Billy and I commend him for that.
Another thing the author does very successfully is explaining the culture and society that Billy operated in. I didn’t realize how freewheeling and open the roaring 20’s were in terms of sexuality. This set the standard that Billy would live his life by, which meant being 100% authentically himself. It explains why he wouldn’t want to hide his queerness. Also, once he became rich and famous, it was even easier for him to “get away” with being himself. This authenticity soon becomes threatened by MGM studio mogul Louis B. Mayer and the wave of ethics codes that would hit Hollywood once America started becoming more conservative after the Great Depression and First World War. Billy soon found that being gay was not only unacceptable, but also an attack on the very existence of everyday Americans and manhood. This shift in culture is felt very deeply and swiftly in Mann’s narrative and you feel that loss of sexual freedom that Billy had in the beginning of his life.
This change in culture also sets us up for the most notorious part of Billy’s story. He basically tells his boss, Mayer to screw himself because he’s not going to marry a woman or play straight for anyone, including his job. That’s a very bold move and obviously did not work out well for Billy at the time. He gets mad respect from me for it though. To be so strong in your convictions and so sure of yourself, it’s very inspiring and admirable. The relationship he had with his lifetime partner Jimmie Shields for many decades was also endearing. Although Jimmie was reckless sometimes, it’s clear the their love was strong and unbreakable. They are definitely relationship goals. As a gay man myself, it’s nice to see two old gay guys get a happy ending. It very rarely happens. Although, I guess I shouldn’t say the ending is completely happy, maybe bittersweet, as Jimmie’s suicide letter stating how much he missed Billy after his death was heartbreaking. It made me cry and I’m not embarrassed to admit it. The fact that two people could love so deeply is overwhelmingly humbling.
It’s also important to note that Billy had great friendships throughout his life. The most notable with Joan Crawford, who had his back through anything and everything their entire life. If Jimmie was Billy’s soulmate, then Joan was his partner in crime. It’s also very humbling to see gay men back in the day have such strong allies. It’s also amazing that Billy was able to reinvent himself throughout his life with the help of Joan, since he helped reinvent her at the beginning of her career all those years ago when they were first starting out. They both helped each other live and learn. Joan was also Billy’s first client when he was forced to move his career from actor to designer and interior decorator. She opened doors to him that allowed him to find much success later in life. It’s also nice to see Billy find his true calling after stardom. He’s a testament to the fact that you never stop learning and growing. He was also very good at what he did.
I must say I was so close to giving this book a five star rating! The only reason I didn’t is because I feel like some of the sources are very questionable. And I want to be clear, I don’t question Mann’s ability to research his subject, because this book is researched the house down, but I question the people who made comments that sometimes felt like gossip that had no merit. Anita Page for instance just had a lot to say. Too much, in my opinion. I feel like some people want to insert themselves in Hollywood lore and what we get is a game of telephone or straight out lies (but we’ll never know for sure). This fact alone made me question how much of what Mann was told actually happened (if it was second hand accounts especially). I mean, he accused Clark Gable of bottoming for William Haines with no concrete facts! I gay gasped! I truly wasn’t ready for that juicy tidbit. I also didn’t like how the book skirted around the important topic of race relations. Billy had Black housekeepers his entire life and although he treated them well, that’s something that needs to be addressed and rectified with as an author, but Mann blows it off as a sign of the times and makes claims “Billy had a great appreciation for black culture,” but doesn’t go into details or give evidence to support how that’s true. Sorry Mann, but I couldn’t overlook that either. One thing I will give him credit for his questioning Billy’s involvement with right wing politicians and people who would vote and work against his own cause as a gay man. I just wish we would’ve delved into that fact a bit more because it was the one thing I couldn’t get behind with Billy.
Other than these couple critiques, I think Mann’s biography of Billy Haines is complete and well written. I got a real sense of who Billy was as a person and I feel like I was transported to another time while reading. It would have been absolutely crazy being an out gay man during the beginning of the 20th century, but now I think I have a better grasp on what that would mean (albeit through the extreme lens of fame and money). I definitely recommend if you love old Hollywood, lesbian and gay stories, or just a good love story. Billy’s life had it all, I promise!
March 25, 2015
Very interesting story, delightfully researched, with insight into a time in Hollywood that was not quite what I thought it was. I like the way William J. Mann writes - maybe I'll look at a few more of his books.
January 1, 2025
This is a fine biography by an author whose novel 'All American Boy' I admire greatly but nearly 400 pages on a Hollywood actor none of whose films I have ever seen, or are ever likely to see, is more then I can take, no matter how well researched - and I do give Mr. Mann all credit for his extensive, not to say exhaustive research, this is not any sort of cut-and-paste job from old or obvious 'celebrity sources'.
I wish I could like the book or its subject more. I have no reason to doubt that the portrait of William Haines life of connubial bliss with his long time partner is not the truth but I wonder, if not for the horrible manner of his death, what kind of sanitized portrait we might have of the life of Ramon Navarro? Also I have grown less tolerant with age of that last generation of elderly closeted, queens, like William Haines amidst his gaggle of 'girlfriends' (all part of the circle around Nancy and Ronald Regan). When I was younger I had a great deal of sympathy for those for whom gay liberation came to late but, we know far to much about the way men of that sort not simply refused to step forward but often actively fought against change. Naively, when young, we thought to be young and gay meant you were by definition dedicated to change not just for ourselves but for others. Well now we have log cabin Republicans who are out to hang on to everything they have and whose idea of charity is the bit of rough they picked out of, and will soon dispatch back into the gutter. I can't care about the homes he decorated for either Hollywood stars or the grizzly social x-rays that formed Mrs. Regan's world and have even less time for the 'lovely parties' attended or the 'fabulous' things he did with fabrics and statues as his signature pieces.
Although not a trashy Hollywood/celebrity biography at its worst it is not by any means a decent or significant biography. That it is a Lambda award winner simply confirms what I have long suspected, that outside of the LAMBDA literary awards the other awards tend to be given to books which have no real competition. The story of William Haines is interesting, Hollywood's attitudes to gays is important, but the accolades this book has received merely reflect the paucity of any really good biographies or histories in the year the award was made. Just because a gay author writes about a long forgotten gay leading man doesn't mean it deserves to be praised to the heavens or its subject treated as a long lost martyr or artist.
In all those near 400 pages at no point did I discover if any of the films of William Haines are worth watching. If they aren't why write let alone read a biography about him?
I wish I could like the book or its subject more. I have no reason to doubt that the portrait of William Haines life of connubial bliss with his long time partner is not the truth but I wonder, if not for the horrible manner of his death, what kind of sanitized portrait we might have of the life of Ramon Navarro? Also I have grown less tolerant with age of that last generation of elderly closeted, queens, like William Haines amidst his gaggle of 'girlfriends' (all part of the circle around Nancy and Ronald Regan). When I was younger I had a great deal of sympathy for those for whom gay liberation came to late but, we know far to much about the way men of that sort not simply refused to step forward but often actively fought against change. Naively, when young, we thought to be young and gay meant you were by definition dedicated to change not just for ourselves but for others. Well now we have log cabin Republicans who are out to hang on to everything they have and whose idea of charity is the bit of rough they picked out of, and will soon dispatch back into the gutter. I can't care about the homes he decorated for either Hollywood stars or the grizzly social x-rays that formed Mrs. Regan's world and have even less time for the 'lovely parties' attended or the 'fabulous' things he did with fabrics and statues as his signature pieces.
Although not a trashy Hollywood/celebrity biography at its worst it is not by any means a decent or significant biography. That it is a Lambda award winner simply confirms what I have long suspected, that outside of the LAMBDA literary awards the other awards tend to be given to books which have no real competition. The story of William Haines is interesting, Hollywood's attitudes to gays is important, but the accolades this book has received merely reflect the paucity of any really good biographies or histories in the year the award was made. Just because a gay author writes about a long forgotten gay leading man doesn't mean it deserves to be praised to the heavens or its subject treated as a long lost martyr or artist.
In all those near 400 pages at no point did I discover if any of the films of William Haines are worth watching. If they aren't why write let alone read a biography about him?
December 10, 2021
Ah, what a great addition to my growing old Hollywood collection. Billy Haines was an early MGM star, mostly in silent pictures, but who also transitioned to talkies. His contract at MGM was allowed to expire because, as the author of the bio puts it, he refused to "play the game."
Haines met his lover, Jimmy Shields in 1926 and they were together until Haines died in 1973 (Jimmy took his own life shortly just three months later in response). For as much as such a thing as a gay identity existed in the 30's, Haines lived his life as an out man and his refusal to marry or date women put an end to his film career.
This was ultimately fortuitous as he became a very successful decorator and was a pioneer of Modernist design.
Haines forged a close friendship with Joan Crawford (when she was still called Lucille LeSeur) when she first arrived in Hollywood. Their friendship was long-lasting and very close. It was this friendship that initially attracted me to this biography and I am glad it did as it really broadened my perspective on old Hollywood and the studio system.
Haines met his lover, Jimmy Shields in 1926 and they were together until Haines died in 1973 (Jimmy took his own life shortly just three months later in response). For as much as such a thing as a gay identity existed in the 30's, Haines lived his life as an out man and his refusal to marry or date women put an end to his film career.
This was ultimately fortuitous as he became a very successful decorator and was a pioneer of Modernist design.
Haines forged a close friendship with Joan Crawford (when she was still called Lucille LeSeur) when she first arrived in Hollywood. Their friendship was long-lasting and very close. It was this friendship that initially attracted me to this biography and I am glad it did as it really broadened my perspective on old Hollywood and the studio system.
September 18, 2018
Updated 11/26/14: Finished this audiobook yesterday in a marathon session (while housecleaning), and I'm glad to be done with it. This book had tremendous potential, but William Haines as a subject just did not hold up for a 400+ page book. Too many unknowns, too much uncertainty, way too many assumptions.
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I'm giving up on this one for a while. The entire production of this (audio)book is mediocre at best. While I am very interested in early Hollywood, so little is actually known about William Haines that the book's author is forced to make assumptions continually. I don't think I've ever seen (heard) the words/phrases "perhaps," "one can assume," "it would seem that," and all variations used this much in a work of nonfiction. Further, the narrator of the audiobook struggles with name pronunciations (e.g., King Vidor's name is pronounced both "Vee-door" [correct] and "Vee-der"), which I found to be off-putting. I would like to finish listening to it eventually, but I need a break.
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I'm giving up on this one for a while. The entire production of this (audio)book is mediocre at best. While I am very interested in early Hollywood, so little is actually known about William Haines that the book's author is forced to make assumptions continually. I don't think I've ever seen (heard) the words/phrases "perhaps," "one can assume," "it would seem that," and all variations used this much in a work of nonfiction. Further, the narrator of the audiobook struggles with name pronunciations (e.g., King Vidor's name is pronounced both "Vee-door" [correct] and "Vee-der"), which I found to be off-putting. I would like to finish listening to it eventually, but I need a break.
April 10, 2015
I didn't think I would like this book as much as I did. I found it to be well-written and informative. I did not skim through anything which is a good thing! Not only did this book talk about the life of William Haines but it also discussed his relationship with his life partner, Jimmie Shields as well as how Hollywood perceived gay actors and actresses in the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's. Billy Haines was blessed to have 2 lucrative careers -- both as a film actor and also as an interior designer -- and he was loved by most everyone he met. He and Jimmie met in 1926 and died just a few months of each other which is true love if you ask me. I don't know why America puts so much emphasis on same-sex marriage. Love is love. I have many gay friends who have been in their relationships much longer than any of my straight friends. Commitment seems to mean something to them. Or maybe they are just more accepting of their partners -- warts and all. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about old Hollywood.
March 16, 2017
I will quote the author: "whatever else Billy's story is-and it is many things-it is a love story. Pure and simple."
September 1, 2017
I found this book when a friend on Goodreads put it on her to-read list. I borrowed it from the library, and though it is a long book, it was hard to put down.
I had never heard of William Haines before reading this. He was a big star in the silent movie era, and to some lesser extent, during the early talking movies. And all of that is interesting, but what makes the book so readable and worthwhile is the way that the author researched not just Haines, but movie-making and surrounding society mores during the times he was working.
I found the stories about the early days of Hollywood so interesting - how it started with the emphasis on making the movies, and getting the actors and actresses do be convincing in their roles, with no one making a big deal out of their personal lives. Yes, maybe homosexuals were closeted, but at the same time, when it was a known aspect of their lives, it didn't necessarily mean they couldn't get parts - it was just a well-known secret. As time went on, and society changed, wars occurred, and the Legion of Decency gained power (ugh), it was important to the studios to have their people appear to be normal and upstanding - i.e., married to someone of the opposite sex. William Haines was often the fly in the ointment, because he was unwilling to play the game.
The book discusses the details of the studio system and how restrictive it could be. Names we are all familiar with - Louis B. Mayer, Irving Thalberg, Joan Crawford (a true friend of William Haines his death), Clark Gable, Rudolph Valentino, Claudette Colbert - pop up in so many of the stories, and you learn things about them that are new to you (well, new to me at least).
(One thing I learned was something that made me feel even less charitable towards Ted Turner - when he purchase MGM, he also purchased their archives, and closed them to research. What a jerk! (But I already thought that.))
William Haines' life - professionally and personally - almost seems like a movie of its own. Once he was done as far as acting, he became one of the most well-known and popular interior decorators for both Hollywood types and other wealthy individuals and families. He was with the same partner for over 25 years, and they were devoted to one another. He managed to live the life he wanted to live, much of it at at time when that was "just not done."
I do have to say, that there were times when someone would be mentioned as being homosexual or lesbian, and I would be shocked - not because I disapprove, just because I'd never given it much thought one way or the other. I would say to my husband, "Oh my God, I didn't know _____ was gay!," and nine times out of ten, he'd say, "Everyone knows that, Bridget." Apparently not.
This was an interesting book, a fun book, and and in many ways, a sad book. It provided so many insights into our collective social history, and made me aware of someone who was truly famous for his time, and that I had never heard of before. It is a well-written and extremely well-researched book. If you like film and social history, I highly recommend it.
This also fits into my Summer Book Bingo reading, for the square "Title where the protagonist has a different sexual orientation than your own."
I had never heard of William Haines before reading this. He was a big star in the silent movie era, and to some lesser extent, during the early talking movies. And all of that is interesting, but what makes the book so readable and worthwhile is the way that the author researched not just Haines, but movie-making and surrounding society mores during the times he was working.
I found the stories about the early days of Hollywood so interesting - how it started with the emphasis on making the movies, and getting the actors and actresses do be convincing in their roles, with no one making a big deal out of their personal lives. Yes, maybe homosexuals were closeted, but at the same time, when it was a known aspect of their lives, it didn't necessarily mean they couldn't get parts - it was just a well-known secret. As time went on, and society changed, wars occurred, and the Legion of Decency gained power (ugh), it was important to the studios to have their people appear to be normal and upstanding - i.e., married to someone of the opposite sex. William Haines was often the fly in the ointment, because he was unwilling to play the game.
The book discusses the details of the studio system and how restrictive it could be. Names we are all familiar with - Louis B. Mayer, Irving Thalberg, Joan Crawford (a true friend of William Haines his death), Clark Gable, Rudolph Valentino, Claudette Colbert - pop up in so many of the stories, and you learn things about them that are new to you (well, new to me at least).
(One thing I learned was something that made me feel even less charitable towards Ted Turner - when he purchase MGM, he also purchased their archives, and closed them to research. What a jerk! (But I already thought that.))
William Haines' life - professionally and personally - almost seems like a movie of its own. Once he was done as far as acting, he became one of the most well-known and popular interior decorators for both Hollywood types and other wealthy individuals and families. He was with the same partner for over 25 years, and they were devoted to one another. He managed to live the life he wanted to live, much of it at at time when that was "just not done."
I do have to say, that there were times when someone would be mentioned as being homosexual or lesbian, and I would be shocked - not because I disapprove, just because I'd never given it much thought one way or the other. I would say to my husband, "Oh my God, I didn't know _____ was gay!," and nine times out of ten, he'd say, "Everyone knows that, Bridget." Apparently not.
This was an interesting book, a fun book, and and in many ways, a sad book. It provided so many insights into our collective social history, and made me aware of someone who was truly famous for his time, and that I had never heard of before. It is a well-written and extremely well-researched book. If you like film and social history, I highly recommend it.
This also fits into my Summer Book Bingo reading, for the square "Title where the protagonist has a different sexual orientation than your own."
July 25, 2016
I did not like this author's Tinseltown (Colleen Moore barely mentioned, everything seemed too convenient and veered into fiction I think instead of non-fiction), so approached this one with some trepidation. I've seen 4 of Haines movies and to confess he didn't make much of an impression on me, so definitely will need to watch more with him in a starring role. Though this book never really addressed which of his films were lost or saved, so something of an oversight I think.
I found it interesting, since Barbara Stanwyck gets several mentions in this book as a closeted major star who played the game, how in many ways this is a far truer book of her life in Hollywood perhaps than the behemoth murder weapon sized book that came out a few years ago on her that skirted the question so obviously it is laughable in retrospect. And as a fan of Joan Crawford I was definitely aware of Billy Haines although I found it interesting when he listed the 3 women most important to his career--the wealthy unknown woman who kept him starting out, Eleanor Boardman, and Barbara LaMarr, saying of La Marr "She was the woman who meant most to me during my years in Hollywood"--no real mention of Crawford which is very interesting. No one knows the rift between La Marr and Haines (she was jealous that she was spurned?) and a book on La Marr is way overdue, but I was unaware of the connection between the two previously.
Although it seemed that Billy Haines knew almost every major Hollywood star, in many cases intimately--Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Norma Shearer, Gary Cooper, Clara Bow etc. The story of his life beyond the 1920s hedonism though is fascinating--the factory owner's kid who ran away from small town Virginia to open his own brothel/dance hall in a boom town at 14 years old, and from there working as a clerk in NYC, to winning a modeling contest with Eleanor Boardman (as his other best friend, I don't really remember seeing any interviews or quotes from her--wasn't she extensively interviewed in the past?), to Hollywood stardom and for one year, the #1 male star in the world.
As a movie star, he never bothered to play the game or hide his boyfriend, Jimmy Shields, from view and when given the ultimatum from Mayer, he didn't hesitate. The author at the end states at the start he thought it would just be another fallen star story and realized it was a love story. And he's right--"the happiest marriage in Hollywood"--that lasted for almost half a century, with Shields killing himself soon after Haines death from cancer. Try not to tear up at the suicide note. But even retired from screen, and it seems made a far wiser choice than those who kowtowed to edicts, and followed his other interest--interior design, eventually proving himself the top of that field as well, befriending most of the major CEO (Bloomingdale) and politicians (Reagan).
So much of the major incidents and breakups of Haines life are shrouded in mystery. The fight with La Marr. Why he and George Cukor had a long falling out. What happened at that Cole Porter luncheon? I forgot about how Haines was attacked by a mob of KKK at his beach house and the author actually tracks down the center of the controversy. Jimmie Shields had dyed his poodle's fur purple for Easter and the little kid next door came by to see the dog, and Jimmie gave him a nickel for a hotdog--the kid goes home, tells parents the gay guy next door gave him a nickel, mob forms, major drama, end of a Hollywood career.
The little kid, now an elderly mayor, says yes it happened like that, but before giving him a nickel, Shields took him inside and performed a sex act on him. The surviving Shields friends all say that he would never have taken advantage of a 6 year old boy and Haines would not have covered that up (Haines wasn't even there the day in question but possible George Cukor was). The man though said he was never hurt by it, and is not currently upset with what happened and that his parents didn't really see the big deal about it either and didn't want the attention and the mob that sprung up had nothing to do with them. Mann then segues into repressed memories and recollection that makes it seem that he doesn't 100% buy the man's testimony about that day. I am not sure what to think either, since there's been constant revelations on what famous or revered people are really like, but it does seem out of character.
The book doesn't dwell on this overlong like many other authors would--so points to Mann for moving the history along instead of overly sensationalizing this. It's interesting the circles that Hollywood in the "Golden Years" traveled in--and you start to notice it when you look through casual or out on the town photos. You had the Irene Dunne/Roz Russell/Loretta Young/Jeanette McDonald Religious Brigade for example, and Haines as one of the chief entertainers and almost professional best friend of Joan Crawford’s you can always expect to see sitting beaming at certain tables. Claudette Colbert (which was kind of surprising--this book made me like her more, she generally comes off as cold and argumentative, and I don't see Billy putting up with that), the Talmadges (another family desperate for a big book on), Marion Davies and Hearst, and the friendship between them and Billy was actually pretty sweet--you can almost see a movie on that subject alone.
Besides being a love story, it's also a paean to friendship--the 45 year relationship between Joan Crawford and Billy Haines, him helping her out when she arrived, and a proud builder of the Crawford persona I think (just doing the interiors of her famous houses and the many comments of him there monthly switching something around or changing toilet seats--side note: why are toilet seats mentioned so frequently in Crawford biographies?) and her hiring him to do her house after his unceremonious departure from MGM to taking him to all parties and premieres to avoid a total blacklist. Until his death, which left her devastated, and then Shields death, which bothered her as much, knowing him just as long--and feeling guilty since she promised Billy to take Jimmie under her wing, but the suicide happened before she could get to California. They talked for hours at least 3 times a week, and knowing Crawford, he probably got twice daily letters and telegrams. And she was always the kid he knew when she first rolled into Hollywood, Lucille LeSeuer, aka Cranberry.
A surprisingly uplifting and cute book, which wasn't what I was expecting at all.
I found it interesting, since Barbara Stanwyck gets several mentions in this book as a closeted major star who played the game, how in many ways this is a far truer book of her life in Hollywood perhaps than the behemoth murder weapon sized book that came out a few years ago on her that skirted the question so obviously it is laughable in retrospect. And as a fan of Joan Crawford I was definitely aware of Billy Haines although I found it interesting when he listed the 3 women most important to his career--the wealthy unknown woman who kept him starting out, Eleanor Boardman, and Barbara LaMarr, saying of La Marr "She was the woman who meant most to me during my years in Hollywood"--no real mention of Crawford which is very interesting. No one knows the rift between La Marr and Haines (she was jealous that she was spurned?) and a book on La Marr is way overdue, but I was unaware of the connection between the two previously.
Although it seemed that Billy Haines knew almost every major Hollywood star, in many cases intimately--Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Norma Shearer, Gary Cooper, Clara Bow etc. The story of his life beyond the 1920s hedonism though is fascinating--the factory owner's kid who ran away from small town Virginia to open his own brothel/dance hall in a boom town at 14 years old, and from there working as a clerk in NYC, to winning a modeling contest with Eleanor Boardman (as his other best friend, I don't really remember seeing any interviews or quotes from her--wasn't she extensively interviewed in the past?), to Hollywood stardom and for one year, the #1 male star in the world.
As a movie star, he never bothered to play the game or hide his boyfriend, Jimmy Shields, from view and when given the ultimatum from Mayer, he didn't hesitate. The author at the end states at the start he thought it would just be another fallen star story and realized it was a love story. And he's right--"the happiest marriage in Hollywood"--that lasted for almost half a century, with Shields killing himself soon after Haines death from cancer. Try not to tear up at the suicide note. But even retired from screen, and it seems made a far wiser choice than those who kowtowed to edicts, and followed his other interest--interior design, eventually proving himself the top of that field as well, befriending most of the major CEO (Bloomingdale) and politicians (Reagan).
So much of the major incidents and breakups of Haines life are shrouded in mystery. The fight with La Marr. Why he and George Cukor had a long falling out. What happened at that Cole Porter luncheon? I forgot about how Haines was attacked by a mob of KKK at his beach house and the author actually tracks down the center of the controversy. Jimmie Shields had dyed his poodle's fur purple for Easter and the little kid next door came by to see the dog, and Jimmie gave him a nickel for a hotdog--the kid goes home, tells parents the gay guy next door gave him a nickel, mob forms, major drama, end of a Hollywood career.
The little kid, now an elderly mayor, says yes it happened like that, but before giving him a nickel, Shields took him inside and performed a sex act on him. The surviving Shields friends all say that he would never have taken advantage of a 6 year old boy and Haines would not have covered that up (Haines wasn't even there the day in question but possible George Cukor was). The man though said he was never hurt by it, and is not currently upset with what happened and that his parents didn't really see the big deal about it either and didn't want the attention and the mob that sprung up had nothing to do with them. Mann then segues into repressed memories and recollection that makes it seem that he doesn't 100% buy the man's testimony about that day. I am not sure what to think either, since there's been constant revelations on what famous or revered people are really like, but it does seem out of character.
The book doesn't dwell on this overlong like many other authors would--so points to Mann for moving the history along instead of overly sensationalizing this. It's interesting the circles that Hollywood in the "Golden Years" traveled in--and you start to notice it when you look through casual or out on the town photos. You had the Irene Dunne/Roz Russell/Loretta Young/Jeanette McDonald Religious Brigade for example, and Haines as one of the chief entertainers and almost professional best friend of Joan Crawford’s you can always expect to see sitting beaming at certain tables. Claudette Colbert (which was kind of surprising--this book made me like her more, she generally comes off as cold and argumentative, and I don't see Billy putting up with that), the Talmadges (another family desperate for a big book on), Marion Davies and Hearst, and the friendship between them and Billy was actually pretty sweet--you can almost see a movie on that subject alone.
Besides being a love story, it's also a paean to friendship--the 45 year relationship between Joan Crawford and Billy Haines, him helping her out when she arrived, and a proud builder of the Crawford persona I think (just doing the interiors of her famous houses and the many comments of him there monthly switching something around or changing toilet seats--side note: why are toilet seats mentioned so frequently in Crawford biographies?) and her hiring him to do her house after his unceremonious departure from MGM to taking him to all parties and premieres to avoid a total blacklist. Until his death, which left her devastated, and then Shields death, which bothered her as much, knowing him just as long--and feeling guilty since she promised Billy to take Jimmie under her wing, but the suicide happened before she could get to California. They talked for hours at least 3 times a week, and knowing Crawford, he probably got twice daily letters and telegrams. And she was always the kid he knew when she first rolled into Hollywood, Lucille LeSeuer, aka Cranberry.
A surprisingly uplifting and cute book, which wasn't what I was expecting at all.
August 29, 2025
William "Billy" Hainesin nimi sanoo tämän päivän elokuvakatsojalle tuskin mitään, mutta 1920-luvun lopussa hän oli yksi Hollywoodin parhaimmin palkituista nuorista miestähdistä, college- ja urheilukomedioiden ykkösnimi. Ura päättyi seuraavan vuosikymmenen alkuun: osin siksi, että Haines alkoi ikääntyä eikä siten sopinut enää oikeaan muottiin, osin siksi ettei hän suostunut peittelemään homoseksuaalisuuttaan ilmapiiriltään kireämmäksi käyneessä Hollywoodissa. Haines putosi kuitenkin jaloilleen ja loi kunnioitettavan uran sisustussuunnittelijana, jonka asiakkaisiin kuuluivat monet elokuvatähdet ja muut silmäätekevät.
William J. Mannin kirjoittama elämäkerta on kattava kertomus pikkukaupungista maailmanmaineeseen nousseesta, elämänjanoisesta ja aina pirteänä esiintyneestä miehestä, joka toteutti Amerikkalaisen unelman paremmin kuin olisi koskaan uskonut. Teksti on selkeää ja helppolukuista ja vanhan Hollywoodin maailma piirtyy lukijan mieleen kauniisti. Huomasin kirjaa lukiessani alkavani etsiskellä itselleni aiemmin tuntemattomia Hainesin elokuvia netistä ja kyllähän niitä pari sieltä löytyikin.
Kirjailija eksyy muuten erinomaisessa elämäkerrassa pari kertaa sivupoluille alkaessaan kertoa kuka miestähti makasi kenenkin kanssa ja kuka piilotteli seksuaalista suuntautumistaan mitenkin. En myöskään pitänyt kaikista värikkäiksi tarkoitetuista tölväisyistä, joissa eräs naiskoomikko oli "hevosnaama" ja toinen oli "hauskaa pitävä h*ora." Alatyylisiä ilmaisuja omaan makuuni.
William J. Mannin kirjoittama elämäkerta on kattava kertomus pikkukaupungista maailmanmaineeseen nousseesta, elämänjanoisesta ja aina pirteänä esiintyneestä miehestä, joka toteutti Amerikkalaisen unelman paremmin kuin olisi koskaan uskonut. Teksti on selkeää ja helppolukuista ja vanhan Hollywoodin maailma piirtyy lukijan mieleen kauniisti. Huomasin kirjaa lukiessani alkavani etsiskellä itselleni aiemmin tuntemattomia Hainesin elokuvia netistä ja kyllähän niitä pari sieltä löytyikin.
Kirjailija eksyy muuten erinomaisessa elämäkerrassa pari kertaa sivupoluille alkaessaan kertoa kuka miestähti makasi kenenkin kanssa ja kuka piilotteli seksuaalista suuntautumistaan mitenkin. En myöskään pitänyt kaikista värikkäiksi tarkoitetuista tölväisyistä, joissa eräs naiskoomikko oli "hevosnaama" ja toinen oli "hauskaa pitävä h*ora." Alatyylisiä ilmaisuja omaan makuuni.
August 3, 2025
The author took the time to show who William Haines (and his partner, Jimmie Shields) is. He did do a nice job of building his background and how he had entered the film industry, his refusal to dump Jimmie has prompted the Hollywood industry to push him out. And from there, he flourished as an interior designer.
When it was time to mention that William had lung cancer (Jimmie was suspected to have symptoms of Alzheimer's), the focus on their mortalities was pretty fast and abruptly short. I felt that the author should add more contents on their health declines as I felt the ending part was so quick, sudden and insufficient.
Overall, William J. Mann did do a great job in gathering the information on William Haines and Jimmie Shields.
When it was time to mention that William had lung cancer (Jimmie was suspected to have symptoms of Alzheimer's), the focus on their mortalities was pretty fast and abruptly short. I felt that the author should add more contents on their health declines as I felt the ending part was so quick, sudden and insufficient.
Overall, William J. Mann did do a great job in gathering the information on William Haines and Jimmie Shields.
August 15, 2017
I thought this was a great book: I learned a lot about sexuality in Hollywood in the 1920's and how it all changed in the 1930's with the Hays Code. I had no idea that so many movie stars were either gay or bisexual: Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, Clifton Webb, Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Marlene Dietrich, Talulah Bankhead, Greta Garbo, Barbara Stanwyck, etc.
Mr. Haines was incredibly brave to be openly gay during that period; it probably ended his film career.
The book is a pleasant read, well-researched and fascinating. Bravo Mr. Mann!
Mr. Haines was incredibly brave to be openly gay during that period; it probably ended his film career.
The book is a pleasant read, well-researched and fascinating. Bravo Mr. Mann!
September 14, 2017
William Haines was a huge Hollywood star in the late 1920s and early 1930s, but his film career came to an abrupt end when his openly living with his same-sex partner became unacceptable for 1930s moralists. Haines, however, never went back on his commitment to his partner, and they stayed together until Haines' death in 1974. His second, more successful career, was as the foremost interior decorator for the rich and famous of LA. Another fascinating movie biography by William J Mann.
December 25, 2025
Beautiful biography of a man often overlooked, yet influential in the way he lived his life. From silent screen star to renowned decorator, it is his nearly 50-year relationship with Jimmie Shields that speaks of Billy Haines’s courage. Mann beautifully captures their relationship in the best way he can, given there wasn’t a lot of information available. I’m glad he was able to document this story for posterity.
July 26, 2020
I thought it was very well written, his research into the life of William Haines was detailed and left no stone untuned. It was very interesting, fascinating to learn about this forgotten Hollywood star. Very interesting to learn about his early life how he worked his way into Hollywood and didn't care what people thought of him, he didn't let his sexuality define him.
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