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The Bennett Playbill
Collectable
- GenresNonfictionBiography
332 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1970
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68 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 19, 2010
Interesting and entertaining autobiographical account of the life of classic film actress Joan Bennett, star of such favorites as Fritz Lang's noir drama The Woman in the Window and Vincente Minnelli's original version of the comedy Father of the Bride with Spencer Tracy & Elizabeth Taylor.
The book is unusually well done for a film autobiography of this era (1970) when many such efforts were dull and many straight Hollywood bios were nothing more than glowing hagiographies or regurgitations of old fan magazine drivel. Miss Bennett tells many interesting stories about herself, her films and her colorful theatrical family; including wild incidents involving her father, matinee stage idol, Richard Bennett ( now best remembered as Major Amberson in Orson Welle's mutilated classic The Magnificent Ambersons) and slightly saner stories of her movie star sister, Constance Bennett star of the classics What Price Hollywood? directed by George Cukor & 1937's ghostly comedy Topper with Cary Grant. She also gives a full account of her version of the big scandal when her husband film producer Walter Wanger shot her agent Jennings Lang in a fit of jealousy.
Written at the time of her career revival as a star of the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, the book reveals a confident, fairly candid woman who seems comfortable with herself and unappologetic for the life she has lived.
The book is unusually well done for a film autobiography of this era (1970) when many such efforts were dull and many straight Hollywood bios were nothing more than glowing hagiographies or regurgitations of old fan magazine drivel. Miss Bennett tells many interesting stories about herself, her films and her colorful theatrical family; including wild incidents involving her father, matinee stage idol, Richard Bennett ( now best remembered as Major Amberson in Orson Welle's mutilated classic The Magnificent Ambersons) and slightly saner stories of her movie star sister, Constance Bennett star of the classics What Price Hollywood? directed by George Cukor & 1937's ghostly comedy Topper with Cary Grant. She also gives a full account of her version of the big scandal when her husband film producer Walter Wanger shot her agent Jennings Lang in a fit of jealousy.
Written at the time of her career revival as a star of the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, the book reveals a confident, fairly candid woman who seems comfortable with herself and unappologetic for the life she has lived.
Want to read
August 6, 2021Joan and her sister Constance will be the featured stars at Capitolfest in August 2021.
March 31, 2022
I picked this one up because I remember Joan Bennett on the reruns of Dark Shadow. . .loved her character, steeped in mystery. Entertaining and interesting. I didn’t know much about this family before reading this.
August 27, 2013
Only read since it involved a family member, tho amazing what money and fame can bring to a family (in a negative way).
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews