Tragic Hollywood, Beautiful, Glamorous And Dead

Tragic Hollywood #1

by Jackie Ganiy

Have you always been fascinated by the morbid side of Hollywood? Did you cut your teeth on books like Hollywood Babylon, and shows like Mysteries And Scandals? This book promises to deliver all the salacious details about the stars you remember, not for their films, but for their tragic short lives. What really happened to Natalie Wood aboard The Splendor that cold November night? Was Jayne Mansfield really decapitated? Just how decadent were the days of the silent movies? Maybe you think you've heard it all? Trust me, you haven't! Chock full of new details, shocking photos and even a segment on haunted Hollywood, you've never seen a book quite like Tragic Hollywood. Read about the unbelievable thing that happened to Errol Flynn AFTER he was dead. Find out why Sharon Tate is said to haunt her Cielo Drive Neighborhood to this day. You will not be able to put this book down! These stories are delivered with a wit and poignant observation that will leave you saying "WOW"Third Edition.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History, Biography Memoir, True Crime, Historical

381 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 19, 2013

Reviews

[Robert Vanneste · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing new and I could have done without the snarky comments .

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it, because I tend to read stuff on the morbid side and reading about famous people and how they died, has always held a weird fascination for me. Buuuuuuut.........that being said......the author clearly needed a proofreader or at the very least "spell check". Nothing irritates me more, than to be reading and find stupid little spelling mistakes like, "thier". In the section on Natalie Wood, a whole paragraph was repeated directly underneath the previous (same) one. Proofreaders really do earn their weight, let me tell you!

I have been a follower of the author on FB and was so excited to see she moved to print form. I am totally looking forward to many more (All set to read #2) volumes!

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tragic Hollywood, Beautiful, Glamorous and Dead by Jackie Valina Ganiy provided much new information for me on the deaths of many movie stars or corrected information that I had been told and thought was right all these years. Much of this book restates how sad many of the stars lives were. Drugs and alcohol seemed to have played a very big roles in the lives of the "has-been". Something no one in the industry ever wanted to be, but many became. The death pictures in this book are indeed tragic. It seems Marilyn Monroe will never have peace. Jean Harlow did die at 26, but not the way I was told. It was even more horrific. The history of the cemetery now called Hollywood Forever is uplifting in that after 70 years of neglect was turned around and cleaned up by a gentleman who was/is in the death industry, and in the 90's he came to Hollywood from the Mid-West and totally fixed this once well-known cemetery, renamed it as Hollywood Forever, and now many tourists are visiting their favorite stars again. Interesting!

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with several other reviews - this book had DOZENS of errors, mainly typos. That is off-putting to start with. The author inserts her opinions into each story, which also decreases the professionalism. She really dissed the show “Hogan’s Heroes”, shaming the Jewish actors who played the roles of Germans. She wrote they were “recruited” for those parts, which is laughable. I’m sure actors who auditioned were fully aware of the characters they’d be portraying, and wouldn’t have thrown their hats in the ring if they had problems with a comedy about a POW camp in WWII. The author seemed very bothered about the humor of this show. Hello? “M*A*S*H”, a comedy set during the Korean War was one of the most popular TV series of all time (and movie.) Neither show made a mockery of our men who fought and died in those wars. The author also has a lot to learn about the case of The Black Dahlia. I’ve just finished the podcast “Root of Evil” and the TNT miniseries “I Am the Night”, both of which agree that Dr. George Hodel was the murderer. The author dismisses Hodel, with more personal opinion. At least it was a quick read with good pictures.

[Madelene T. DiMarco · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting and entertaining but…

I did enjoy the book, although my rating isn’t great. The reason for the 2 stars is, it seems the editor never proofread this book. It is filled with grammatical and spelling errors (even some dates are typed incorrectly, ie 1991 instead of 1891). It was a huge distraction and I found myself actually looking for mistakes instead of paying attention to the story. If things like this don’t bother you and you love old Hollywood, you will be caught up in all the glitz, glamour and tragedy.

[Elaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable book. Makes it clear that money cannot really buy happiness, at least not for the celebrities listed here. I can tell the author enjoyed writing it, and was extremely knowledgeable. Very well written, good all around.

[Jessica Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick fun read that supplied me with plenty of trivia for future conversations about Hollywood and its stars! The writing style is chatty and informal, but as each section is short and entertaining it only serves to add to the charm.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish it had never ended!

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were many errors throughout the book (both in typos and information).

[Anne Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, but some strange mistakes!

I really enjoyed this book with its fab photos and how much she loves the Golden Age stars. But there are two glaring mistakes which seem really strange from someone who seems to know so much. First - John Garfield and Lana Turner in The Postman Always Rings Twice did not have sex on the kitchen table. That was in the remake. ( Not as subtle and not as good.) Second - Dana Andrews had no part in The Blue Dahlia, the main role was taken by Alan Ladd. Finally (being a grammar pedant!) - 'it's' only ever reads as 'it is' - the apostrophe takes the place of the second i .So ' Hollywood....turned it's back on him.' Wrong!

[Debi Emerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a pretty good job of telling of some of the Hollywood tragedies, especially debunking the myths started in the very fictitious "Hollywood Babylon". However, she and her editor lost a star due to very poor editing: poor grammar (to start with, please look up the difference between their & there), missed typos, inconsistent use of italics for book titles and movie titles, and, most of all, a seeming inability to use an apostrophe s when making a plural. For many of us, this is very, very annoying - if you're being paid to edit a book, then know proper grammar and spelling for Heaven's sake!

[Sandra Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, with lots of photos.

If you love reading about famous people, and how they died, this is for you. Various stories, from past, to present day.

[Katherine Vitale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun read. I wouldn't use it as source material and as others have mentioned, its lack of editor really shows but I give it 5 stars based on how much I enjoyed the book and how (reasonably) truthful it was. I was excited at how many things I learned and the errors were similar to if someone was telling me a story (again, for want of an editor...). By its very nature, gossip changes from source to source, and I didn't see any blatant lies, so I had a good time. I just found out there's a sequel and I hope it's as fun as this one was.

[Helen Robare · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are interested in the tragic deaths of movie stars, then this is the book for you.

The author is very knowledgeable and debunks several myths by the author of Hollywood Babylon, Kenneth Anger. If any classic film stars who died suddenly were left out, I can't find one. From Jayne Mansfield to Sharon Tate to Natalie Woods and many in between the reader becomes a witness to all the carnage and details.

This book also gives insight into the star's lives and deaths. While not graphic this book covers all the death details.

I gave it 5 stars because it's very well written.

[Debi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a handful of interesting bits about some old Hollywood players who ended up in very bad ways. However...I didn't particularly care for most of the authors ignorant comments about certain people or events. They made him sound like a jackass. I would would highly suggest that he find himself a better editor because there were many mistakes the biggest being about Jean Harlow. Seeing as she was been dead for more than 80 years she obviously wasn't born in 1991 like he said in this book.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compendium of Hollywood tragedies, mysteries and scandals, ranging from Valentino to Heath Ledger, with each episode being served up in a short chapter. There is not a lot of depth here, but the author makes a serious attempt to be accurate and to debunk some of the more extreme myths that have grown up around some of these events. In doing so, the salacious is kept under control and trash wallows are, for the most part, avoided.

[J.J. Lair · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked how I read these small episodes of biographies. She got to the point. She also discounted the rumors and myths about some of these deaths. The truth was often bad enough. I learned and felt genuine sadness for Dana Plato. Some of these stories I heard on the “You Must Remember This” podcast. This must be a source for that podcast. This is a good source of Hollywood mythology.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

This is an interesting read. I was sorry to see this book didn't include William Desmond Taylor, whose murder has always intrigued me. And, of course Thelma Todd. Or Mary Miles Minter with her domineering mother. There are several old Hollywood deaths I'd like to read more on.

[Chelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS ON AUDIBLE, FOR GODS SAKE!
The problem with AI is that not only can it not pronounce names, it can't pronounce basic words, and can mispronounce the same word in different ways each time it shows up. It was maddening. Don't get me started on the word co-star. Christ wept.
There's not really anything in here you can't find on Google, except for the personal opinion of the author on each star and situation. Which isn't necessarily BAD; just know that is what you're going to hear, more than any in depth, true crime kind of information.
Having already heard about or studied most of these stars, there wasn't anything new for me.
Interesting though.
I'd like to see the photos in the book too see if they are rare or different; I may go find them

[Dianne Landry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun romp through the lives, deaths and mysteries surrounding some of the screens greatest and not so great stars of both the silent and talkie era.

I knew a lot of these stories but it was fun to read new takes on some of them. I am currently reading the sequel and enjoying it just as much.

[Heather G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty Good

Don't get me wrong, the author did an incredible job and it's a very detailed book. My only complaint is the Kindle edition has typos that get old quickly. Still it was very worth the read!

[Lesleyanne Bathory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting

I knew of a few of the tragic stories in this book, but some I didn't know anything about. This is a well written book by an author who actually cares about the stories of the tragic stars of a bygone era.

[valerie malewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Very informative. I learned a lot about some of my favorite stars. More truth then fiction.I truly enjoyed it.

My sisters.They would probably enjoy as much of not more then me because. They are older. We all recommend books for each other.

[j cannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some Kind of Town

Jackie is well versed and in her element with these stories of the price of
fame. Nicely chosen tales, and particularly interestingly written about the
legends of the silver screen.
Makes for good late night reading....

[susan young · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read !!!

What a great find this book is. Could barely put it down,loved reading about the old Hollywood stars and finding out all the tragedy that seems to follow them .would highly recommend

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

someone else reviewed this book and called it snarky and I agree. Nothing new in it, lots of errors and horrible photos of dead celebrities that I was not expecting and since I read my Kindle books at night to make me sleepy, this just created nightmares.

[Joy L. MacKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read for fans of old Hollywood

I love these stories of old Hollywood but this author needs to hire a proofreader. There are extra words here and there, words left out, many misspellings and tense mistakes.

[Vivian Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 'guilty pleasure' read

This book is what I would call a guilty pleasure...written in an amusingly gossipy way, where you can't help reading it. Read it if you want to know more about Hollywood's sordid past and the sad demise of the stars/starlets.

[Terri Librande · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and truthful

If you are looking for Hollywood Babylon this is not the book. Its fair and factual. Yes there are some photos that come out of a nightmare, but its a good book!

[Taiwo Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

I specifically loved the golden era of Hollywood, so it was great to see some familiar names in here, together with some names I wasn't too familiar with.

However, the typos and overall editing let the book down, hence the low ratings I'm afraid.