With a Feather on My Nose

by Billie Burke, Cameron Shipp

The story of the gay redhead who became a famous actress and married Flo Ziegfeld.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Film, Media Tie In, Memoir

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1949

About the author

Born Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke), generally known as Billie Burke, was an American actress who was famous on Broadway, on radio, early silent film, and subsequently in sound film. She is best known to modern audiences as Glinda the Good Witch of the North in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie musical The Wizard of Oz (1939).

Married to impresario Flo Ziegfeld until his death in 1932. They had one daughter, Patricia.

Miss Burke died of natural causes in Los Angeles in 1970.

from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Carol, She's so Novel ꧁꧂ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The early part of this memoir just sparkles with effervescence, warmth and gaiety! I do have the feeling I would have liked Miss Burke very much if I had met her in real life. It sounds like she had a very happy childhood. Daughter of a famous clown, Billy Burke, young Billie also wanted to act and her mother (a stage mama, but a loving one!) helped her achieve her ambitions. Pretty & vivacious, Billie enjoyed many lighthearted romances and mixing with the famous people of the time (although not all the names were familiar to me) W. Somerset Maugham introduced Billie to impresario & philanderer Flo Ziegfeld. They fell in love (or at least Billie did!) and with the approval of her mother, they were married.

Our minister was as confused as we were. "And now Flo," he would say to me, "you stand here'
"He's Flo, I'm Billie," I would say.
"Oh, all right, then, you stand here, Bill," he would say to Flo, and Flo would correct him.
"I'm Flo, she's Bill - I mean Billie."
But he married us and I am quite sure it was legal.

The story continue's with Billie's ditsy charm and I appreciated her honesty about Flo's great love, the now forgotten Lillian Lorraine. (and a number of other actresses) But to me, a lot of the joy went out of this memoir after the marriage, no matter how often Billie said she was happy. I may be projecting a bit but how can one be truly happy with someone who continues to have affairs and where your career goes on the back burner?

Ziegfeld lost his money, then died not that long after Billie went back to work to support him and their young daughter. If you are wanting to read detail about her film career you will be disappointed - very little is mentioned, even about her most famous role as Glinda the Good Witch in the Wizard of Oz. By the time Billie started to work with Cameron Shipp on this memoir I suspect her memory was already becoming hazy and the distant past was more vivid for her.

But if you like reading mostly kindly memories of theatre folk from the first half of the twentieth century, this could well be the book for you!

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[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's as charming as you would expect Glinda the Good Witch to be. The tone is disarmingly self-deprecating and unapologetically superficial in spots -- she gives much more detail about the beautiful costumes she wore than about the roles she played. But, since the plays she appeared in have all been forgotten, the clothes and the dressing rooms and the traveling with maids and trunks and canaries and furs and the zillions of fresh flowers -- those are the things I want to hear about. And she knows it. "At the end of the book, conveniently arranged for skipping, I shall put down the casts of the plays I was in between 1906 and 1930." Love her!

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this book a 3.5. This is Billie Burke's memoir. it was actually written in 1949 so she only writes about her life up until then. She was born in about 1885. Although born in the USA, her parents traveled to Europe with her. Billie's real first name was Mary but she changed it to Billie in honor of her father whose name was Billy. He was a famous clown. She writes of becoming a child actress in England performing on the London stage at 14. After a few years she and her mother traveled to New York City. For years to come she was in many Broadway plays. She was known for Marrying the great Florenz Ziegfeld. A lot of her memoir writes of the years she was married to one of the greatest showman on earth. Their marriage was happy for the most part even though he was rumored to having affairs with some of the women he hired for his shows. They led an interesting life. they even had wild animals living on their property such as Elephants. I found it interesting to read about the many famous people Billie Burke met over the years such as Mark Twain, Will Rogers. The Barrymores to name a few. to my disappointment she talks very little of the movies she was in. Only one paragraph was about The Wizard of Oz, even though she says this is her favorite movie role was Glinda. This was okay for the most part.just wished she talked more about The Wizard Of Oz.

[Polly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always meant to read this one - sat on my bookshelf for decades and finally had to read it on a kindle. Early 20th century Broadway and movie stories - what could be better than that! Hope Drew Barrymore has read this - all sorts of stories about her ancestors. Thought of my grandmother throughout - old silent movie "star" that she was. (That's a joke, folks, she was a bit player for a while until her father discovered she was in the movies and put a stop to it.)

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this look at the early days of London and NYC theatre: the Barrymores, Will Rogers, and of course Ziegfeld. Burke says nothing bad about anyone. There is very little about her movies and barely a mention of "The Wizard of Oz," except for her saying that it was her favorite movie to make.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed her early history & the history of Hollywood. Always love history.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time Travel

Billie Burke's tale of a time and people, now long gone, carried me to a world of the rich and famous of the early 1900's. I loved every minute of it.

[Pollypollack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read but there are many uninteresring references to bygone actors and plays between
the good parts. Very likeable person

[Travis Staton · Rating 5 out of 5]

charming

Knowing little of Billie Burke besides scant biographical information, I was charmed by this chit of a book. Thank you!

[Chazzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billie Burke may no longer be a household name from the entertainment world, but at one time she was. And so was her husband, Florenz Ziegfeld. Both were big in the stage world, and Billie later in movies. Billie was known for her acting performances, and Flo for his Follies productions and other stage works. One role that might be the most familiar to a number of generations is Glenda the Good Witch in the movie “The Wizard of Oz” – the original one.

This book is a recollection of Billie’s life from her start in stage work in England in 1905 through her arrival in New York in 1907 up to 1948, when this memoir was written.

Billie was the daughter of Billy Burke, a clown with Barnum & Bailey’s circus. Her full name was Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke; she chose Billie for short. The family wound up in England where her father created his own small circus. Her mother decided Billie would be an actress and so was made to study music, acting and all the other necessities to become an actress. Billie’s father wasn’t big on it, and Billie didn’t really care.

The book tells of her rise in the stage performance world, the other well-known actors and actresses, directors and writers she came to know and the numerous plays she was in. It also tells of her meeting of Flo Ziegfeld and the attraction that brought them together. She gives an interesting and personal view to Ziegfeld and the man he was: driven, a perfectionist, extravagant, and moody.

It is a tour of the many plays and casts she was involved with and what was like during the turn of the century, on stage and off: being the wife of a high profile celebrity, working actress and mother. Quite a plateful, as Zeigfeld was a man larger than life.

It was interesting to read. I was familiar with Billie Burke, but not aware she had such a stage history. If you’re interested in the theatre and early movie world, this book should be of interest. It is also nice that there are some photographs sprinkled throughout the book to add images to the text.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a strange, but chamingly entertaining autobiography, written in 1948. Most of us my generation and younger remember Billie Burke as Glinda, the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz or perhaps as the ditsy wife of Cosmo Topper in Topper, one of her many dim witted roles, but this book talks more about her early years in theater in England. Born in 1884, the daughter of a clown named Billy Burke, she grew up in theater. She had made a name for herself in England before coming to the US at the turn of the century, where she became a darling of the NY stages as well. In NY she met and married Florenz Ziegfeld, with whom she lived until his death in 1931. In parts, especially the last quarter, this reads more like a list of famous people but somehow it doesn't come across as vain, it reads like a lady who had a lucky life and who had many friends whom she loved and wants to share those memories with you. The years with Ziegfeld seem to center on HIM rather than her. She admits she can't remember al the plays that she did, but she gives wonderful descriptions of costumes. This is definitely a period piece...and if you expect to learn anything about Wizard of Oz, be advised that she devotes a whole 2 paragraphs (short paragraphs) to it, one of which is a conversation with Ray Bolger

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This autobiography of the theatrical comedienne and movie Glinda the Good tells mostly f her years as the daughter of a successful late nineteenth century clown, her years as a headliner for the Frohman group and her marriage to Flo Ziegfeld. What makes it so much fun to read is the evocation of a theatrical era long gone. She counted among her friends playwrights like J.M. Barrie and Someserset "Willie" Maugham, actors like John Drew and Charlie Chaplin, and actresses like Anna Held and Maude Adams. She wore Parisian clothes and traveled in style between London, New York and Paris, especially in the years before World War I. What a different weld it was! For any student of theatrical history, this little book is a find.

[Michelle "Champ" · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet simple tale told by the actress herself. She mainly dwells on her beginnings and Flo. How could she not tell about life with Mr. Ziegfeld? This section does not disappoint and is full of mentions of his famous Follies ladies. Due to the differences in speech since the 1930's some words have different meanings than they do today in 2016, but still worthy of any of film/Hollywood fan.

[Timothy J. McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devoured it

Hard to say why I picked this up, but I'm so glad I did. Billie Burke was a fascinating woman with an illustrious career. This autobiography was astonishing as it is filled with anecdotes and rare stories involving major celebrities of the past. The details on Florenz Ziegfeld were particularly rich. I ended up just loving this woman. I couldn't put it down. Her life in the theatre was a complete surprise to me.

[Wendy]

My copy is 1950 hardback edition is by billy Burke with Cameron shipp with a foreword by Ivor Novello a beautiful book with black and white plates if her time in film - they don't make them like billow anymore

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely and light autobiography

Billie Burke's autobiography captures her personality with its bright and optimistic tone. She captures the feel of a different time, and I felt I was sitting with her as she reminisced. I enjoyed reading the book.

[Joey Sharpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming Memoir

The voice of Billie Burke, the actress who successfully navigated all media and the stage in the first half of the twentieth century, is clear and beguiling. She provides a rarefied look at life as Mrs. Florenz Ziegfeld. Better and more interesting than you think.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autobiography on my great grandmother. It is a nice book but doesn't reflect her sense of humor as much as it could.

[Judith Colson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

History wrapped in abiography is always interesting and this doesn't disappoint! Read for a fun idea of years gone by.

[Lisa Graystone · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read with a real glimpse behind the stage and screen curtains. If you want to travel back in time through the eyes of a theatre darling and working film actress it’s a great book.