Featured Player: An Oral Autobiography of Mae Clarke

by James Curtis

To the American public, she will always be remembered as the woman who had a grapefruit ground into her face by James Cagney in the 1931 film classic Public Enemy . In fact, in an acting career that spanned nearly four decades, Mae Clarke appeared in nearly 100 feature films and logged in nearly as many television appearances.

During the two years before she died at the age of 82, Mae Clarke spent many hours reliving those years. In a series of candid and often poignant interviews, she talks about her years in Hollywood, her failed marriage, and her health problems.

Genres: Media Tie In

334 pages, Hardcover

First published October 4, 1996

Reviews

[Madison Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's nice to know that Mae Clarke wrote a memoir. She was a very charming and versatile actress, and I was honestly surprised to know that she had a book simply because she isn't hailed as a Hollywood Great these days. However, she's quite an icon. From getting a grapefruit smashed in her face to having Frankenstein's monster assault her to playing a (very classy) prostitute in World War I England, she had quite a colorful career, and certainly one full of stories. We get to read about how the grapefruit scene really went down, as well as what it was like to film soap operas in the 1960's. Mae Clarke also gives inside information about some big Hollywood names, though even if her feelings about them are negative, she keeps it classy and civil, unlike some other stars have done in their memoirs (looking at you, Miriam Cooper). Clarke also feels very human as she speaks. One can almost hear her saying the words aloud. They're so full of personality and vibrancy.

My only complaint is that some of the information is dry to me. Many of her colleagues, particularly her directors, were discussed at length, and I had no idea who they were, so it meant little to me. However, if you even wanted to know whatever happened to Dr. Frankenstein's fiance, it's a great read!

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful autobiography of the equally delightful Mae Clarke. Clearly a labor of love for editor James Curtis, who interviewed the actress near the end of her life, transcribing stories of classic Hollywood that would have otherwise been lost.