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Hollywood Legends
Madeline Kahn: Being the Music, A Life
Best known for her Oscar-nominated roles in the smash hits Paper Moon and Blazing Saddles , Madeline Kahn (1942–1999) was one of the most popular comedians of her time―and one of the least understood. In private, she was as reserved and refined as her characters were bold and bawdy. Almost a Method actor in her approach, she took her work seriously. When crew members and audiences laughed, she asked why―as if they were laughing at her ―and all her life she remained unsure of her gifts.
William V. Madison examines Kahn's film career, including not only her triumphs with Mel Brooks and Peter Bogdanovich, but also her overlooked performances in The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother and Judy Berlin , her final film. Her work in television―notably her sitcoms―also comes into focus. New York theater showered her with accolades, but also with remarkably bad luck, culminating in a disastrous outing in On the Twentieth Century that wrecked her reputation on Broadway. Only with her Tony-winning performance in The Sisters Rosensweig , fifteen years later, did Kahn regain her standing.
Drawing on new interviews with family, friends, and such colleagues as Lily Tomlin, Carol Burnett, Gene Wilder, Harold Prince, and Eileen Brennan, as well as archival press and private writings, Madison uncovers Kahn's lonely childhood and her struggles as a single woman working to provide for her erratic mother. Above all, Madison reveals the paramount importance of music in Kahn's life. A talented singer, she entertained offers for operatic engagements long after she was an established Hollywood star, and she treated each script as a score. As Kahn told one friend, her ambition was “to be the music.”
William V. Madison examines Kahn's film career, including not only her triumphs with Mel Brooks and Peter Bogdanovich, but also her overlooked performances in The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother and Judy Berlin , her final film. Her work in television―notably her sitcoms―also comes into focus. New York theater showered her with accolades, but also with remarkably bad luck, culminating in a disastrous outing in On the Twentieth Century that wrecked her reputation on Broadway. Only with her Tony-winning performance in The Sisters Rosensweig , fifteen years later, did Kahn regain her standing.
Drawing on new interviews with family, friends, and such colleagues as Lily Tomlin, Carol Burnett, Gene Wilder, Harold Prince, and Eileen Brennan, as well as archival press and private writings, Madison uncovers Kahn's lonely childhood and her struggles as a single woman working to provide for her erratic mother. Above all, Madison reveals the paramount importance of music in Kahn's life. A talented singer, she entertained offers for operatic engagements long after she was an established Hollywood star, and she treated each script as a score. As Kahn told one friend, her ambition was “to be the music.”
372 pages, Paperback
First published April 29, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
May 5, 2017
When I excitedly told friends I was reading a biography on the wonderful Madeline Kahn, I was shocked and saddened to find not a single one knew who she was. It wasn't until I listed off the many characters she brought to life that their faces brightened with recognition. Madeline's star may have faded over time but William Madison brings her back to life with the most comprehensive biography one could ask for. Covering her entire career on stage, in pictures and television, Madison digs up interviews, reviews and fun facts making sure to never just gloss over any job however small. Using Madeline's personal journal as well as interviews with her family and friends we learn all about Madeline's personal life, her childhood and strained relationship with her mother and her struggle with mental anxieties.
I hope now, with such a wonderful biography out there Madeline's beautiful spirit will begin getting recognition with a new generation, and will remind those who grew up loving her of all the laughs she's given us.
*Thank you Netgalley & University Press of Mississippi for this review copy.
I hope now, with such a wonderful biography out there Madeline's beautiful spirit will begin getting recognition with a new generation, and will remind those who grew up loving her of all the laughs she's given us.
*Thank you Netgalley & University Press of Mississippi for this review copy.
March 21, 2021
I love Madeline Kahn SOOO much!... it-it, the sta-, it star-stars, 5 stars...! ...on the top of my review...
May 20, 2015
It is thrilling to finally have in my hands a biography dedicated to the fascinating actress often forgotten, Madeline Kahn. The book boasts an array of interviewees closely linked to Madeline's professional and private life but ultimately the writing shows levels of bias and fails to reveal anything new about Madeline that isn't already, to some extent, discussed online. The writing is sometimes repetitive but Madison's observations of Madeline's performances are enjoyable to read and the final chapters addressing her illness are incredibly touching. It's nice to have a companion to Madeline's career that quickly inspires readers to revisit films or scroll through YouTube clips of the talented star.
March 25, 2022
3 solid stars. I respect the author's reverence for his subject & the careful way he approaches the topic. Madeline was a highly guarded, private person who would've opposed a biography so in that regard I get the mixed feelings in even wanting to write one.
The problem is that this is more of a review of every single show, movie & commercial Madeline starred in rather than a biography on her LIFE. It leaves the reader with more questions than answers & paints a contradictory picture of who she was as a person. At times she is said to be a warm, down-to-Earth woman who made others feel at home on the job while at others she's painted as a diva who ended friendships for no apparent reason (see: Eileen Brennan) or threw tantrums ("Judy Berlin") unprovoked. Her only aim in life seems to be running from job to job & making sure she looked pretty in films. And I highly doubt that's the totality of Madeline Kahn The Human Being. If it was, why? We're never given so much as a guess or speculation.
The few tidbits we do get about her actual psychology are too short & often confusing. The story about what happened to her as a 14-year-old is not clear: was she or wasn't she sexually assaulted? This is a formative event in her life & is glossed over by conflicting accounts the author gives that don't make it clear what happened. Ditto the deaths of her friends Gilda Radner & Marty Feldman as well as her father. These personal tragedies are glossed over in favor of detailed descriptions of the minutiae of her professional resume to the detriment of the book. A well-rounded biography includes elements from all areas of a person's life.
I empathize with the fact that many of Madeline's costars & loved ones are long deceased and she didn't leave much more behind than a notebook to work from. Maybe she really was so private that not even her husband, brother or best friends knew ANYTHING about her inner life. Hard to believe in this age of oversharing but it's possible. I commend Mr. Madison for taking on this project & putting out such a well-researched book. Nothing else out there even comes close & it will stand as the definitive Madeline Kahn biography probably forever. Just wish it contained a bit more personal information. Not necessarily scandalous or negative things about her shortcomings; just things that would put her behavior into perspective a bit better. I almost feel like I know her less after finishing the book than before I started it.
The problem is that this is more of a review of every single show, movie & commercial Madeline starred in rather than a biography on her LIFE. It leaves the reader with more questions than answers & paints a contradictory picture of who she was as a person. At times she is said to be a warm, down-to-Earth woman who made others feel at home on the job while at others she's painted as a diva who ended friendships for no apparent reason (see: Eileen Brennan) or threw tantrums ("Judy Berlin") unprovoked. Her only aim in life seems to be running from job to job & making sure she looked pretty in films. And I highly doubt that's the totality of Madeline Kahn The Human Being. If it was, why? We're never given so much as a guess or speculation.
The few tidbits we do get about her actual psychology are too short & often confusing. The story about what happened to her as a 14-year-old is not clear: was she or wasn't she sexually assaulted? This is a formative event in her life & is glossed over by conflicting accounts the author gives that don't make it clear what happened. Ditto the deaths of her friends Gilda Radner & Marty Feldman as well as her father. These personal tragedies are glossed over in favor of detailed descriptions of the minutiae of her professional resume to the detriment of the book. A well-rounded biography includes elements from all areas of a person's life.
I empathize with the fact that many of Madeline's costars & loved ones are long deceased and she didn't leave much more behind than a notebook to work from. Maybe she really was so private that not even her husband, brother or best friends knew ANYTHING about her inner life. Hard to believe in this age of oversharing but it's possible. I commend Mr. Madison for taking on this project & putting out such a well-researched book. Nothing else out there even comes close & it will stand as the definitive Madeline Kahn biography probably forever. Just wish it contained a bit more personal information. Not necessarily scandalous or negative things about her shortcomings; just things that would put her behavior into perspective a bit better. I almost feel like I know her less after finishing the book than before I started it.
June 20, 2015
Madeline Kahn fans have been wanting a comprehensive bio on her for awhile, in order to understand her elusive nature, get a clue as to where her innate comic abilities came from, and just to feel closer to her. In some aspects, this bio succeeds. In a way, it wins simply by being the only one out there. It's thoughtfully written, objective, and respectful, but it fails to give any sense of immediacy. There is no feeling of "being there".
A great bio makes one feel like he was there, allows the reader a sense of what it was like to have experienced what the subject went through. While the intro succeeds at this, past that, the book falls short of living up to that promise. The biographer never turns the interviews into more than information, and I was always aware that I was reading content from people's recollections of events years after they occurred. The quotes from Madeline herself? Many of them I recognized from having viewed them as talkshow interview clips readily available on Youtube. They are legitimate quotes, and yet having them so easily accessible takes away from the work of the author.
Sure, Madeline was by reputation somewhat aloof and guarded about her inner life, but that's the very reason a bio about her is so tempting, to respectfully understand her "story", what drove her both in her personal and public life. Madeline kept some people at a distance, and seems to be doing so even today.
What you DO get is a great picture of Madeline the performer, and what made her so unique. Madison really grasps her aims and what she valued as an artist. He touches on both the starring roles and the guest appearances and the comprehensive look at her career is, of itself, worth the purchase price.
A great bio makes one feel like he was there, allows the reader a sense of what it was like to have experienced what the subject went through. While the intro succeeds at this, past that, the book falls short of living up to that promise. The biographer never turns the interviews into more than information, and I was always aware that I was reading content from people's recollections of events years after they occurred. The quotes from Madeline herself? Many of them I recognized from having viewed them as talkshow interview clips readily available on Youtube. They are legitimate quotes, and yet having them so easily accessible takes away from the work of the author.
Sure, Madeline was by reputation somewhat aloof and guarded about her inner life, but that's the very reason a bio about her is so tempting, to respectfully understand her "story", what drove her both in her personal and public life. Madeline kept some people at a distance, and seems to be doing so even today.
What you DO get is a great picture of Madeline the performer, and what made her so unique. Madison really grasps her aims and what she valued as an artist. He touches on both the starring roles and the guest appearances and the comprehensive look at her career is, of itself, worth the purchase price.
May 18, 2015
Madison's truly comprehensive book on Madeline Kahn—multi-talented comedian, actor, and singer—isn't a standard glossy star bio. Instead, it's a careful and considered examination of the life and career of a remarkable woman who, by all accounts, never really understood why so many loved, admired, and emulated her.
Not content with sticking to the career highlights—the Mel Brooks films, the award-nominated performances, the big stage shows—Madison digs up every little nugget of Kahn's career. Every Saturday Night Live, every guest appearance on late-night TV, every concert, the television pilots and the summer stock roles and the bit parts—receives its own respectful chapter.
Despite the meticulousness of his approach, Madison is never too adulatory of Kahn; he's willing to admit when she seemed to have chosen roles for a paycheck over artistry. He's also careful to interview as many people as possible involved with any one part of her career, as in his fascinating chapter about Kahn's too-brief involvement with the original Broadway production of On the Twentieth Century. Although it was rumored at the time that Kahn might have been abusing cocaine, Madison's investigations seem to indicate that Kahn's own insecurities—if not outright neuroses—probably played the biggest role in her erratic behavior during her brief run as the lead.
Well-researched and fascinating, this biography is a must-read for any fan of the late Madeline Kahn.
Not content with sticking to the career highlights—the Mel Brooks films, the award-nominated performances, the big stage shows—Madison digs up every little nugget of Kahn's career. Every Saturday Night Live, every guest appearance on late-night TV, every concert, the television pilots and the summer stock roles and the bit parts—receives its own respectful chapter.
Despite the meticulousness of his approach, Madison is never too adulatory of Kahn; he's willing to admit when she seemed to have chosen roles for a paycheck over artistry. He's also careful to interview as many people as possible involved with any one part of her career, as in his fascinating chapter about Kahn's too-brief involvement with the original Broadway production of On the Twentieth Century. Although it was rumored at the time that Kahn might have been abusing cocaine, Madison's investigations seem to indicate that Kahn's own insecurities—if not outright neuroses—probably played the biggest role in her erratic behavior during her brief run as the lead.
Well-researched and fascinating, this biography is a must-read for any fan of the late Madeline Kahn.
September 3, 2015
Well -researched bio of Kahn, one of my favorite actresses/comediennes. Writing can be a little academic at times but the reader learns how long & hard Kahn worked at her career. And her mom was kind of a jerk....
May 18, 2015
Well researched and written biography.
September 13, 2017
Fans of Madeline will not be disappointed. Lots of info and plenty of it new to me.
December 18, 2018
Too much personal editorializing by the author.
August 17, 2020
2-2.5 stars
When I first saw this book I couldn’t wait to read it. I’ve been a fan of Ms. Kahn since I was a teenager. But OMG this book took me over a year to finish. It was very hard for me to get into and could only read very little at a time. It just wasn’t what I expected. Even though she passed, I thought more of her voice would’ve shone through. It was sad to see somebody so talented still have trouble believing in her own worth. I think she could teach today’s struggling kids a lot in regards to anxiety. She makes me smile every single time I see her on screen and she was definitely taken from her family, friends and fans way too soon.
When I first saw this book I couldn’t wait to read it. I’ve been a fan of Ms. Kahn since I was a teenager. But OMG this book took me over a year to finish. It was very hard for me to get into and could only read very little at a time. It just wasn’t what I expected. Even though she passed, I thought more of her voice would’ve shone through. It was sad to see somebody so talented still have trouble believing in her own worth. I think she could teach today’s struggling kids a lot in regards to anxiety. She makes me smile every single time I see her on screen and she was definitely taken from her family, friends and fans way too soon.
January 31, 2019
A solid biography of Ms Kahn, covering her unstable childhood with an absent father and a mentally disturbed mother, her triumphant run of hits in the 70s then the decline of her career and her early death from ovarian cancer. I didn't know how emotionally fragile she was, and how her crippling insecurities about her talent damaged her ability to find employment. Madeline Kahn was a singular talent who didn't realize how awesome she was.
September 8, 2023
William V. Madison’s,” Madeline Kahn: Being the Music, A Life.” Ya’ll it’s obvious that Mr. Madison adores his subject matter, Miss Madeline Kahn, but I wish I hadn’t read this book, because she comes across as aloof, closed off, insecure, and vain. I wish I hadn’t met one of my idols in the form of reading this book.
February 12, 2025
I loved Madeline Kahn as an actress. And while I am glad to have found a biography of her I thought she deserved a better one. Some of the chapters were too short and maybe the author should have focused on her better roles or done a bigger book.
November 12, 2025
Unfortunately, this reads like a collection of regurgitated facts and stories rather than an insightful look at a fascinating woman’s life. Accuracy and thoroughness do not make a compelling story on their own.
June 10, 2017
Brilliant insights from a thorough researcher who managed to capture interviews w key figures in MK's life, notably Gene Wilder, before they too passed away.
May 11, 2021
A thorough biography on a wonderful actress whom I adored. It brought back many memories of a joyous time of my life of which Madeline was a part. I really miss her...
Read
May 13, 2021:'|
July 22, 2022
A detailed and interesting biography of one of the greatest.
October 22, 2023
A straightforward overview of Madeline Kahn’s career in this crazy business we call show, sprinkled in with some details from her personal life. Not especially deep but a lot of information
April 25, 2024
This 2 and 1/2-star book is a credit-by-credit approach to Kahn's career. It's not her life story so much as an IMDb overview, covering year-by-year her theatrical shows, movies, and television work. Through it all the narrative seems very distant from Kahn and has a hard time letting us get to know her.
The author interviewed family members and close co-workers but in the end we don't get the sense that we understand the actress since he paints her as a very serious performer who never thought she was funny. Probably the biggest problem with the book is that there is so little humor to it, and that she is never portrayed as being happy.
Kahn is known for a few big movies--and the writer falls terribly short of devoting enough material to those films. He needed to do much, much more about What's Up Doc?, her first film role, which I consider her best ever. She, of course, hated doing the unglamourous role and thought the script wasn't funny (Streisand was the same, and it was her best comedy). Instead, Madison devotes long chapters to minor, boring theatrical pieces and seems to go out of his way to want to prove that music was the main thing in her life. But she's known mostly for comedy and acting, not music. So the subtitle of the book ("Being the Music: A Life") makes no sense.
Kahn never seems secure or confident in her talent, and much of that comes from a mother who wanted to one-up her star daughter. The story of how Kahn was controlled by a stage mother runs throughout the book and the actress does seem to enable her mentally ill mom (who sued the star and her brother, twice!) to be manipulative. The whole family dynamic (with Madeline's father and stepfather and half-siblings) is odd, and the fact that the actress never married until she was on her death bed raises more questions about her lack of interest in men than this book answers. There's almost nothing about her love life, except for one famous unnamed married man she worked with in a theatrical production that she had an affair with.
The worst part of the biography is the writer inserting his own opinions and speculation. At times it's eye-rollingly idiotic, such as the end of the book where Madison hypothesizes on roles the actress may have gotten if she hadn't died so young. At other times he even criticizes Kahn's work, putting her down for one Broadway show she was famous for but he thought wasn't great work on her part. None of us are reading this book to get some writer's critiques; we need more about her life and work, as well as many more details about her most famous films.
So in the end it's very unsatisfying. In the hands of a better writer this could have been a compelling and uplifting story for fans. Instead it's a misguided attempt to focus mostly on minor aspects of her career and analyze her work choices after her death, something that leads to more speculation than information.
Read in 2017 and 2024.
The author interviewed family members and close co-workers but in the end we don't get the sense that we understand the actress since he paints her as a very serious performer who never thought she was funny. Probably the biggest problem with the book is that there is so little humor to it, and that she is never portrayed as being happy.
Kahn is known for a few big movies--and the writer falls terribly short of devoting enough material to those films. He needed to do much, much more about What's Up Doc?, her first film role, which I consider her best ever. She, of course, hated doing the unglamourous role and thought the script wasn't funny (Streisand was the same, and it was her best comedy). Instead, Madison devotes long chapters to minor, boring theatrical pieces and seems to go out of his way to want to prove that music was the main thing in her life. But she's known mostly for comedy and acting, not music. So the subtitle of the book ("Being the Music: A Life") makes no sense.
Kahn never seems secure or confident in her talent, and much of that comes from a mother who wanted to one-up her star daughter. The story of how Kahn was controlled by a stage mother runs throughout the book and the actress does seem to enable her mentally ill mom (who sued the star and her brother, twice!) to be manipulative. The whole family dynamic (with Madeline's father and stepfather and half-siblings) is odd, and the fact that the actress never married until she was on her death bed raises more questions about her lack of interest in men than this book answers. There's almost nothing about her love life, except for one famous unnamed married man she worked with in a theatrical production that she had an affair with.
The worst part of the biography is the writer inserting his own opinions and speculation. At times it's eye-rollingly idiotic, such as the end of the book where Madison hypothesizes on roles the actress may have gotten if she hadn't died so young. At other times he even criticizes Kahn's work, putting her down for one Broadway show she was famous for but he thought wasn't great work on her part. None of us are reading this book to get some writer's critiques; we need more about her life and work, as well as many more details about her most famous films.
So in the end it's very unsatisfying. In the hands of a better writer this could have been a compelling and uplifting story for fans. Instead it's a misguided attempt to focus mostly on minor aspects of her career and analyze her work choices after her death, something that leads to more speculation than information.
Read in 2017 and 2024.
June 16, 2015
I, like many, many people, adore Madeline Kahn and miss her immensely. She was uniquely talented, one of a few, rare comedians who could play outrageously silly, yet retain her air of dignity and a ladylike demeanor.
I was eager to read this biography, because there is so little written about Kahn. I enjoyed learning about her life, particularly the "insider" interviews with luminaries like Peter Bogdonavich, Kevin Kline, and Mel Brooks. This books is nothing if not well-researched. My quibble with it is that the book focuses more on a blow-by-blow account of her work. It's extensive, but, I found, a bit boring. I anticipated that the book would give more insight into Kahn, her life, and her motivations. Although I appreciate this book for being the only one of its kind, I wish there was more information about Kahn's personal life.
I was eager to read this biography, because there is so little written about Kahn. I enjoyed learning about her life, particularly the "insider" interviews with luminaries like Peter Bogdonavich, Kevin Kline, and Mel Brooks. This books is nothing if not well-researched. My quibble with it is that the book focuses more on a blow-by-blow account of her work. It's extensive, but, I found, a bit boring. I anticipated that the book would give more insight into Kahn, her life, and her motivations. Although I appreciate this book for being the only one of its kind, I wish there was more information about Kahn's personal life.
June 11, 2015
Madeline Kahn has always been one of my favorite actresses. I mean, she's a total package. This biography was researched very well, and you can tell the author loves his subject. The whole thing has a melancholy feel to it, and so it wasn't exactly an entertaining read, but it was a good read. It seems that Madeline Kahn was never quite satisfied with her acting/roles, and she didn't understand why people thought she was funny. That part alone is heartbreaking.
It's a good book and many of Madeline's costars and directors supply some good insight into her life.
It's a good book and many of Madeline's costars and directors supply some good insight into her life.
August 17, 2015
The life of a high-strung, multi-talented artist and comedienne, who could belt Broadway tunes and sing opera, but wasn't taken completely seriously by either world is profiled with great detail and sensivity here. Career highs are celebrated, and lows are explored. Whether Kahn was an actress or singer first, she was a verified star before her early death (from cancer) and her career was just in time to benefit from the home video craze, ensuring her legacy of comedic performances keep finding new audiences.
March 9, 2016
A bracingly honest and moving chronicle of one of the greats. Madison's exhaustive account of Madeline's life and career is full of surprises and paints an indelible picture of a brilliant and often contradictory artist. He explains what sets her apart, why some of her performances are legendary, why others don't work, how she succeeded, how she was let down by others in her industry, and how she sometimes became her own worst enemy. A revelation.
September 12, 2016
This book was a little drier than I'd hoped. It was kind of a "Just the Facts, Ma'am" approach to the actress who was anything but dry. I also got a little tired of him saying how shy and unassuming she was. We get it. Describe her another way.
Other than that this was an interesting book. I didn't know much about her beyond Blazing Saddles, but the book goes was beyond that.
Other than that this was an interesting book. I didn't know much about her beyond Blazing Saddles, but the book goes was beyond that.
April 15, 2016
Probably the most oft-repeated sentence in the book comes, unbidden, from its numerous celebrity interviewees like Robert Klein, Carol Kane, Ryan O'Neal, Mel Brooks, Lily Tomlin, and so many others: "Everyone just fell in love with Madeline".
As did we all.
As did we all.
October 12, 2015
What a wonderful entertainer. Truly missed.
Read
January 2, 2016Great bio of a wonderful performing artist.
May 7, 2016
A really good biography of the life and work of Madeline Kahn. Reading it you come to understand how this incredibly talented woman was always uncomfortable about her status as a comedy icon.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews