Girl Next Door: The Life and Career of Jeanne Crain

by Rupert Alistair

"What an incredible read about the life of Jeanne Crain. This is written in such a manner that once you start, it is difficult to put down until you finish." In 1949, Jeanne Crain was the # 1 box-office draw in Hollywood based on the money her movies made that year. Her controversial film, Pinky, was not only financially successful, but it earned Crain an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress. The beautiful star had a blossoming career, loving husband and, eventually, seven children, but along with the accomplishments and money were disappointments. Her career became stagnant at her home studio, 20th Century-Fox; the relationship between her mother and her husband was contentious to say the least, and her idyllic marriage was marred by public betrayal. Through the glorious times, as well as the darker ones, Jeanne Crain moved forward with beauty, grace and dignity. Her life was an interesting Cinderella-story. With a gorgeous face and petite figure, she claimed her place in classic film history. Her fame was at its highest during the post-war era, when being one of America’s top sweethearts in Hollywood was a peak position, and in the 1940s and '50s, she was everyone's favorite, Girl Next Door.

Genres: Media Tie In, Nonfiction, Historical, Biography

245 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 5, 2017

Reviews

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Unknown Life of Jeannie Crain

I have always enjoyed Jeannie Crain in films and was delighted to read this comprehensive biography about her life in films as well as her personal life. Mr. Alistair had the cooperation of Ms. Crain' children giving the book believability. If you think this "Catholic girl next door" woman lived a storybook life you would be surprised to know her nearly 60 year marriage dealt with physical and mental abuse. Then the death of a favorite cousin, her sister, her dad and her mom fairly close together sent her into depression and alcohol abuse. Worse was yet to come when she lost two of her sons at young ages. I enjoyed this book told in a fair, concise, and straight forward manner.

[Annie Howe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Behind-the-Scenes Winner!

If you’re like me, you’ll revel in the secrets behind the beloved classic film, The Adventures of Robin Hood. Rupert Alistair delivers some wonderful history in this little gem of a book. James Cagney’s connection to the film is just one of the surprises that make you wish you could go back in time and be a fly on the set of Sherwood Forest. From the antics of Errol Flynn and co-stars, to the changing of directors, this book will have you rewatching the film to capture some of the nuances these secrets reveal. As he’s done in some of his other books, Alistair does such a great job describing the real-life characters behind some of our beloved on-screen personas. This man knows his stuff when it comes to Old Hollywood!

[Annie Howe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just As I Imagined Her!

I never knew anything about Jeanne Crain except what was on the screen. As an actress whose films I've enjoyed over the years, it was wonderful to learn about her life beyond the cameras. Simple, elegant, beautiful, and sweet was Jeanne. She made her mark in Hollywood while raising a large family, and maintained her good name throughout. I'm glad I stumbled on this fabulous biography and look forward to reading more of Rupert Alistair's books.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book fairly quickly because I wanted to know what came next. I'm amazed at what I didn't know about Jeanne Crain. If you enjoyed her work, you must read this.

[Harold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written biography of actress Jeanne Crain, who at the peak of her career was the top box office star of 1949. The book chronicles both her career and personal life in a lot of detail and is certainly a treat for anyone who enjoys reading about Hollywood's Golden Era and it's stars. Author Rupert Alistair offers an objective portrait of the star, sharing both her triumphs as a screen actress as well as the disappointments, the good reviews along with the bad. A very good biography that shines a light on an actress who deserves to be remembered both for her talent and beauty.

[Louise Culmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but interesting book about the making of the 1938 film Adventures of Robin Hood. I was particularly interested in the descriptions of how the cast were trained in archery - great care was taken to choose a top archer to coach them so that the archery scenes would be authentic. Fascinating to read about Errol Flynn getting into trouble for shooting pheasants with his bow and arrow. Very enjoyable if you are interested in films of the 30s.

[Gerald B. McDaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Excellent Book by Alistair

I have enjoyed all of Rupert Alistair’s books about films and actors, and this is another great one. His thorough research is apparent, and his writing style makes excellent reading. He is as entertaining as the films and actors he describes. I look forward to more film books by him.

[Donna Walsh]

Just finished this book in two days and could not stop reading it.
Great insight into Jeanne Crains life and career in Golden Age of Hollywood.
It was great to find out what happened to Jeanne's career she was not a superstar as in Bette Davis but she had something special. Also, loved reading about her long marriage and big family (she had 7 children).

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the background information about the making of a movie enriches the enjoyment so much. I'm very anxious to see this movie again now that I know so much about how it was made. Good work by Rupert Alistair again.

[Christine Wall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book packs a powerful punch. Within its pages you will learn everything there is to know about the production and distribution of Warner Brother's iconic 1938 motion picture The Adventures of Robin Hood.

Rupert Alistair shares his thorough research with a flowing writing style that makes for a fascinating read. He begins the tale in July 1935, when a period costume consultant asks the studio's head man, Jack L. Warner, “Don’t you think that Cagney would make a swell Robin Hood?"

He closes with a story of Olivia de Havilland's attitude towards the film:

"According to de Havilland, she never saw Robin Hood upon its initial release. Like many of her movie star peers, she cranked out picture after picture, never watching the final product. When she did finally see it, in Paris in 1959, she was struck at how good it was, and she wrote a letter to Flynn telling him how impressed she was and how dismissive she had been of it. 'An apology twenty years late,' she later recalled. 'But I tore it up. I reconsidered, deciding Errol would think I was silly. I’ll always be sorry. A few months later he was dead. Seeing Robin Hood after all these years made me realize how good all our adventure films were, and I wrote Errol that I was glad I had been in every scene of them. I was astounded at Robin Hood’s vitality, its effervescence. I thought it was simply wonderful. It was a revelation to me. It was classic.”

[MaryEve Iwicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adventures of Robin Hood - Great film!

Very much enjoyed this somewhat short but informative book detailing the production of the greatest Robin Hood film ever made! I am not surprised to learn Errol Flynn and Olivia DeHavilland (Maid Marian)felt they were in love while filming - it shines through in their intense romantic chemistry and is what made fall in love with this film when I was a kid watching it in black and white TV in the 1970s. Seeing this 1938 film for the first time on a big screen in Technicolor as a young adult was a revelation! Very much enjoyed what went into the making of the film, thanks to Author Rupert Alistair.

[Jan C · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was kind of so-so. No earth shattering information here.

It was interesting to see that hiring Erich Wolfgang Korngold for the music probably saved his and his family's life. Got him out of Austria in 1937. Then he got to Hollywood and saw the first print and was certain they were wrong and he wasn't the guy for this. He was more into opera. They persuaded him to give it a shot. Thank goodness. It is a great score. So identifiable, too.

Not really much information about either Flynn or de Havilland.

[Dennis Blocker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was brought up watching the old movies and really enjoy them. It is funny that I know so many actors and bands from the 40s and very few from modern times. This book was a joy to read to my mother. We marveled at her life and career. It is an interesting read but not really written in a way that makes you breeze threw the pages. At times it feels like a text book but still, well worth the time invested.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Rupert Alistair knows movies. He's written a number of books and they are all worth reading. This is my favorite as The Adventures of Robin Hood is one of my favorite movies and I love Errol Flynn. There's lots of inside information on the making of the film and on the stars. I recommend all of A lists it's books.

[ScottRichard Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Behind-the-Scenes Look

This book is great behind-the-scenes look at this classic movie we all enjoyed growing up with. It offers tremendous insights into the entire process.

[peter lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too short

The only problem with this book was it's length otherwise it was very well done. For all of us who grew up loving this film, such as myself, this is required reading.

[Dave Humphrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short yet contains all of the pertinent information you would need behind the scenes of the making of this wonderful classic.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun short read about this movie.

[MagicDave · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say?

I have always loved "The Adventures of Robin Hood", and after reading Mr. Alistair's wonderful book on the making of this classic film, I love it even more!

[Robert Sledz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book but a little lacking in substance

I didn't feel like I really got to know Jeanne intimately in the book. I think that more could have been written about her in depth. The writing material was well written but very basically and vaguely. There was no notation about the divorce that she endured and why she decided to cancel it. There was no mention of that. It was a pivotal time. I read she said that she would never return to him and so certainly something serious was involved but for her canceling the divorce, there was no mention as to why. I was a little disappointed I expected a little more depth and the book especially with someone who that's so much information from her relations. This book really deserves 2 Stars, but because it opened me up to Jeanne, I found a new admirer if you will and because of that I left you four stars as generously as I would for anyone who gave me the opening of a wonderful life...

[Rosemary Hazard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Alistair writes in an enjoyable and engaging manner, it's easy to tell he is a film aficionado. This is another of his enjoyable reads, the making of a classic action adventure and the talent that contributed to its timeless nature. I often wonder if Errol would have matured into a deeper actor and lived longer had he had someone like Olivia as a partner. Their onscreen chemistry was natural and palpable and they brought out in one another performances that were extraordinary, in good films and mediocre ones. But this was their high watermark; two gorgeous and talented actors in prime form. Read this if you love classic film, or Olivia and Errol, it's a very fun and interesting read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts off as boring news copy, but stick with it because there are many great stories behind the making of the film. It is a must-read for fans of Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland and The Adventures of Robin Hood. I especially liked the stories about Howard Hill, a real live Robin Hood who could hit a pencil at twenty yards. He taught the cast to shoot bows and arrows. You will learn about everything from the costumes to the directors about the huge amount of research that went into the film and the money spent. This was a very interesting book.

[Dan Lalande · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing if thin backgrounder on the making of the instant classic 'The Adventures of Robin Hood,' culled from studio memos, autobiographies, and old gossip columns. Errol comes across as hale and horny, Olivia as the most nervous of Nellies, and the Merry Men as a motley, hardworking bunch.

[Bill Rixham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a big fan of Errol Flynn, I hoped for a lot and got it. I'm always interested in what occurs behind the scenes and how films are made. This book did not disappoint.