The Bad & the Beautiful: Hollywood in the Fifties

by Sam Kashner, Jennifer Macnair

A vivid portrait of power, fame and sex in 1950s Hollywood, from the rise of tabloid journalism to the making of legendary film icons.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Film, Biography, 20th Century

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not to be confused with the 1952 film of the same name, starring Kirk Douglas, Lana Turner, Gloria Graham (who won an Oscar for this film), and a stellar cast. Instead, this is a gossipy 'revelation' of the tenor of the times in the Hollywood environment in the 1950s.

Being a fan of old movies, I was really looking forward it but, instead, I am on the fence about it. There was.certainly some interesting information included, especially about the hold gossip columnists (Hedda Hopper, Louella Parsons, Shelia Graham) had over stars, directors, et al who they could make or break with a single column.

But on the other side of the coin, it was a bit cheesy and reminded me somewhat of the National Enquirer or those other rags you see at the local supermarket. And no, I have never read one but their front pages are lurid. I couldn't quite shake the feeling that this book could have been better if it had avoided some of the content included.

I am in the minority on the worth of the book but reviews are to be honest about the reviewer's feelings, so I don't mind being an outlier!

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When I first went to the movies [the audiences] sat in their seats straight and leaned forward. Now they slump down, with their heads back, or eat candy and popcorn. I want them to sit up straight again." -- actor Charles Laughton, on directing The Night of the Hunter (1955), page 192

It takes a little bit for Kashner & MacNair's The Bad and the Beautiful: Hollywood in the Fifties to get warmed up - the first chapter focuses on the formerly influential (but now long-deceased and sort of forgotten) Confidential gossip / scandal magazine, and the next on a pedophile tennis coach to the stars (his section could be completely excised from the text without any severe loss to the overall narrative), and they badly slow the momentum with their tangential angles that I considered 'DNF' status. Wisely, things get back on track by centering on what readers will likely be interested in - the movie stars, directors, screenwriters and studio moguls who were responsible for the numerous films from the 1950's. I liked the authors unofficial 'bracketing' of the decade - it began with director Billy Wilder's scathing-but-knowing Sunset Boulevard in 1950, and wrapped with the presidential hopeful (plus movie star-handsome and charismatic) Jack Kennedy arriving to star in the L.A.-hosted Democratic National Convention in 1960 - and their many profile pieces on folks such as actresses Kim Novak and Gloria Swanson, actors Richard Burton and Rock Hudson, and directors Douglas Sirk and Nicholas Ray. At times the various chapters seem more like standalone essays - I understand they may have begun life as a series of magazine articles - than connected pieces, but the final result is a detailed glance back at parts of that era in silver-screen entertainment, anchored by films such as Rebel Without a Cause, An American in Paris, Peyton Place, and The Sweet Smell of Success.

[Paul Grose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a surprise. Originally I thought it would be a rehash of old gossip, but it included some real insight and information I had not come across before. Using Confidential Magazine as an example of star culture in 50's Hollywood, the book uses examples of stories the magazine covered to address issues such as the collapse of the studio system, the rise of the independent Hollywood Star who also became producers of their own product, and the fading power of the gossip columnists such as Hedda Hopper, Louella Parsons, and Shela Graham. It covers plenty of ground and is an easy read. Through analysis of classic films such as Night Of the Hunter, Sweet Smell of Success, The Robe, Rebel Without a Cause , and Sunset Boulevard to name a few the changes that were taking place to the industry during this decade are addressed in detail using great examples and clearly explained. While the old studio system was holding on with its dying breath, the days of contract players, and screaming and scheming studio heads were ending, The likes of Mayer, Warner and Cohen were losing their grip, and new approaches to acting such as Brando which studios just could not relating to were becoming the new norm. A good and fascinating read and one of the best non-scholarly books I have read on the subject. The book is an excellent companion piece to City Of Nets which covered Hollywood in the 40's. Also I never realized that Burt Lancaster was such a bully, thug and frighting person. One great line recalled by a co-worker was "that the finches in the bird cages that were kept in the office would suddenly go quiet when he enter the room". Well worth reading

[Cass · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely adored Sam Kashner’s most recently published book, Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century (co-written with Nancy Schoenberger), which ignited in me a new interest in the movies of Taylor and Burton, as well as the pre-1980s era of a Hollywood. When I saw he had written The Bad and the Beautiful: Hollywood In the Fifties–which captures the era through chapters on significant events, relationships, and scandals–I thought it would be a great way to get an overview of the decade from an author I enjoyed. And while at times the The Bad and the Beautiful overreaches in an attempt to cover ten years of eventful movie-making, it proved overall to be an entertaining, if overly ambitious, read. The following are a few of the book’s notable moments.

Rock Hudson is mostly remembered today for being one of the first gay male celebrities to succumb to AIDS in the 1980s, but in the 1950s he was the image of virile masculinity. Of course, the 1950s in the US being what they were, Hudson went to great lengths to prevent the public from discovering the truth about his sexuality. Kashner and MacNair detail that when Hudson lived with a man, he would have two telephone lines, one of which his boyfriend was not allowed to answer to ensure no one would find out they were cohabiting. I found tidbits like this intriguing, but not necessarily illuminating. Certain details of Rock Hudson’s life could (and do) fill entire books, and ultimately, I found this brief chapter too insubstantial to be fully engaging.

Another chapter that followed this “intrigue with too few details” theme was about the relationship between Sammy Davis Jr., and actress Kim Novak. Black men dating white women, no matter how famous the black man may have been, was simply not accepted by society in 1950s America (and was illegal in 22 states). Kashner and MacNair contend that Novak was the love of Davis’ life, but warnings of career ruination from studio directors forced the two to end their not-so-secret relationship. The brief paragraphs explaining this situation only managed to whet my appetite for the social and cultural implications of the relationship, as well as more information on Sammy Davis Jr.’s life.

The Bad and the Beautiful is at its best when tackling minor subjects (as opposed to mega-watt stars like Rock Hudson and Sammy Davis Jr.), as I discovered in the chapter on Peyton Place: the novel, its author, and the film adaptation of the book. Published in 1956, Peyton Place was written by a poor housewife from New England named Grace Metalious. The book was a sensation, selling in outrageous numbers and stirring the movie industry to clamor for the movie rights. They promised her she could “write the script” (only not really) and brought her out to Hollywood, where she at least got to hang out with celebrities for a little while. It’s an interesting subject not only because of the phenomenon that Peyton Place the movie (and later the TV show) became, but also because it explores the effects that sexism and classism had on the author and her family. The chapter really succeeds because the scope of the subject fits the scope of the chapter.

In summary, I loved the topic and the writing in The Bad and the Beautiful: Hollywood In the Fifties, but the lack of detail was frustrating. A worthy read for an overview of the decade, but I’ll definitely need to read more on the specific people, movies, and books mentioned within it to feel truly satisfied with my knowledge of the era and its stars.

(posted at http://bonjourcass.com/2011/01/12/rev...)

[Richard Schaefer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bad and the Beautiful is everything that my previous read (Shocking True Story) wanted to be; it weaves a compelling and complex tapestry of Hollywood in the 50s, with each chapter focusing on a particular theme (Europeans in Hollywood, for example), celebrity figure (actors/directors/producers/columnists), or film (the chapter on Rebel Without a Cause is particularly great). And while each chapter functions more or less as a standalone essay, the sum is even greater than its parts for the panoramic view it provides. The two authors write with great insight about these figures and events, providing intelligent analysis and a clear history. And despite the title (and Ellroy blurb on the back), it’s not a particular salacious book. It doesn’t shy away from scandal, certainly, but it’s clear that the writers both come from a place of love for the movies and the sordid, complex history of Hollywood. While the book can’t claim to be a definitive survey of Hollywood in the 50s (and doesn’t try to), it should be in the library of anyone who cares about movies and the people who make them.

[Thad Komorowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the history I expected but gossipy articles—albeit good ones. I was expecting what CITY OF NETS beautifully did for the '40s. Worth it for the tabloid histories and the chapters on NIGHT OF THE HUNTER and SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, but a book on '50s Hollywood that doesn't discuss SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, Hitchcock, Marilyn Monroe or THE SEARCHERS is hardly complete.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love old Hollywood movies (post 1950s, of course), you definitely need to get hold of this book.

[Kirsti · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors don't find much new to report or even speculate on, but this is an entertaining book.

[Becky C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting, but all the better for it. Instead of the usual gossipy fare, this was a deeper look into the mechanics of Hollywood in the 50s; the producers, the studios, the writers and the journalists, with the big screen stars portrayed as merely chess pieces in the game. Some big names are there - Kim, Sammy, Gloria, Lana, Marilyn, Charlie - but over all, this book is about ‘Hollywood the machine’ and everyone who made the cogs turn.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being that these were articles first and a book second there is a bit of disconnect between all the chapters. Things that were focused on previously are brought up again as if for the first time.

That said this is still an awfully entertaining read. Some chapters more so than others but some subjects are naturally more interesting than others. Not City of Nets great, but not much is.

[Betsy Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

all I can say WOW who knew ! what these people had to go thru during the 50's . and That Drew Barrymoore's Dad was such a hunk .

[William Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book, masterfully crafted, that re-vivifies the Hollywood of that decade and that reveals much about those odd times. As a man who's 75 years old, I look back and think, "Were things really that weird, that insulated from reality?" Well, I guess they were.

[Michael Ritchie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book promises a narrative history of Hollywood in the 50s but it's actually just a series of articles, apparently written for Vanity Fair, about 50s show biz topics: Gloria Swanson's comeback, gossip columnists, Rock Hudson, Nicholas Ray, and the trend in Biblical epics. Each article is interesting, though most are rather shallow in terms of research, but the topics seem chosen at random; why a final chapter on Gloria Swanson in Sunset Blvd. but nothing about Bette Davis in All About Eve? A mostly fun light read but I kept wishing each chapter has been better, more fleshed out.

[Robert Blenheim · Rating 4 out of 5]

After two rather belabored first chapters ( centered on the infamous gossip magazine, Confidential), the book becomes a truly amazing read, at its best in its chapters on Nicholas Ray ( the story of shooting Rebel Without a Cause), The Night of the Hunter (and director Charles Laughton) and the great dark sleaze classic, The Sweet Smell of Success. A wonderful book -- but don't forget my warning about the first two chapters!

[Goose · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great book for those of us not yet born during the 1950s. It made me want to watch some movies and even more it made me want to read biographies on some great stars. Chapters on Kim Novak, Gloria Swanson, Rock Hudson, and Lana Turner were good but brief and now I want to know more about them. Some really good gossip and some really great movies to read about in this book.

[Rachel Heil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hollywood in the 1950s was extremely interesting and I love the era. Some of the best movies came out in this time and it was also the last decade of Old Hollywood, soon to be taken over by the very odd 1960s. This book was a bit of a let down, didn't go into that much detail and only touched on a few things.

[Bleak Mouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bad behavior in Hollywood during the 1950s. Much of it is far too interesting to be entirely true. But it is far from dull, and that is all I asked from this book.

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another tattler about the lives of those in the realm of Hollywood. No regrets.

[Sharone · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fluffy, gossipy, with some occasionally interesting insights. Not terribly useful for research, but ok for what it is.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

your basic, but can't put down, scandal sheet history.