Movie Star: A Look at the Women Who Made Hollywood

by Ethan Mordden

A study of the female film stars--ranging from Mary Pickford and Theda Bara to Jane Fonda and Meryl Streep--who have dominated American movies discusses their lives, careers, and impact on our views of womanhood

Genres: Film, History

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Greta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Insightful about things he knows about (late 30s to current, esp. MGM, musicals, screwball comedy, theater) contemptuous and glib about things he’s ignorant of (silent films, early 30s women’s films). This is the book that said Norma Talmadge had the appeal of a pizza-waitress, also trashes Mae Murray and Ruth Chatterton and can’t help but mention Kay Francis and Loretta Young but can’t bring himself to talk about them. Curious to write about actresses while hating classic women’s pictures. Thinks silent film performance didn’t take talent. Likes to use silent examples as tropes for stardom, but aside from the big popular silents (Griffith, Gish, some Swanson) he relies on secondary sources. Is at least respectful of Pickford and Moore (based on Higashi’s book). Surprisingly, he likes Ann Harding and Greer Garson.

[Kirsti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't always agree with Mordden's analyses or opinions--though I often do--but I think he was one of the best writers ever about the movie industry. He could really turn a phrase: The Sound of Music was "depressingly nice"; a certain female star was "about as useful as a sequin" in dramatic movies; while off-camera, Garbo wore clothes that "a goblin wouldn't die in."