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Secret Hollywood: Crazy and Interesting Stories about the Rich and Famous
Who doesn’t love the movies? If there’s one thing we all have in common, it’s that a few hours of escapism in front of our favorite film—be it a comedy, a romance, a horror, or whatever else we’re in the mood for—is the perfect way to spend a night out, or a lazy night in.
But if there’s one thing we’re also all guilty of, then it is wanting and needing to know a little more about everything that goes on—off set and off screen—when the cameras stop rolling.
In this book, you’ll learn:
Bette Davis and Joan Crawford’s Oscar-taunting arguments in the 60s.
Love lost between legendary stars Steve McQueen and James Garner.
Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Avengers series of movies being now considered the most profitable movie franchise in the history of cinema.
Daniel Radcliffe was just 12 years old when the first Harry Potter movie was released.
Marlon Brando married three times in his life and had numerous affairs and romances.
And other crazy, interesting and infamous gossip!
Some of these stories are outrageous rumors, the truth behind which we’ll likely never know.
Some of them are true tales of shocking off-set antics and a few give us an incredible insight into the off-screen lives of the people we idolize on screen, sometimes long before they even became famous!
The lives of all our favorite stars, it seems, are just as intriguing and as exciting off screen as they are on. Grab your copy of Secret Hollywood and start gossiping!
But if there’s one thing we’re also all guilty of, then it is wanting and needing to know a little more about everything that goes on—off set and off screen—when the cameras stop rolling.
In this book, you’ll learn:
Bette Davis and Joan Crawford’s Oscar-taunting arguments in the 60s.
Love lost between legendary stars Steve McQueen and James Garner.
Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Avengers series of movies being now considered the most profitable movie franchise in the history of cinema.
Daniel Radcliffe was just 12 years old when the first Harry Potter movie was released.
Marlon Brando married three times in his life and had numerous affairs and romances.
And other crazy, interesting and infamous gossip!
Some of these stories are outrageous rumors, the truth behind which we’ll likely never know.
Some of them are true tales of shocking off-set antics and a few give us an incredible insight into the off-screen lives of the people we idolize on screen, sometimes long before they even became famous!
The lives of all our favorite stars, it seems, are just as intriguing and as exciting off screen as they are on. Grab your copy of Secret Hollywood and start gossiping!
- GenresNonfiction
262 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 6, 2021
491 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
June 17, 2024
"From mogul Thomas H. Ince's mysterious death [aboard William Randolph Hearst's yacht) in 1924 to silent film star Olive Thomas' tragic married life in the 'First Great Hollywood Scandal,' even in the very earliest day of the movies, the lives of our favorite stars were a source of fascination." -- on page 247
While the above-mentioned names may not resonate much these days - the incidents are now 100 or more years old - author O'Neill keeps things moving right along in his streamlined paperback Secret Hollywood. The book was not especially 'crazy' but occasionally 'interesting' (referencing that chosen subtitle), although it will probably work best for a fair-weather movie fan. Followers of series like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and/or Nolan's Bat-tastic Dark Knight trilogy will likely already be all too familiar with the facts / stories presented here, but every so often there's a trivia moment or two that brightened up the proceedings. My favorite? The chariot used by actor Charlton Heston in the blockbuster Ben Hur was put up for auction during MGM's infamous 1970 liquidation of their studio props, an event in which the sculpted bird from The Maltese Falcon and those ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz also went for relatively low prices. The chariot purchaser was then arrested a few years later when galloping down a Los Angeles freeway as a cost-saving measure during the nation's 1973 gas crisis. I guess sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. 😉
While the above-mentioned names may not resonate much these days - the incidents are now 100 or more years old - author O'Neill keeps things moving right along in his streamlined paperback Secret Hollywood. The book was not especially 'crazy' but occasionally 'interesting' (referencing that chosen subtitle), although it will probably work best for a fair-weather movie fan. Followers of series like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and/or Nolan's Bat-tastic Dark Knight trilogy will likely already be all too familiar with the facts / stories presented here, but every so often there's a trivia moment or two that brightened up the proceedings. My favorite? The chariot used by actor Charlton Heston in the blockbuster Ben Hur was put up for auction during MGM's infamous 1970 liquidation of their studio props, an event in which the sculpted bird from The Maltese Falcon and those ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz also went for relatively low prices. The chariot purchaser was then arrested a few years later when galloping down a Los Angeles freeway as a cost-saving measure during the nation's 1973 gas crisis. I guess sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. 😉
April 14, 2023
A bunch of stories about Hollywood. Many of these stories are well known. Some of the stories seem incomplete. The story on the strange death of Paul Bern doesn't even mention he allegedly haunts the house where he died.
Still some interesting stuff is included. As the book enters more modern times, it focuses more on movies instead of the actors and actresses.
Still some interesting stuff is included. As the book enters more modern times, it focuses more on movies instead of the actors and actresses.
December 5, 2021
This was a bedtime read and tbh it did it’s job of sending me to sleep, party on account of how slow it was.
2*
2*
August 31, 2021
Simplistic summaries of well-known movie stories written in a Wikipedia style. And actually Wikipedia has more information than is contained in this short book. Anyone that gives this more than one star obviously knows nothing about Hollywood.
This is simply a rehash of very basic stories about different movies, each only 4 to 8 paragraphs long (one is only 3 paragraphs and there are some chapters that summarize a bunch at one paragraph each!). Will you be surprised to learn that Robin Williams ad libbed to crack people up on the set of Mrs. Doubtfire? Or that Walter Matthau didn't get along with Barbra Streisand on the set of Hello Dolly? That's how dumbed-down this book is.
There is virtually nothing new here and what is written is often misleading or hypes something minor. Don't waste any time on this book. There's nothing crazy or interesting about it.
This is simply a rehash of very basic stories about different movies, each only 4 to 8 paragraphs long (one is only 3 paragraphs and there are some chapters that summarize a bunch at one paragraph each!). Will you be surprised to learn that Robin Williams ad libbed to crack people up on the set of Mrs. Doubtfire? Or that Walter Matthau didn't get along with Barbra Streisand on the set of Hello Dolly? That's how dumbed-down this book is.
There is virtually nothing new here and what is written is often misleading or hypes something minor. Don't waste any time on this book. There's nothing crazy or interesting about it.
February 27, 2023
I found this book to have covered the scandals of the classic screen actors/actresses pretty well. The author had a few untruths that have become standard fare but besides that, it was a good book. This book covered scandals concerning Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Olive Thomas, Fatty Arbuckle, and Lon Chaney among several others.
The stories were written in a matter-of-fact manner as though they were 'the truth and nothing but the truth" but time has shown us that some of what is relayed in this book is no longer true. As far as scandals, most of them seem pretty tame compared to modern-day life and times.
I was surprised that so many scandalous events were contained in this book. Very few of the scandals, I had never heard of and that is a delight when dealing with the past or history that always delights me. I have read and heard of a lot of scandals about the lives of the classic film stars as my dad was born in 1910 and instilled in me a love of reading and a love of the film stars he would watch when younger. If you are like me, you will probably have heard/read about most them the scandals too. However, you might be surprised by a few like I was. :)
What I liked best is that the author told the story without putting in his opinion!!!!
The stories were written in a matter-of-fact manner as though they were 'the truth and nothing but the truth" but time has shown us that some of what is relayed in this book is no longer true. As far as scandals, most of them seem pretty tame compared to modern-day life and times.
I was surprised that so many scandalous events were contained in this book. Very few of the scandals, I had never heard of and that is a delight when dealing with the past or history that always delights me. I have read and heard of a lot of scandals about the lives of the classic film stars as my dad was born in 1910 and instilled in me a love of reading and a love of the film stars he would watch when younger. If you are like me, you will probably have heard/read about most them the scandals too. However, you might be surprised by a few like I was. :)
What I liked best is that the author told the story without putting in his opinion!!!!
April 2, 2021
Such a Fun Book for Movie Fans
If you love movies, this book will be fun for you. In it, the author shares scandals and other interesting stories from the film world, starting at its beginnings over a century ago and ending with movies filmed in the 2000s. Each story isn't very long, only a few digital pages, but enough to cover the story or scandal’s essentials. The length makes them perfect for when you only have a few minutes to read here and there (but you will want to keep going because the book is just so enjoyable). The stories seem mostly chronological and are broken up every now and then by a section of quips and quotes. More than a few made me smile or laugh. While several stories in this book are well known, these quick-nibble summaries make a fun refresher for any movie buff.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
If you love movies, this book will be fun for you. In it, the author shares scandals and other interesting stories from the film world, starting at its beginnings over a century ago and ending with movies filmed in the 2000s. Each story isn't very long, only a few digital pages, but enough to cover the story or scandal’s essentials. The length makes them perfect for when you only have a few minutes to read here and there (but you will want to keep going because the book is just so enjoyable). The stories seem mostly chronological and are broken up every now and then by a section of quips and quotes. More than a few made me smile or laugh. While several stories in this book are well known, these quick-nibble summaries make a fun refresher for any movie buff.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
September 26, 2021
This is a plethora of bite sized stories from hollywood. Some sad, some bad and some funny, Hollywood has had lifetimes of interesting stories. Every selection about an actor or movie is about 1 to 2 pages long, which is enough to bare bones the story. It is easy to read a couple chapters here and there, like it would be to read a social media article. I feel a little more knowledgeable and could retell some of these stories if a moment comes to that.
April 22, 2021
This is one of the most interesting books I have read in a very long time. From old Hollywood to the golden era and beyond all the stories are interesting and odd things I have never heard about these people or the movies or whatever the subject is. I highly recommend this if you like being a fly on the wall and reading interesting stories it is so good!
August 14, 2021
There is something for everybody in this book. Take a journey thru scandals and stories, mysterious murders, rivalries, arguments ,to going above and beyond what it takes to make movies. It's all in here. But if its one thing these stories show, is that all of these most peculiar, shocking and scandalous Hollywood stories we hear about today are by no means new.
March 17, 2021
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. It has some interesting anecdotes about film that I loved that I never knew about before. I also really liked the quotes from different actors and actresses. All in all, I did enjoy reading the book.
July 29, 2021
Not for younger readers.
Although the material written in this book is interesting, many of the millenialists will have never heard of the celebrities mentioned. Hopefully the author's other books will discuss more modern stars.
Although the material written in this book is interesting, many of the millenialists will have never heard of the celebrities mentioned. Hopefully the author's other books will discuss more modern stars.
November 21, 2021
I was really interested in any new stories from the Golden age of Hollywood but every story has been published before.The writing style is quite poor and there are errors eg Shirley Temple was signed to Warner Brothers
February 24, 2022
Kind of boring...
I had already heard a lot of these stories before, so I found this book to be a bit boring. The old Hollywood stories were interesting but the newer stories (involving stars from the past decade) were just a waste of time.
I had already heard a lot of these stories before, so I found this book to be a bit boring. The old Hollywood stories were interesting but the newer stories (involving stars from the past decade) were just a waste of time.
March 10, 2021
One of the author's most interesting books.
March 19, 2021
Lots of interesting facts and tidbits about Hollywood. Great for history or trivia buffs. Fun to read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 23, 2021
Fun Read
Excellent fun book. Interesting read with an insight to the golden age of movies. I would certainly recommend for the nostalgia and intrigue
Excellent fun book. Interesting read with an insight to the golden age of movies. I would certainly recommend for the nostalgia and intrigue
May 3, 2021
Fascinating, little known facts.
A wonderfully researched book filled with the truth about some rumors that have been around for decades.Highly recommended for movie buffs.
A wonderfully researched book filled with the truth about some rumors that have been around for decades.Highly recommended for movie buffs.
May 24, 2021
Great individual stories
A wonderful collection of stories and people that you have now clue about. It's a real page turner that you will enjoy
A wonderful collection of stories and people that you have now clue about. It's a real page turner that you will enjoy
August 2, 2021
Interesting Stories
Many, if not most, of these tidbits have been all over Facebook for quite awhile. Still, I enjoyed reading these little gossipy nuggets.
Many, if not most, of these tidbits have been all over Facebook for quite awhile. Still, I enjoyed reading these little gossipy nuggets.
January 4, 2022
World of flim why it take you in to yourself
This uncovering the unknown yet fun and deep facts enjoy it you miss a lot if you don't and can't put it down
This uncovering the unknown yet fun and deep facts enjoy it you miss a lot if you don't and can't put it down
April 2, 2022
Hollywood
This was a great read! Easy reading and somewhat quick.simply because I just couldn't put it down!! Truly interesting facts, both past and present!!!!
#Netgalley
This was a great read! Easy reading and somewhat quick.simply because I just couldn't put it down!! Truly interesting facts, both past and present!!!!
#Netgalley
May 9, 2022
A great read!
If you're a Hollywood fan at all, this is a very interesting collection of short stories. The author does a nice job of giving you details, but without fluff!
If you're a Hollywood fan at all, this is a very interesting collection of short stories. The author does a nice job of giving you details, but without fluff!
May 21, 2022
excellent book
For those who love behind the scene stories this book is a must red. Quite enjoyable. I hope they do another.
For those who love behind the scene stories this book is a must red. Quite enjoyable. I hope they do another.
Read
July 1, 2022This book isn’t what I expected, I couldn’t get into it and quit. I won’t be rating it at this time
January 19, 2023
This book was still good! Very simple summaries, a lot of information I knew (atleast for golden Hollywood). But I learned things about films probably from the 70’s to present day!
February 12, 2023
Hollywood fascination
Most of the stories were well known but additional info added new insights into the workings of the wonderful world of entertainment
Most of the stories were well known but additional info added new insights into the workings of the wonderful world of entertainment
January 30, 2024
I had heard many of the stories contained within this book, but I still enjoyed reading it. :)
September 13, 2024
It was just ok. Some gossipy stuff. But not enough.
May 24, 2021
Good Read
Very interesting read for Hollywood and it's history that not many my know. The history of Hollywood most people may know but not a lot about the secret history of Hollywood.
Very interesting read for Hollywood and it's history that not many my know. The history of Hollywood most people may know but not a lot about the secret history of Hollywood.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews