The Life and Loves of Barbara Stanwyck

by Jane Ellen Wayne

* The explosive untold story of Barbara Stanwyck * Includes revelations of affairs with some of Hollwood's leading men...and women * Written by best-selling author, Wayne, who had first-hand access to the actress's second husband, Robert Taylor

Genres: Biography

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Nikki · Rating 1 out of 5]

The life of Barbara Stanwyck, according to Jane Ellen Wayne,
-Frank Fay's career on Broadway failed because he insisted on staying in Hollywood to save his marriage (going to go out on a limb and say it was because he consistently failed to show up for performances and was an egotistical, anti-Semitic alcoholic)
-Frank Fay was an alcoholic and an abusive husband because Barbara Stanwyck refused to stop drinking around him, like going out to clubs, and had a more successful career (love it when misogyny demands we blame the wife for the abuse of the husband)
-Stanwyck starred in "Union Pacific" with Preston Foster (it was Robert Preston, give Harold Hill the respect he deserves)
-Anne Shirley did not win an Oscar for "Stella Dallas" because it was her first picture (she had made more than 40, including "Anne of Green Gables," which was so successful, she legally changed her name to Anne Shirley)
-The Stanwyck/Taylor marriage was unhappy because Stanwyck did not like hunting or flying in airplanes (but not because he had many affairs!)
-Stanwyck was a monster because she took alimony from Robert Taylor after their divorce
-All of the movies Stanwyck made in the 1950s were terrible trash (she made a lot of great movies during that time, including "The Furies"!)

After reading this book I have not greater insight into the life of Barbara Stanwyck, but do have a lot of questions about the author and why she chose to write a book about an actress whom she seemed to have little regard for professionally or personally.

[Kris (My Novelesque Life) · Rating 3 out of 5]

RATING: 3 STARS
(Review Not on Blog)

At about age 15 or 16 I fell in love with classic Hollywood. I loved the movies - plots, costumes, sets and actors. I started to become more fascinated with the different actors and learning more about them. I started to go to the library and started picking up various biographies/memoirs. Jane Ellen Wayne writes a few biographies with the focus being on the love lives (affairs, marriages, etc). I found them entertaining, and led me to more credible biographies.

**This is a series review**

[Mick Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much an a to z biography with a lot of speculation about her sexuality.never a big star like Davies and Crawford held her own admirably against her Co-stars.this book is a similar vain to Jayne Allen Wayne's other books,not too in depth but a quick overview.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not in the majority here because I really enjoyed this book. I actually cheered at the end. I believe it showed who she was as a person. yes, it was a bit tabloid and bagged many of her later performances. also, it definitely favoured Robert Taylor. However, the book conveyed that Stanwyck rose to great heights and was resilient.