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Wine, Women and Words
OUR COPY HAS SAME COVER AS STOCK PHOTO SHOWN. SCUFFING, CREASING,DINGS & EDGE WEAR ON COVERS & SPINE. TWO BLACKOUTS ON FIRST PAGE. TANNING & SOME DISCOLORATION ON PAGES. MUSTY ODOR.
- GenresNonfictionBiography
Paperback
First published January 1, 1948
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About the author
Billy Rose
64 booksBilly Rose (born William Samuel Rosenberg; September 6, 1899 – February 10, 1966) was an American impresario, theatrical showman, lyricist and columnist.
During the years before and after World War II, Billy Rose was a major force in American entertainment. He was the husband of comedian Fanny Brice.
Billy Rose owned and operated several significant venues, most notably the Billy Rose Theatre (originally the National, renamed for him in 1959) and the famous Ziegfeld Theatre.
Today, the Billy Rose Theatre Division of The New York Public Library is one of the largest and most comprehensive archives devoted to the theatrical arts.
During the years before and after World War II, Billy Rose was a major force in American entertainment. He was the husband of comedian Fanny Brice.
Billy Rose owned and operated several significant venues, most notably the Billy Rose Theatre (originally the National, renamed for him in 1959) and the famous Ziegfeld Theatre.
Today, the Billy Rose Theatre Division of The New York Public Library is one of the largest and most comprehensive archives devoted to the theatrical arts.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 30, 2021
I don't even know how or why I picked this book up...Lord knows I had absolutely no idea who Billy Rose was. Probably the cover art had a lot to do with the decision, and the fact that the book fits in the side pocket of a pair of cargo pants most likely factored into the acquisition.
This book has been around quite a while, published in 1950, just a bit before I was born, so I think I can be forgiven for not knowing that Billy Rose was a writer, showman and producer way back when. His book is not particularly biographical, touching very lightly on his early years. In fact, the book is part memoir, part philosophizing with a big dollop of humour thrown in. Rose (born Rosenberg) had a very eventful life, starting his career as a stenographer and working his way into the sideline of lyricist and eventually went on to be a club owner and Broadway producer. The little man got around, rubbed elbows with the rich and famous, and condenses his experiences into something less than 300 pages.
Some of Rose's exploits can raise your eyebrows. For such a diminutive fellow he certainly bedded some honeys, including Fanny Brice and the Olympic swimmer Eleanor Holm, both of whom he married. Undoubtedly his enormous bank account would have helped in making up for his unprepossessing appearance. He had contacts within the world of organized crime, and was in fact partnered with some shady characters for a while.
Rose's book is full of vignettes and anecdotes regarding himself and his showbiz contacts and he does spill the beans on some folks, but he is very careful not too trod too heavily on anyone's toes. Some of the stories seemed somewhat farfetched so I checked a few out online and the computer gods bear out his tales. His writing style is brief and to the point, just like the old time lyrics he used to write, and he tosses in a lot of wisecracks and one-liners that are actually quite funny.
The weak spot of the book is something Rose had no control over...there aren't many people around today who would have any knowledge of the characters in the book. Who remembers Fanny Brice or Jimmy Durante anymore? And while the first part of the book was funny like a comedy routine or vaudeville act, in the last half I was wanting someone to get the hook and haul him off the stage.
Still, a worthwhile look into the early years of the entertainment industry.
This book has been around quite a while, published in 1950, just a bit before I was born, so I think I can be forgiven for not knowing that Billy Rose was a writer, showman and producer way back when. His book is not particularly biographical, touching very lightly on his early years. In fact, the book is part memoir, part philosophizing with a big dollop of humour thrown in. Rose (born Rosenberg) had a very eventful life, starting his career as a stenographer and working his way into the sideline of lyricist and eventually went on to be a club owner and Broadway producer. The little man got around, rubbed elbows with the rich and famous, and condenses his experiences into something less than 300 pages.
Some of Rose's exploits can raise your eyebrows. For such a diminutive fellow he certainly bedded some honeys, including Fanny Brice and the Olympic swimmer Eleanor Holm, both of whom he married. Undoubtedly his enormous bank account would have helped in making up for his unprepossessing appearance. He had contacts within the world of organized crime, and was in fact partnered with some shady characters for a while.
Rose's book is full of vignettes and anecdotes regarding himself and his showbiz contacts and he does spill the beans on some folks, but he is very careful not too trod too heavily on anyone's toes. Some of the stories seemed somewhat farfetched so I checked a few out online and the computer gods bear out his tales. His writing style is brief and to the point, just like the old time lyrics he used to write, and he tosses in a lot of wisecracks and one-liners that are actually quite funny.
The weak spot of the book is something Rose had no control over...there aren't many people around today who would have any knowledge of the characters in the book. Who remembers Fanny Brice or Jimmy Durante anymore? And while the first part of the book was funny like a comedy routine or vaudeville act, in the last half I was wanting someone to get the hook and haul him off the stage.
Still, a worthwhile look into the early years of the entertainment industry.
July 4, 2018
As a reader and a writer, I'm very much influenced by authors from the golden era of New York Manhattan. Robert Benchley is my top favorite, but then I like other writers such as James Thurber and Dorothy Parker as well. It isn't their subject matter, or even their love for Manhattan life, but more to the fact that they had to produce a certain amount of words per month or day, and usually, they have to be funny, or at least amusing. In 2014, for my blog, I wrote a story a day, and I loved the discipline and the ability to do something like that. To be honest, I could care less if the story was good, I was just happy I did it. For the historical record, I do love those pieces. So, with that in mind, and again, especially Benchley, I use him and others as a role model to study their sentence structures, and how to tell a joke. The joke part I'm not good at, and only readers and critics can decide if my work is worth merit or not. Still, I found this fascinating and cheap paperback from the late 1940s by Billy Rose, called "Wine, Women, and Words."
Rose was a very successful Broadway producer of spectacular shows and musicals. He was also a songwriter of some note, writing the lyrics to Me and My Shadow," "Great Day" (with Edward Eliscu), "Does the Spearmint Lose Its Flavor on the Bedpost Overnight" (with Marty Bloom), "I Found a Million Dollar Baby" (with Mort Dixon) and "It's Only a Paper Moon." Some observed that he may have been there when these songs were written, and his real talent is selling the song. Nevertheless, a classic Broadway hustler. What is not known about him in detail is that he also wrote for a newspaper column, and "Wine, Women, and Words" are a collection of these writings, mostly from the late 1940s. He was at the time a total success and very wealthy man, so I suspect he didn't need to write for money but did it because he's a very talented prose stylist. I always believed a true writer has to write, no matter what.
Not everything he wrote was gold, but sometimes an excellent bronze piece. He had a genius for capturing a character, which was plenty in Manhattan in those days, and I admire his stance and sense of history about the location (Broadway) and his egotism, which is not off-putting. Throughout the book, he writes about his wife Eleanor Holm, who seemed to be a character of great wit and interest as well. Reading about her after reading this book, I was a tad depressed that they had a costly divorce. Still, I think for a writer who writes a column, and for a showbiz figure, life is lived by the moment. And usually, they use that moment for their work. It's a nice payoff.
Rose was a very successful Broadway producer of spectacular shows and musicals. He was also a songwriter of some note, writing the lyrics to Me and My Shadow," "Great Day" (with Edward Eliscu), "Does the Spearmint Lose Its Flavor on the Bedpost Overnight" (with Marty Bloom), "I Found a Million Dollar Baby" (with Mort Dixon) and "It's Only a Paper Moon." Some observed that he may have been there when these songs were written, and his real talent is selling the song. Nevertheless, a classic Broadway hustler. What is not known about him in detail is that he also wrote for a newspaper column, and "Wine, Women, and Words" are a collection of these writings, mostly from the late 1940s. He was at the time a total success and very wealthy man, so I suspect he didn't need to write for money but did it because he's a very talented prose stylist. I always believed a true writer has to write, no matter what.
Not everything he wrote was gold, but sometimes an excellent bronze piece. He had a genius for capturing a character, which was plenty in Manhattan in those days, and I admire his stance and sense of history about the location (Broadway) and his egotism, which is not off-putting. Throughout the book, he writes about his wife Eleanor Holm, who seemed to be a character of great wit and interest as well. Reading about her after reading this book, I was a tad depressed that they had a costly divorce. Still, I think for a writer who writes a column, and for a showbiz figure, life is lived by the moment. And usually, they use that moment for their work. It's a nice payoff.
June 30, 2009
Mmm, the wit and bombacity of Billy Rose. Again- he wields one liners like weapons and is the original "Showbiz" man. This is an absolute gem of a read- back when kids still had moxy and there was such a thing as a two headed coin. Love this man.
December 11, 2020
Great autobiography of Billy Rose, the impresario who brought us Billy Rose's Jumbo and was married to Fanny Brice...and includes many other amusing tales.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews