The Bennetts: An Acting Family

by Brian Kellow

The An Acting Family is a chronicle of one of the royal families of stage and screen. The saga begins with Richard Bennett, a small-town Indiana roughneck who grew up to be one of the bright lights of the New York stage during the early twentieth century. In time, however, Richard's fame was eclipsed by that of his daughters, Constance and Joan, who went to Hollywood in the 1920s and found major success there. Constance became the highest-paid actress of the early 1930s, earning as much as $30,000 a week in melodramas. Later she reinvented herself as a comedienne in the classic comedy Topper , with Cary Grant.. After a slow start as a blonde ingenue, Joan dyed her hair black and became one of the screen's great temptresses in films such as Scarlet Street . She also starred in such lighter fare as Father of the Bride . In the 1960s, Joan gained a new generation of fans when she appeared in the gothic daytime television serial Dark Shadows . The Bennetts is also the story of another Bennett sister, Barbara, whose promising beginnings as a dancer gave way to a turbulent marriage to singer Morton Downey and a steady decline into alcoholism. Constance and Joan were among Hollywood's biggest stars, but their personal lives were anything but serene. In 1943, Constance became entangled in a highly publicized court battle with the family of her millionaire ex-husband, and in 1951, Joan's husband, producer Walter Wanger, shot her lover in broad daylight, sparking one of the biggest Hollywood scandals of the 1950s. Brian Kellow, features editor of Opera News magazine, is the coauthor of Can't Help The Life of Eileen Farrell . He lives in New York and Connecticut.

Genres: Biography, Media Tie In, Nonfiction

576 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Creolecat · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Navida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic indepth look at not only this acting family, but the New York Theater scene and Hollywood throughout several historical periods.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent biography of Joan and Constance Bennett and their father.

[Herb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb realization of the story of one of America's greatest acting dynasties. Covering over a century of the theater, Hollywood and television, this is a fascinating read.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I originally planned to read only the Dark Shadows chapter of this, but it turned out to be a fascinating book about old Hollywood.

[Davethorson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well researched and thorough biography of this famous family whose pedigree included the famous stage actor Richard Bennett and his two very famous daughters, Constance and Joan, as well as a daughter, Barbara, who only dabbled in acting early in life.

Richard was an extremely eccentric and colorful character and the first several chapters which naturally dwell on him were much more interesting than I expected.

Constance and Joan had careers which started in very similar circumstances but had quite different trajectories as the years went on. Kellow documents all the family's ups and downs, both professionally and personally, including the many marriages, scandals, acting roles both well received and mundane, and his prose includes mostly well documented anecdotes and quotations with very little editorializing thrown in. At least, any editorializing is quite subtle.

I always found Constance Bennett an artificial and too mannered actress - "actressy" in her performances would describe her well. But I was always a big fan of Joan Bennett, whose second phase of her Hollywood career included defining roles in several notable films noir, including "The Woman in the Window" and "Scarlet Street." She later enjoyed another career resurgence as the grande dame on the groundbreaking soap opera "Dark Shadows."

The career analyses and personal lives are related in an engaging manner. Kellow covers the various members of the family as a family, grouping his chapters by years in time past. While sometimes the many marriages, offspring and facts can get a little confusing, (a family tree would have helped), it is nevertheless what I think will be the definitive document of an acting family who probably doesn't have the reputation that they deserve.

For anyone with a passing interest in this colorful and talented family, this book would be sure to please.

[Mark Desrosiers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a ride: an acting dynasty's travails from scrappy Richard Bennett impregnating his foster mom (so he says -- she died in childbirth) to Joan Bennett's mundane death at a dinner table in 1990. (Or rather, from the lucrative Gilded Era play What Every Woman Knows to the 1977 gore-fest Suspiria.) Lots of classics in between, of course -- Constance in Topper and various other glamour roles, Joan's transition from sub-Constance blonde to noir brunette (and subsequent memorable work with Lang and Ophuls), Barbara -- well Barbara didn't make much of herself at all. She just drank booze by the gallon and became the sad, twitchy one of the lot.

Anyway, you get all the decent gossip -- climaxing obviously Joan's husband Walter Wanger shooting her lover (Jennings Lang) in the groin in 1951 (zzzzzzz). Poor Constance comes off as an insufferable aristocratic brat with no charisma and little acting genius (leaving aside Topper), but an obvious talent for preserving her sense of stardom. Joan, on the other hand seems the most resilient of the bunch, re-glamorizing herself with dark hair and a no-nonsense sensibility, very noir and strange. Yes, that was her in Dark Shadows, late in her career. And yeah, she was that slightly wooden but memorable Madame Blanc in Suspiria. Definitely one of the best dynastic biographies I've ever read. I have to dock it one star though, for omitting without explanation Barbara's most famous son, Morton Downey Jr.

[Donie Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very readable bio of the entire Bennett family beginning with patriarch Richard Bennett, who was a renown Broadway actor, and his actress/literary agent wife Adrienne "Mabel" Morrison, who came from another well-known theatrical family. Both Richard & Mabel were crazy about the stage and though they were so financially successful that their three daughters were given finishing school educations & never had to struggle to break in, there was probably some disappointment when neither Constance nor Joan were as committed to their careers. Constance did it for the money, and initially that was Joan's motivation. Author shares his own psychological insights into the personalities of the family, follows each person chronologically, covering both career & personal lives. Thoroughly enjoyed this book, Joan Bennett was a favorite of my mother's, and I loved Constance in the "Topper" films. Barbara's life was an absolute tragedy.

[Stephen Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great companion book to "The Bennett Playbill", the autobiography of Joan Bennett in which she traces the five decades of actors on both sides of her family. "The Bennetts: An Acting FAmily" give a detailed account of Joan and Constance Bennett, along with their sister Barbara, and their father Richard. The book gives insight into each memeber of the family, exploring their personal lives and the impact that each had on stage and film.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian Kellow clearly did a great deal of research on this acting family, and presents the info in a cleat and concise manner. I knew very little about Joan and Constance and found this effort to be quite the page turner. I am giving it four stars because some of the plot synopsis for the films run on too long and I did not find the multiple pot shots taken at Norma Shearer to be necessary.

[Sharon Healy-Yang · Rating 5 out of 5]

At last, a biography that gives the proper due to one of the most talented of American acting families. The author brings home excellent behind-the-scenes information on the careers of the Bennetts, treating their tragedies and triumphs with insight and sympathy. His research into personal letters, contracts, interviews, and official documents is impressive. The book is a pleasure to read.

[Greta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. Does include plots of selected films, I didn’t mind. Pretty hard on Gilbert Roland, main informant is Peter Plant, Constance’s son, who is the only person I’ve ever heard speak unkindly about Roland

[Jeannie Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a extraordinary novel about a very talented acting family. I was extremely blessed in that I had the opportunity to interview someone who actually knew Joan Bennett, a lovely and very kind lady.

[Sharon Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This chronicle of a famous acting family was interesting enough, but left me unsatisfied - mainly because I have no knowledge of the films in which either Constance or Joan Bennett appeared! None of the titles meant much at all. So the interest, for me, centered on the stars as people, rather than actors.

The book starts with the fantastic stage career of Richard Bennett, a dynamic and highly successful Broadway personality who dominated his family and gave them a lot to live up to. His marriage to Mabel demonstrated what usually happens to women: she wanted an acting career of her own and made admirable steps to realising one, but was gradually worn down by the demands of family life. He, of course, wanted a stay-at-home wife.

Constance, in her prime, was the absolute diva, - widely disliked and, as we say today, "up herself". However, she certainly had a strong character and, late in her life, frankly admitted she was "no Sarah Bernhardt".

Joan was the most durable, but clearly overshadowed by her father's fame and dominating personality. She made an interesting change from pretty blonde to sultry brunette for the film noir movies she became famous for.

Barbara was the only one who missed out. Emotionally unstable from childhood, she became an alcoholic and simply could not succeed; a tragically wasted life.

I did become confused with the number of partners - Joan, especially, was one of those women who must have a man in their lives; she loved home life, family and domesticity and wanted a settled existence. From time to time she managed to enjoy this, but it was an up and down career. Outliving her sisters, Joan was also able to enjoy her children and grandchildren. I think I might have a look at some of her pictures on You Tube!

[Helen Robare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now, this is how you write a biography!!!

This book is about Bennetts, an acting family during the golden age of film. Unfortunately, the father doesn't seem to be remembered too much though he was quite famous on the Broadway Stage. It's his two daughters Constance and Joan who are remembered. (If you're my age, you might remember Joan Bennett as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard of Dark Shadows fame). There is another sister, Barbara, but she had some mental issues and while she was in a few films they were not very many. Barbara is most known for her friendship with the silent movie star, Louise Brooks.

This book gives equal attention to the father and each of the three daughters. The good, the bad, and the ugly are included in this book. I really like the fact that it deals with each actor/ess equally and does not just give the reader a few facts and then fill the book up with a list and a description of the films that each made. Now don't get me wrong, I have no problem reading about films a movie star has been in but I also want to know about the life of said movie stars!

Constance Bennett was the eldest of the three sisters, followed by Barbara, and Joan was the baby of the family.

And that's all I'm going to say except if you like film biographies I recommend this one. It's interesting, it's educational, and it gives a very good view of how females were treated in the golden age of Hollywood.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read about a famous family of actors

The Bennetts were a famous acting family. This book focuses on Richard Bennett and his daughters Constance and Joan. The timeframe is mostly early 1900s to mid-1980s. They did Broadway plays and movies.

Interesting, volatile, talented family. A varied group. Lots of divorces. Self-absorbed, worked hard. Basically decent people, raised their kids. Lots of quirks, substance abuse. Did well in show business.

The book is well researched. It flows, a good read. I would highly recommend it to readers interested in acting, Broadway theater, golden age Hollywood.