Gone With the Wind Fans discussion

I was goofing around on Amazon, and found out about a new biography called Damn You, Scarlett O'Hara: The Private Lives of Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier. It sounds intriguing, although I do question the prerogative of a book to just "tell all the nasty truths." I read Anne Edwards's biography about Vivien, but, as with Road to Tara: The Life of Margaret Mitchell, Edwards fails to portray mental illness accurately and sensitively, though. Moreover, her lack of sources makes for a rather dubious biography. I have no idea why I read both biographies by her, other than maybe some faint hope that she had improved her research skills. Oh, well.... I have heard Alexander Walker's is the best so far, but we will see.

I'm excited about his new bio. It comes out on December 16th (in time for Christmas shopping :) ). Enjoy!

(P.S.--Sorry for the rambling post. Finishing my thesis has turned my brain to applesauce.)

Might I add that this biography comes out the same day as Ellen's book, Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind: A Bestseller's Odyssey from Atlanta to Hollywood. February 16th will be a great day for GWTW fans!

Well, I've been investigating the author of this book, and it seems he is a fiction writer composing under the guise of "biographer." Check out reviews of his Marlon Brando biography, Brando Unzipped:

http://www.amazon.com/Brando-Unzipped...

There is one review that gives the book 5 stars for being such an entertaining...um...revision, if you will, of Brando.

Apparently, all of his books are about movie stars--who are dead and therefore cannot refute any claims made about them--and their alleged sexual encounters. He seems to claim most movie stars from the golden era of cinema were bisexual or sex maniacs. His biography of Humphrey Bogart, The Secret Life of Humphrey Bogart, seems to follow the same path. He also consistently lacks sources.

These reviews make me nervous about this biography. While there are rumors about Larry Olivier's bisexual affairs, I have heard nothing of Vivien Leigh's alleged bisexuality--until reading about this book. I have no problem with this information if it's true; the problem is that there seems to be no evidence to support such a claim.

I have not read this book yet, but have ordered my copy from Amazon. I usually read about authors before buying their books. However, I think I was blindsided by my reverence for Vivien Leigh as an actress and thus purchased this book. I do want to read it, but feel apprehensive about it after learning of the author's typical exaggerations.

Lara wrote: "Well, I've been investigating the author of this book, and it seems he is a fiction writer composing under the guise of "biographer." Check out reviews of his Marlon Brando biography, Brando Unzipp..."

Hmmm, Joan Crawford, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and Laurence Olivier having threesomes and shooting cocaine together...while Clark Gable rapes women? Yeah, that's what this guy claims happened. Ugh. What trash.