Blondes allegedly have more fun, but you can't prove that by looking back into Hollywood history at the often tragic lives of some of that town's most notorious bombshells.
That's just what Liz Nocera set out to do in her new book out this month, Hollywood Blondes: Golden Girls of the Silver Screen (Wasteland Press, 2007) which she produced with fellow Tinseltown chronicler, Michelle Vogel.
I'd like to thank Liz, (who I learned from her photo on the back cover is a blonde, too!) is familiar to many classic film fans via her Classic Actresses at Yahoo! Groups, for kindly sending me a signed copy of her book, especially because it includes two ladies that are near and dear to my heart, Jean Harlow and Barbara Payton.
The rest of the book's subject roster includes other late greats Carole Lombard, Mae West, Thelma Todd, Alice Faye, Betty Grable, Lana Turner, Carole Landis, Veronica Lake, Marie McDonald, Judy Holliday, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. The book is dedicated to Betty Hutton, who passed away earlier this year.
While its easy these days to find information on all of these lovely ladies online, there are folks like me who still enjoy having books to curl up with and keep on the shelf. This book fits the bill, serving as a one-stop shopping reference guide to these beauties, that packages biographies crafted from previously published materials, fan sites (including my own Jean Harlow Platinum Page), filmographies built from multiple resources and lots of images from Liz's private collection.
As a Hollywood writer myself, I was curious to know the details about Liz's journey from webmistress to published author, which I think is just as important as the material in her final product, so I posed a few questions which she answers below:
Why did you choose to showcase blondes?
The idea of writing a book about Hollywood blondes came from my desire to do a project about Carole Landis. Carole's niece Tammy is a close friend of mine and we had been talking for a couple of years about writing a book about Carole. Since E.J. Fleming had already written a wonderful biography about Carole we didn't think there would be much interest in another book devoted to her. I am also a huge fan of Marie McDonald and always wanted to write something about her. I came up with idea of a book dedicated to Hollywood blondes which would include Carole, Marie, and other great stars. I told Michelle Vogel my idea and she asked if I wanted to collaborate with her on a book.
The chapters seem to pull from a lot of different previously published books and internet resources - did you or your co-author Michelle Vogel do any original research? What new information about blondes are you offering readers?
One of the main hesitations I had about writing a book was there has already been so much written about these actresses. What made me want to do it is that I am a fan of these women and so much of what I read in books and online is trash. Our goal was to have a book where these actresses stories were all told in the most accurate and positive way possible. Readers won't get any bombshell secrets like who killed Marilyn Monroe but they will get to know what made Marilyn such an amazing person, learn about all the films she made, and see some beautiful photos of her. They will also be told the truth about all those rumors that Jayne Mansfield was decapitated, that Jean Harlow died because she was beaten by Paul Bern, and that Carole Landis was a prostitute. We are also giving readers the most in-depth look at Marie McDonald's life that has ever been written. I think the format of our book offers something different as well. Most books that feature a lot of different stars don't give you a complete filmography for each one. We wanted the book to be a research tool as well as entertaining. Also many of the photos you see in the book have never been published before.
We definitely used many published biographies and web sites as sources for our information but we tried to choose only the ones we felt were accurate. My main source of research actually came from my collection of hundreds of vintage magazines. I found so many interesting stories and quotes in the pages of Screenland and Photoplay. Carole Landis's family was also very supportive with the book and offered me some wonderful stories about her which have never been told before.
How does writing a book compare with writing a website?
Writing a book is much harder! It's a lot easier to write two paragraphs about a person's life than it is writing twenty pages. Designing web sites are something I love to do. The reasons I started the web sites are the same reasons I wanted to write the book. I wanted to pay tribute to some amazing actresses who should never be forgotten. One of the toughest things about the book is you can't go back and change it. I am constantly changing my sites and adding new things. Now that the book has been published I keep thinking of things I should have included.
How did you end up teaming with Michelle Vogel and how was the work divided, i.e. what was your process?
Michelle and I first met online several years ago and since then we have became great friends. When we first started working on the project we decided that I would write the biographies and she would write the filmographies and the introduction. The hardest part was actually choosing which actresses to include. Michelle came up with the great idea of including a trivia section and a quote from the actresses at the beginning of each chapter. She also wrote the Judy Holliday biography when I got a little overwhelmed by it. Writing the biographies took a lot longer so she was finished with her part before me. Since she has written several books before I sent her everything I wrote and she would make suggestions and add things. Even though we divided up the work, it ended up being a true collaboration. All of the pictures we used came from my collection of vintage photos.
Who is your favorite blonde?
Carole Landis is my idol! Not only was she a talented actress and a beautiful woman but she had the biggest heart in Hollywood. She was a feminist before the word was even invented. I have suffered through many of the same things Carole did in her life (endometriosis, depression, family issues) and feel like I can really understand what she was going through. When I got to know her family and saw what wonderful people they were I started to believe that one of my purposes in life was to do whatever I could to keep Carole's memory alive. It has been such a thrill to be able to tell her story and see her on the cover of our book. I'm hoping some people may buy the book because they are a fan of Jean Harlow or Lana Turner and end up discovering Carole.
Any future projects?
Yes, there are several things I am working on right now. Of course I have my three web site which keep me busy - Classic Actresses (http://www.classicactresses.com), Carole Landis Online (http://www.carolelandisonline.com), and Marie McDonald (http://www.mariemcdonald.org). I have just started writing the first draft of a full-length Marie McDonald biography and I have talked with a few publishers about it. I would love to do a sequel to our book called Hollywood Brunettes in the near future. I may also do some more projects involving Carole Landis including building a web site for her family to showcase their stories and photos. I have devoted the last year of my life to Hollywood Blondes so my first project is a long vacation in Hollywood this summer. I need to visit my friends and all my favorite blondes at Forest Lawn :-)
Thanks for the insights, Liz!
PS, next week's issue of The Globe will feature a full-page article, including photos, of Liz's book and a contest opportunity to win your own free, signed copy. Look for that issue on newsstands in just a few days, at the end of this week.
Hollywood Blondes: Golden Girls of the Silver Screen is currently available at Amazon:
