THE FILM BIOGRAPHER, March 25, 2019

4 STARS

My book review of CAROLE LANDIS – A TRAGIC LIFE IN HOLLYWOOD (McFarland &

Co., 2005) by E.J. Fleming…..

Carole Landis was a popular American film glamour girl of the 1940s, probably most

remembered in movies for her performances in TOPPER RETURNS (UA, 1940), ONE

MILLION B.C. (UA, 1940) and I WAKE UP SCREAMING (20th-Fox, 1941), both with Victor

Mature, MOON OVER MIAMI (20th-Fox, 1941), and FOUR JILLS AND A JEEP (20th-Fox,

1944). Sadly, her name is more likely recalled for her suicide in 1948, the tragedy of a broken

love affair with actor Rex Harrison. She was only 29 years-old.

Landis was beautiful, moderately talented, and terribly unstable. Born in Wisconsin, as the

author E.J. Fleming puts it, “…she spent her entire life searching for love.” And this is true to

some extent. She married young, and many times. She was also a victim to Hollywood’s

demands, etching out a career during the war years as a pinup, with little hope of being taken

seriously as an actress. Never achieving movie stardom, frustrated with disappointing marriages,

recklessly in 1947 Landis met married actor Rex Harrison, then wed to actress Lilli Palmer, and

began a doomed affair. Landis believed it would lead to marriage. When it did not, she took her

life.

What is important about CAROLE LANDIS – A TRAGIC LIFE IN HOLLYWOOD is the

quality research author E.J. Fleming has made about the actress and her career, never missing a

beat placing her in the center of one of Hollywood’s most glamourous and productive eras. His

backstories to her career and relentless research on her life are beyond reproach. Kudos to the

author and McFarland & Co. for producing this most definitive biography of one of Hollywood’s

most tragic figures.

THE FILM BIOGRAPHER, March 25, 2019

2 STARS

My book review of ABOUT FACE – THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DOTTIE PONEDEL:

MAKE-UP ARTIST TO THE STARS (BearManor Media, 2018) by Dorothy Ponedel and

Meredith Ponedel…..

Rarely does a biography or autobiography come along written by or about a Hollywood insider

to the industry such as Dottie Ponedel. She was indeed a favorite make-up artist to the stars of

early sound cinema during her heyday at Paramount. Sought after by such screen legends as

Marlene Dietrich, Mae West, and Carole Lombard, Ponedel had the charisma and charm to

flatter and befriend many of her clients, including Judy Garland in her later career, for which

Ponedel spends most of her book talking about.

I was familiar with Dottie Ponedel’s name 50 years ago when as a child I read Lillian Roth’s

autobiography I’LL CRY TOMORROW. Truly, Ponedel’s work at the various studios during

Hollywood’s “Golden Age” was remarkable, and not the least bit appreciated by the male make-

up artists, like Max Factor and the Westmores, at the time. When one considers the numerous

films and other celebrities Dottie Ponedel worked for, one would expect she would merit a huge

volume of backstory, history, and anecdotes. Unfortunately, this book does not deliver much.

Not liked by many in her industry during this period, Ponedel nevertheless etched many a

friendship with many stars, none so binding as that she had with Garland. But what I did not

want to read in this book was an over lengthy minute-to-minute account (approximately 1/3 of

the narrative) of a late career publicity junket with Garland which was little more than an

opportunity for Garland and Ponedel to party and drink and carouse. (The book is so vague and

anecdotal in parts, when Ponedel briefly mentions her one marriage she never even gives us her

husband’s name.)

Perhaps ABOUT FACE could have been researched more for accuracy (Ponedel’s manuscript

holds many errors) and expanded more with history and interviews to tell Ponedel’s true life

story. Instead what we have left with is a slight 192-page book of but a few moments of Dottie

Ponedel’s life. ABOUT FACE is interesting at times, yet it remains a vague memoir of slight

substance.

THE FILM BIOGRAPHER, January 31, 2020

3 STARS

My book review of COLLEEN MOORE: A BIOGRAPHY OF THE SILENT FILM STAR

(McFarland & Co., 2012) by Jeff Codori…..

In 1968 Colleen Moore wrote her own autobiography (SILENT STAR). In it she gave her side

of her story in what was a light, informal read. She was a huge star in the 1920s indeed. She did

not necessarily “create,” but more appropriately “defined” the word “flapper” in one successful

silent motion picture after another throughout that decade. In such hits as FLAMING YOUTH

(1923), PAINTED PEOPLE , THE PERFECT FLAPPER and FLIRTING WITH LOVE ( all

1924), interspersed with varying successful pictures as Edna Ferber’s SO BIG (1924), SALLY

and WE MODERNS (1925), NAUGHTY BUT NICE (1927) and OH, KAY! and her most

successful film LILAC TIME (both 1928) with Gary Cooper, Moore was huge box office..

Born in 1899 in Michigan, as Kathleen Morris, she entered films as an extra in Chicago at the

Essanay Studios in 1916. Her rise to film stardom took some time, but when she met and married

her first husband, producer John McCormick, in 1923, her rise was quick. Signing with First

National, in its pre-Warner Bros. days, her popularity gained momentum. Yet her union with

McCormick, an alcoholic, proved fatal to her career. Though she handed in a solid performance

in Fox’s 1933 hit THE POWER AND THE GLORY opposite Spencer Tracy, she only made a

handful of talkies before ending her career in 1934.

Author Jeff Codori has done a masterful job of research for his work COLLEEN MOORE. But

the story ends with the coming of sound, after her last silent film FOOTLIGHTS AND FOOLS

(1928), and her divorce from McCormick. The author dedicates less than three pages to the rest

of Colleen Moore’s story, almost as if the last 60 years of her life were unimportant. This is

truly a sad coda to such a rich and glittering life and career. Moore married three more times,

enjoyed her retirement with her fabulous dollhouse which she toured the world with. And this

rather stuns this reviewer that the author finds the actress’s life not important enough to research.

More glaring is the fact the manuscript needs major editing. Throughout the chapters there are

adjectives, pronouns, conjunctions left out of sentences. The author would state that a reviewer

did or did not like this or that. Then he quotes the source. Repeatedly. Source material is vital,

but it is totally overwhelming and repetitious in this book. I must say that COLLEEN MOORE is

a good source of film history, however. But the reader is left with an overwhelming feeling that

he has learned nothing about Colleen Moore, her feelings or emotions. There are just a lot of

facts. And this can be deadly for a biography.

THE FILM BIOGRAPHER, August 26, 2019

5 STARS

My book review of THE LIVES OF JUSTINE JOHNSTONE – FOLLIES STAR, RESEARCH

SCIENTIST, SOCIAL ACTIVIST (McFarland & Co., 2018) by Kathleen Vestuto…..

Some 45 years ago I acquired several copies of THEATRE Magazine from 1913 to 1925. I

knew who JUSTINE JOHNSTONE was because she was on the cover of a couple of those

magazines. A Charles Dillingham and Florenz Ziegfeld “Follies” star and considered one of the

most beautiful showgirls on the stage (another was her close, life-long friend Marion Davies),

Johnstone eventually became but a glamourous footnote in the annals of theatre lore. She only

made a handful of motion pictures, many, if not all, now lost in the dust of time. She was also

the first wife of moviemaker producer Walter Wanger (ALGIERS in 1937 to CLEOPATRA in

1963) before he married Joan Bennett. However, for the most part, she is largely forgotten.

What I did not know was that Justine Johnstone was also a brilliant scientist equally recognized

in medicine for her contribution through research in pathology, having studied plant research at

New York’s Columbia University when she left the stage. Along with Samuel Hirschfeld and

Harold T. Hyman, Johnstone (under her married name Justine Wanger) developed the drip

technique for use of the modern-day I.V. unit. The three researchers co-authored published

papers on the subject, as well as on melanuria (cancer) and resuscitation methods. When

Johnstone and Wanger moved to California just before their divorce in 1938, Justine was integral

in developing procedures in endocrinology.

Here is a story of an actress known for her beauty and little else, until her entertainment career

ended. Her true legacy is with us today (one compares this lasting achievement to Hedy

Lamarr’s patent for wireless communication), and author Kathleen Vesturo has woven a brilliant

story shining with accomplished research and insight to unravel the life of this fascinating

woman in THE LIVES OF JUSTINE JOHNSTONE. Most impressive is Vestuto’s archival

work and her compelling narrative.

This is a truly important book about a most remarkable woman. KUDOS to author Kathleen

Vestuto and MacFarland & Co. for producing this valuable and important tome.

THE FILM BIOGRAPHER, July 9, 2019

3 STARS

My book review of HENRY BRANDON – KING OF THE BOGEYMEN (BearManor Media,

2018) by Bill Cassara and Richard S. Greene…..

Few people may remember who Henry (sometimes known as “Harry”) Brandon was. But nearly

every one of us who have ever watched a movie will most likely have not missed one of his

performances. As a “name” actor Brandon was always “under the radar” in the public

consciousness. Primarily because he was a character actor, and beginning at a very young age.

In the movies his menacing performance as the evil “Barnaby” in Laurel and Hardy’s BABES IN

TOYLAND (Roach, 1934) is probably most remembered. Truly wicked, his “over the top”

performance stupefies. It is amazing the actor was but 22 years-old.

Listed in his early film work as Henry Kleinbach, by the time the actor was featured in such

pictures as THE TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE (Paramount, 1936) and THE BLACK

LEGION (Warner Bros., 1937) with Humphrey Bogart, Brandon was perched on the edge for

star buildup. Why it never happened is a mystery. Within a couple of years, though working

consistently in motion pictures, he had slipped to cameos and walk-ons in innumerable thriller,

spy, and adventure films. In the 55 years he was in the industry he made around 200 acting

appearances, his name never rising above the title.

Eventually in two later films, THE SEARCHERS (Warner Bros., 1956) as “Chief Scar,” and

AUNTIE MAME (Warner Bros., 1958) as “Acacius Page,” the attractively handsome actor was

showcased in memorable roles. He should have had leading man status. His work was always

good, and he was more than enigmatic. The authors, much to my chagrin, do not delve into the

matter of his elusive film stardom, much less approaching the whys and wherefores of his never

achieving film immortality. They instead focus on his work in innumerable “B” pictures, many

of which have surprisingly achieved cult status.

A wonderfully researched and nicely written book on the actor’s career, HENRY BRANDON –

KING OF THE BOGEYMEN is a loving and valuable record of his film work. However, what

is missing in the book is a more detailed biography. His personal life, including his longtime

relationship with actor Mark Herron (former husband of Judy Garland), may or may not have

had much to do with his never achieving stardom. It is speculative as there are no interviews, per

se, quoted of him or his colleagues regarding him, and little to give the reader insight to the man

and his character. Still HENRY BRANDON – KING OF THE BOGEYMEN is a valuable

chronology and document of Brandon’s career.

THE FILM BIOGRAPHER, January 28, 2019

4 STARS

My book review of BARBARA PAYTON – A LIFE IN PICTURES (BearManor Media, 2018)

by John O’Dowd…..

Hollywood tragedy is nothing new. From the great to the small, those seeking the fulfilment of

dreams and ambitions in acting have suffered like many other mortals to the hand of fate.

Barbara Payton was one of those. Her downfall from being once a promising film actress to

becoming an alcoholic prostitute and drug user defies explanation. A few stars have overcome

their downfalls. But many have succumbed to their own capricious peccadillos.

Author John O’Dowd’s 2007 biography (by the same publisher) KISS TOMORROW

GOODBYE – THE BARBARA PAYTON STORY graphically chronicled Payton’s wasted life.

No other actress of modern times has slipped as far as did Barbara Payton (a fact which

mesmerized me back in 1969 when I first read her notorious 1963 “autobiography” I AM NOT

ASHAMED).

Barbara Payton could have become a bright movie star. She reached her film height near the

very beginning of her career starring opposite James Cagney in KISS TOMORROW

GOODBYE (1949). In this one singular film the ravishingly beautiful Payton showed real talent

and promise.

She only made three quality films. In 1950 she starred in DALLAS with Gary Cooper and

DISTANT DRUMS with Gregory Peck (both films not either stars’ best). She then met actor

Tom Neal (DETOUR) while dating Oscar nominated actor Franchot Tone (former husband of

Joan Crawford). Sparks flew and unsavory headlines were made, and Payton’s career began to

nosedive.

What caused this sudden change? It was Payton’s own lack of keen career and moral judgement.

A popular party girl on the Hollywood scene in the 1940s, Payton did manage to show spark

when she so desired. But it was usually done in private with numerous men, and not on the

screen. Her preference for conducting sexual encounters on and off the set showed true

unprofessionalism in an industry which required absolute dedication. Her fiery infatuation with

Neal, and eventual stormy marriage to Tone, were key elements in her film demise as well. Soon

enough Payton was featured in such “B” epics as BRIDE OF THE GORILLA. By 1955 she was

washed up in Hollywood.

After his own comprehensive biography of Payton, author John O’Dowd has now done

BARBARA PAYTON – A LIFE IN PICTURES. A beautifully designed volume with literally

hundreds of exquisite photos of the doomed actress (some pages unfortunately feature various

shots from the same sitting), this book is truly one man’s obsession. However, I love books like

this. O’Dowd’s passion for his subject is obvious; it shines through every page.

Barbara Payton’s life was tragic and sad. No one can take claim to its failure other than Payton

herself. She was the creator to her own destruction. Payton died in poverty in 1967, a burnt out,

alcoholic prostitute. She was just 39 years-old. And this was truly a Hollywood tragedy.