Richard A. Lertzman

OK, it's great fun, backroom, backstage insights, culturally laden Drugs & Fame.

The drug stories are odd, but what is going on in the author's mind is every odd-er:
* he, the author, Richard A Lertzman, tries repeatedly to justify JFK's assassination so that (get this) the vile Lyndon B Johnson "could implement his social program" by which he means Johnson's "Great Society", which he never could or did implement because he was to busy murdering Vietnamese and Americans in Vietnam - until his own son went over, and then he started to try to stop the Vietnam war. Anyway, as we can all see: no great society.

* he, the author, criticizes JFK's attempts to leave Vietnam (we now know that JFK made no real attempt to leave Vietnam) because it would deny the US access to a Vietnamese deep-water port.

* failed completely to develop the character of Jacobson (Dr Feelgood) at all, despite this being Jacobson's biography.

A very flawed book.
… (altro)

This is a no holds barred biography of entertainer Mickey Rooney. Rooney was definitely talented - actor, singer, dancer, composer, live performer, and accomplished in playing numerous musical instruments. He was the number one box office star in 1939 - over Clark Gable. During many film conventions - Hollywood's old guard have always said he was the most talented of them all. You only have to see his work in films like Boys Town or The Human Comedy to be awed by his talent. And for someone to have been in films for 10 decades is an accomplishment that I think few other actors can boast of. However, as a human being, Rooney was dysfunctional. As soon as his father learned his mother was pregnant he was essentially abandoned by his father. His early work in vaudeville made him the breadwinner of the family by the age of 5. His signing with MGM would have been a blessing except for the fact that MGM micro-managed all the stars so they knew nothing about basic things such as how to write a check and certainly not how to manage money. Between gambling, women, and drinking, Rooney lived the high life including eight marriages and nine children, none of which he had a real relationship with. At the end, Rooney is blaming everyone but himself for not having the fortune he should have had. The authors interview many who knew Rooney - including wives, children, co-stars, managers, and even Rooney himself. In the end, you don't feel sorry for Rooney because of his arrogance and lack of feeling for anyone but himself. There is a complete filmography as well as Broadway appearances. This is currently the most complete study of Rooney and for any film fan, well worth reading.… (altro)