Customer Reviews:
This Book Delivers.......2007-09-04
This book really delivers if you're looking for a fair, in-depth look at what Loretta Young was like and to understand her daughter's difficult journey. This book is especially useful to Loretta Young fans since Young always seemed to want to paint an angelic saint-like image of herself. Loretta's human, just like the rest of us, and it's too bad she never figured out that it is okay to be human and make mistakes. I thought this book gave her mother a fair examination, and I would recommend it to Young fans as well as anyone who was ever raised to feel abandoned and unwanted.
An excellent book. I will reread it.......2007-08-16
I could not put the book down. Even though I am in my thirties, I love old movies. This was a very entertaining book and I am so glad I purchased it. The writer, unlike many other similar books, does not pity herself. She states the facts in a compelling manner. I found myself wanting to just reach out and give her a hug for the way she was brought up and treated. She really makes you feel like you were there. The pictures are great and really lend to the story. I would recommend this book wholeheartedly!!! It left me wanting to know what happened next in their lives.
A Different Loretta Young.......2006-09-14
Judy Lewis is the illegitimate daughter of Loretta Young and Clark Gable. Today, that sounds like nothing what with stars like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie having children out of wedlock and being praised for it. However, then, it was a major scandal, one that could have ruined both their careers forever. Young chose to have the baby instead of aborting it due to her Catholic faith and kept the child masquerading as her adopted daughter. In order to keep the secret, she did all she could to hide the traits she inherited from her parents by fixing the crooked front teeth that Young shared with her daughter and by surgically altering the size and shape of her ears that she shared with Gable.
It is startling and upsetting to think that Young would put an innocent child through that kind of torture instead of giving her up to another couple to love and care for. It seems we have another example of awful parenting by a major movie star here. I knew virtually nothing about Loretta Young's life other than the fact that I highly enjoy her pre-code films. Perhaps that is because she was still innocent during that era. It seems she hardened after that time; perhaps that was due to having a child. After reading this book, I have become angry at this woman for being so controlling, resentful, and condescending toward her own daughter, the girl that loved her mother despite constantly being destroyed by her actions.
Do not think that Lewis was trying for this result. Throughout the book, she praises her mother and tries to find explanations for her actions instead of blaming her. She is a commendable writer for her honesty and love for her subject despite everything. However, the truth came through.
Uncommon Knowledge.......2005-01-13
I saw Judy Lewis years ago in soap the Secret Storm and I noticed how much she resembled her mother Loretta Young. Therefore, I was very surprised when I read back then she was an "adoptee." I later read rumors here and there that she was a "love child" of Clark Gable and Loretta Young. I was not surprised by her revelations: anyone looking at her can see she was Loretta Young's natural daughter and there is a resemblance to Gable also. This is a story that needed to be told and it is good that Ms. Lewis did find out the truth about her roots. It also is an insightful look at the images of the stars back in the 1930s where someone having a child out of wedlock would be ruined. Today, there would be no problem revealing by a film star an out of wedlock pregnancy. This book is a must read for anyone interested in the Golden Age of Hollywood and for fans of Ms. Lewis and her natural parents, Loretta Young and Clark Gable.
Not Just One Autobiography.......2003-12-31
This is a very interesting book. It does not just tell the story of Judy Lewis, the illegitimate daughter of Clark Gable and Loretta Young, it also tells the story of a family over several generations. Judy had to dig into her mother and father's past to understand just what made them do what they did on that mountain in Baker, Washington that led to her being born. She tells about the histories of Loretta's parents-her mother virtually orphaned at the age of five- mother of five by the age of 28; a father who constantly cheated on his wife and left her raising five children all under the age of 10. As well as the history of her father, who's mother died at the age of 10 months, whose father never wanted Clark to be an actor because it was "sissy". Clark the man who married two women old enough to be his mothers.
She also describes the hardships they had to deal with when Loretta found out that she was pregnant. How the public knowing she had a baby by a married man would make her and Clark loose their jobs. Judy describes the acrobatics that Loretta did to make sure that the press never found out about her pregnancy and then what Loretta did to hide the fact that Judy was hers after she "adopted" her.
Judy goes on to describe her life after her mother married Tom Lewis. How Tom went from treating Judy like a princess to treating her like the hired help after his sons Christopher Paul and Peter Charles were born. Judy describes the years of emotional abuse that Tom meted out to her until the day when she was in her mid 20's and she heard him telling Christopher and Peter that because she was adopted she was not their sister.
Judy goes into detail about some of her friends and childhood adversaries. She tells about her friendship Daniel Mayer Selznick (the son of David O. Selznick and grandson of Louis B. Mayer.) She also tells about her friendship with people like Bucky Hearst (the grandson of William Randolph Hearst and cousin to Patty Hearst), and the children of Bing Crosby and Irene Dunne. Some of her adversaries were the children of other Hollywood Bigwigs who would make fun of Judy because of her big ears (a trait she inherited from her father and pasted on to her daughter and grandsons.) The teasing got so out of hand that Judy wanted to have surgery to get rid of them. Though she thought that the surgery was her idea it was really her mothers who did not want any evidence about the parentage of her "adopted" daughter because as long as Judy still had those "Dumbo" ears people would know that she was Clark Gables daughter.
Judy describes her early boyfriends like Robert Dornon and Jack Haley Jr. as well as the relationship she had with her fiancé Russell Hughes, whom nobody in her family liked. She goes into detail about her husband Joseph Tinney and their rocky relationship, which produced daughter Maria Tinney Dagit, and two grandchildren.
In the book, Judy also describes her on again off again relationship with her mother. She tells about when she was younger and her mother was very loving to her, but would not want to be asked about Judy's adoption to the scene after Judy was married and Judy finally confronted her mother about being her and Clark Gable's biological child to the fight that they had Mother's Day 1986 when the pain and anger Judy had about her childhood as well as the fact that her mother the movie star said that she did not have enough money to get a dress and pay for a plane ticket to Pennsylivania to go see Maria get married to Daniel Dagit.
All in all this is a very good book, and I recommend it to anybody interested in old Hollywood.
Book Description
Clark Gable arrived in Hollywood after a rough-and-tumble youth, and his breezy, big-boned, everyman persona quickly made him the town’s king. He was a gambler among gamblers, a heavy drinker in the days when everyone drank seemingly all the time, and a lover to legions of the most attractive women in the most glamorous business in the world, including the great love of his life, Carole Lombard.
In this well-researched and revealing biography, Warren G. Harris gives an exceptionally acute portrait of one of the most memorable actors in the history of motion pictures—whose intimates included such legends as Marilyn Monroe, Joan Crawford, Loretta Young, David O. Selznick, Jean Harlow, Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Spencer Tracy, and Grace Kelly—as well as a vivid sense of the glamour and excess of mid-century Hollywood.
Customer Reviews:
Plagiarism?.......2007-06-04
He lifted whole passages from Lyn Tornabene's bio "Long Live the King" but did not list her in the bibliography.
Clark Gable .......2007-05-08
Book was in excellent condition and a wonderful read. Gable led an interesting life and it was revealed with great detail. If you interested in biographies on celebrities from MGM era, this is a book to read.
Hard to Figure.......2007-03-10
As long as I live, I'll never understand people's motivations. What could possibly have motivated Harris in his writing of this book? He must have spent a tremendous amount of time and effort critically watching Gable and Lombard movies and researching their lives. Yet, after all that, he writes what amounts to a shoddily written, crass and unprofessional 400 page gossip column. He envinces not the slightest bit of interest in movies as art or entertainment. Every Gable movie is perfunctatorily described and quickly forgotten. No mention whatsoever is made of what Harris actually thinks of any movie's artistic or entertainment merits. This is actually the second Gable bio he's written. I haven't read Gable & Lombard & it has a perfect chance of never being read by me. Harris doesn't even like Gable or Lombard. He describes Gable as a lazy, insensitive, amoral manchild who used older women to break into show business and then passively achieved and kept worldwide fame with his good looks and screen persona. Clark Gable, lottery winner. To be fair, nobody claims Gable was any Spenser Tracy or Lawrence Olivier but give the guy a little credit for being at least a competent actor and moderately savvy celebrity. Harris describes Lombard as little more than a dimwitted & vulgar slut. In fact, Harris describes most of the actor/actresses as a bunch of bed hopping drunks with very little delineation. Celebrity bios do tend to be a bit condescending and gossipy but it is amazing this thing was even published.
NOT DEFINITIVE BUT ITS O.K........2007-01-17
This is not a definitive biography of Gable by any means. Its merely o.k. The writer portrays Gable in a variety of ways from male/whore/pimp to broken down/shattered/griefstricken to a man obssessed with his masculinity and sexual prowess. Gable may have been the epitome of masculinity in the movies and it is this that earned him the title of "King". The writer attempts to portray Gable as a martyr throughout the entire book. The fact of the matter is that the truth lies somewhere in between. Gable was a womanizer and it is a well-known fact that he would have sex with anything with skirts on. It is also a well-known fact that Gable, by his own admission, was not THAT GREAT an actor. He was competent most of the time. He was brilliant in "It Happened One Night", "Mutiny on the Bounty" and "Gone With the Wind". It is no coincidence that he was Oscar nominated only for those performances. It is also a well-known fact that Gable had a homosexual encounter with William Haines (MGM's biggest male star of the silents)in order to advance his career. It is also a well-known fact that Gable used his first two wives to further his career, cheated on them and ultimately divorced them. But it is also well-known that they used him too. The writer wants to portray Gable as a saint. Saint he was not. The book has its merits. It reads well (albeit with inacurracies) and is interesting, if you can overlook the gossip, tabloid style with which it is written.
Misinformation.......2007-01-06
I just bought this book and noticed that Warren Harris list Clark Gable character in "Cain and Mabel" as "Joe Cain" instead of "Larry Cain" which is the actual name of the character.
How many other things are wrong in this book?
Average customer rating:
- What a man! They don't make them like him anymore!
- A must for all Gable fans!
- Lots of facts and adorable photos of Clark Gable.
|
The Complete Films of Clark Gable (Repr)
Gabe Essoe
Manufacturer: Citadel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Biographies
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
| Actors & Actresses
| Directors
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Guides & Reviews
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0806509856 |
Customer Reviews:
What a man! They don't make them like him anymore!.......2001-01-10
As you can tell, I am a big Gable fan. Alas, he died the year I was born. I bought this book about a year ago at a used bookstore in Orlando, Florida and love it. There is a wonderful foreward by Charles Champlain followed by an informative and interesting biography of Clark and then two reminiscences of people that knew him before he became a superstar. One memoir is by a woman named Franz Dorfler who loved him deeply. Following Dorfler's fond recollection, we read one by Paul Fix, who recalled the days Gable was a stage actor. It is intriging to see Gable through two people that knew him well long before he became the indisputed King of Hollywood. The book has beautiful, big, black and white photos on nearly every page. It also details every film he was in, from his bit part in small films to the classic films of the thirties and forties, example, "Mutiny on the Bounty", "Gone with the Wind", "It Happened One Night", "Adventure" etc. For anyone out there who is a Gable fan of any degree, this is a MUST to own. I refer to it often, sometimes just to stare at his beautiful face and masculine build. It's definetly a keeper!
A must for all Gable fans!.......1998-02-02
I've seen a lot of Gable filmographies, but this one is definitely the best. Great photos, too. Get it if you can!
Lots of facts and adorable photos of Clark Gable........1998-01-22
I already knew most of the facts, but it's the type of book that you just buy to swoon over the photos of Clark. He's the best actor ever! There's sections for all his movies and Broadway performances, complete with photos and reviews. He's just so gorgeous!
Average customer rating:
- Boring and out of date
- Lombard almost lives again
- Nope, it ain't about Elvis
|
Long live The King: A Biography of Clark Gable
Lyn Tornabene
Manufacturer: Putnam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| Dance
| General
| Reference
| Theater
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Teacher's Pet
ASIN: B0006COY8G |
Customer Reviews:
Boring and out of date.......2006-04-27
I found this book to be a sort of boring story of the life of Clark Gable. Also there has been information about Clark Gable that makes this book out of date.
The book hardly mentions Loretta Young and in the early 1990's it came out that Clark Gable and Loretta Young had a secret love child. Instead of this I would recommend the biography by Warren Harris instead. It is more up to date
Lombard almost lives again.......2004-08-28
This is an excellent book, with perhaps the best word portrait of Lombard in existence, and with that portrait, one understands better the man Gable was after January 16, 1942. The text gives a well developed dimensional portrait of Gable that explores the darker sides of the man - and gives credible support to the Hollywood conviction that Carole Lombard died because of Gable's womanizing, specifically citing Lana Turner (Gable had just started work on 'Somewhere I'll Find You' with Turner when Lombard left on her war bond tour).
Nope, it ain't about Elvis.......2000-07-04
Clark Gable was The King long before Elvis started shaking his booty and long before Elvis even had a booty to shake! It's refreshing, in this biography, to read what a humble man this gorgeous, virile man had. Far from being the Rhett Butler-egomaniac, Gable actually thought he wasn't "that good-looking!" "I'm just a lucky slob from Ohio," Gable is quoted in the book as telling an interviewer.
Known largely for his on-stage role as Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind, also starring Vivien Leigh -- and his off-screen romance with Carole Lombard, Gable wooed more women than he ever could have bedded, what with those "come hither" eyes and dimples. Every woman who watched Gone With the Wind would have changed places with Vivien in a second in the famous "rape" scene where he roughly sweeps Scarlett in his arms and carries the kicking and screaming wife up the stairs. Of course, anyone who knows anything about love, Scarlett and that movie knows it surely wasn't rape!
Tornabene's book explores Gable's extreme professionalism as an actor and bits and pieces of the private life he chose to hide while alive. He was even described by the media as "boring" because he wouldn't talk about his private life!
Interesting in the book is that this journalist decided to make a most humble move and talk to a pscyhologist about the research to gain a different view of Clark Gable, as research alone provided pieces to the Gable puzzle but not the entire picture.
Average customer rating:
|
Clark Gable: A Hollywood Portrait
Marie Cahill
Manufacturer: Smithmark Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0831746025 |
Product Description
Any actor can become a star, but it takes a special kind of man to become an icon and a legend. Men like Clark Gable, John Wayne, Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, and Tom Hanks were possessed by a passion to be the best, a burning thirst for success transformed them into Gods of the Silver Screen. These men of action, romance, comedy, and drama have delighted audiences for generations. Hear the intimate details of their journeys to stardom. Explore their personalities, as divulged by those who knew them best. Listen to the secrets of their private lives in these revealing confessions.
Average customer rating:
|
Gable's Women
Jane Ellen Wayne
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Women
| Specific Groups
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Biographies
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
| Actors & Actresses
| Directors
Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| Dance
| General
| Reference
| Theater
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Clark Gable: A Biography
ASIN: 0133460401 |
Customer Reviews:
A great book!.......1998-02-04
Gable's Women is a wonderful book! It gives a real insight to the man. A must read for any fan!
Average customer rating:
- Biography lite, but diverting
|
Gable, Lombard, Powell and Harlow
Joe Morella , and
Edward Z. Epstein
Manufacturer: W.H. Allen / Virgin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| Dance
| General
| Reference
| Theater
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0491019750 |
Customer Reviews:
Biography lite, but diverting.......2000-06-25
This bio of four big stars from Hollywood's golden age is fairly fun, but strictly lightweight; there is no annotation, for instance, and consequently the facts don't seem as unassailable as they should. It is the kind of thing that would be an enjoyable beach read for the casual movie (or gossip) fan--but not something for serious fans.
Average customer rating:
|
Clark Gable (Legends)
Manufacturer: Little, Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| Dance
| General
| Reference
| Theater
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0316500569 |
Book Description
A spicy biography of the late Virgil Fox (-), who was the most successful and famous organist in history. Prepared by the organists managers for years, the book is based on a -page memoir of Foxs artistic heir and protg, Ted Alan Worth, with contributions by other associates and students who knew Fox intimately.
Customer Reviews:
Missing The Mark.......2004-05-28
I know the others reviewers liked the book, but I did not. I am a BIG Fox fan and REALLY wanted to like this book. I enjoyed the pictures and some of the reflections from musicians and other friends. However, the book includes unfortunate gossip--statements made in private among friends that Virgil, and any other sane person, would not have expected to be written down for public consumption many years later. There are also some statements about Mr. Fox's private life that I didn't want nor care to know. The book even lapses into bad taste (chapter title using sexual reference, as one example). So much for my great hope that this book would be appropriate to give to young people in order to inspire them. I just do not feels this book honored the life of such a great artist. I truly hope someone out there will write a definitive biography that emphasiez his positive accomplishments!
Extra Saucy please, Honey!.......2003-03-24
A loving, loyal, and often hilarious journey through the phenomenon that was Virgil Fox, "The Dish" lives up to its name from the moment you scan the Table of Contents. "Foam All Over His Face, Raving Like A Madman!", "That Hog-Eye-Stink-Crotch!" and "I've Always Preferred My Organs Upright!" are not at all unusual among the chapter titles as the story of this supremely gifted organist bounces along.
Roughly edited by two of his proteges from the reminisces of a third, "The Dish" is clearly a work springing from true belief in Fox's genius and deep affection for Fox himself. The contrast between the gravitas of his chosen medium, in which he spent years as a church organist in several major national congregations, and the wild joie de vivre and flamboyance with which he embraced the world around him, are a marvelous ride from one extreme to another. I picked up this book on a whim, and was shortly completely unable to detach it from my hands. Fox was such a wild ride himself, and this book is a warm testament not only to the power of belief in oneself, but the devotion of friends even after they've seen their idol's feet of clay (and been charged a dollar for the privilege -- Fox nickeled and dimed his guests for refreshments at his house!).
Delightfully unpretentious, honest and tender, "The Dish" is a mix of high and low culture, tasty and good for you. I am delighted to have learned about the organ community, but even more delighted -- at this safe remove -- to have met Virgil. "Thanks, Honey!"
Loved this book!.......2002-07-31
I loved reading this book and couldn't wait to pick it up a couple times a day! This book really tells the story of the man, good points, bad points, warts and all. You really got the essence of this great master of the organ.
VIRGIL AT LAST.......2002-07-17
"The Dish" is in many ways a sheep in Fox's clothing. This first biography of Virgil Fox is in reality a Ted Alan Worth (Fox's protegee) memoir of his time at the feet of the great organ virtuoso. It could also be described as the world's longest series of anecdotes with a healthy dose of inserted comments by Fox cohorts Richard Torrence, Marshall Yeager and many others As such it cannot be considered a true biography. That aside, it is the only large volume devoted to Fox, so for those interested in his life and loves (musically and otherwise) it is a must read. Worth was 14 when he first met Virgil in what must have been about 1946. The narrative starts at that point, omitting the first 34+ years of Fox's life. Why he learned to love the organ, his rise to prominence and early concert career before World War II are left out. Too bad. It would have been nice to have known the full story of his inspirations. "The Dish" sounds like it was dashed off in one long paragraph, which in fact it was.
I found the stories relating to the organ companies themselves not too technical and full of the competitive spirit. Worth was on the forefront of both the Rodgers and Ruffatti organizations.
The little background, personal stories are a nice People magazine style break from the concertizing minutiae and other more solemn parts of the chapters. Everything from Fox's sex life to his wardrobe are given plenty of amplification. Few stops stay in regarding his personal life. Pictures abound giving faces to the many voices in the text. There are also quite a few variations on the themes of grammar and spelling (lightening for lightning as an example) which detract from the airy prose.
As a non-organist, I came to Fox through his "Heavy Organ" concerts that began in the 1970's. His magical way of introducing "us kids" to J.S. Bach with a pulsating light show behind him cannot be described and of course now cannot be experienced. It's been over 20 years since his death, so those who had the privilege will want to grab on to "Virgil Fox - The Dish" as a pleasant reminder of how great those mind-expanding nights at the theatre were, and how complex was the man who brought organ music to popular culture.
Customer Reviews:
A real blast from the past!.......2002-06-20
If you grew up reading, and loving, those great old DC science fiction comics of the 50's and 60's then you'll love this book. It is a nice little sampler of such comics as Tommy Tomorrow, Captain Comet, Star Hawkins, Space Cabby, Adam Strange, Space Ranger, the Atomic Knights, plus some really good general science-fiction themed stories. If anything, the printing is brighter and sharper than the originals were when they were first published. Other than the nostalgia value, these are some very good stories and some excellent retro art work (though it was anything but retro back then.) Funny, some of this stuff is more futuristic looking than anything you see nowdays.
My only disappointment was that my all time favorite sci-fi comic story "Brain Robbers of Satellite X" wasn't included. I got over it though- unlike some reviewers who didn't get their favorites....
A Disappointment for Silver Age Fans of Adam Strange.......2002-04-16
I ordered this volume, with expectations that I was going to get a selection of the best of Adam Strange material. Apparently, unknown to the editors, Mystery in Space became uniquely sucessful due to it's long term hosting of ADAM STRANGE in the 1960s, not due to it's secondary stories and certainly not due to the few science fiction stories they reprinted from twenty years later when the magazine had virtually no circulation.
Don't get me wrong, I like the silver age secondary stories, but they don't really have much to do with Mystery in Space per se and could have occured in Strange Adventures or whatever as fillers. Adam Strange is synonymous with MiS, and it's dumb to waste a celebration of MiS on a hodgepodge of other minor stories.
NOTE to DC:
We need a "Best of Mystery in Space with Adam Strange" from the Silver Age, or better yet an "Adam Strange Archives".
A Complete collection of the Atomic Knights silver age stories would be great also, as one of the minor series which had something special to offer.
Interesting, but only in an average sort of way........2000-05-23
I find it interesting to read old comic stories of the past. Unfortunitaly many of the short sci-fi stories of the 40s, 50s, and 60s that are presented in this volume are just a little to dull for my tastes.
This collection was by no means bad, it's just that I found most of the stories collected here to be bland or semi-interesting.
Interesting for sentimental reasons would be a perfect way for me to put it.
I'll rate it 3 stars out of 5. Based on the Amazon rating system this falls below the mandatory 4 star level that makes a book a worthwile read.
Unless you have a strong need to revisit past comics of the 40s, 50s, and 60s, then I would suggest you skip this book.
DC Space stars of the past return.......2000-02-15
I truly enjoyed seeing some of the classic science fiction comics stories from DC comics past. 33 stories in just 223 pages! They did know how to get to the point back then. The stories range from the years 1946 to 1981 and include just about every DC artist, writer and character that was involved in their space comics. Space Ranger, Adam Strange, The Atomic Knights, Tommy Tomorrow, Space Cabby and even Ultra the Multi-Alien are there, as well as a number of non series stories. Mind you, you don't get a lot of any of them. I for one would like to see the Atomic Knight reprinted in it's entirety... But I will take what I can get. There are also examples of the writing and art work of Gardner Fox, Kirby, Binder, Kubert. etc. Like I said just about all of them.I found this a very entertaining bit of nostalgia.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent collection!.......2005-09-21
Virgil Fox was one of the greatest. His stylistic editions are a joy to explore. I suggest getting all the recordings of his you can.
awesome!.......2005-09-21
I love the book....it has the best arrangements!! Received in a timely manner in great condition.
Average customer rating:
|
Witches And Sorcerers ( Includes How Magical Arts are Transmitted, Virgil of Naples, Popes & Prelates , Lady Alice Kyteler, Socrates & His Demon, Diverting Volcanic Fumes, Lovers of Wisdom , Amazing Life of Faust, Moorish Treasures, Francis Barrett, Magic
Arkon , Illustrated in B/W, Table Contents with Sypnopsis Chapters, Blank Endpapers Light FoX, DJ Design By Grisha Dotzenko Daraul
Manufacturer: NY Citadel Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J3U01C |
Average customer rating:
|
Art of Virgil Fox Vol 01
Virgil Cdangl 65426 Fox
Manufacturer: Angelic Encounters Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
Subjects
| Books
| Arts & Photography
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Business & Investing
| Calendars
| Children's Books
| Comics & Graphic Novels
| Computers & Internet
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Entertainment
| Gay & Lesbian
| Health, Mind & Body
| History
| Home & Garden
| Law
| Literature & Fiction
| Medicine
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Nonfiction
| Outdoors & Nature
| Parenting & Families
| Professional & Technical
| Reference
| Religion & Spirituality
| Romance
| Science
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Sports
| Teens
| Travel
General
| Books on CD
| Audiobooks
| Formats
| Books
ASIN: 630559547X |
Book Description
A spicy biography of the late Virgil Fox (-), who was the most successful and famous organist in history. Prepared by the organists managers for years, the book is based on a -page memoir of Foxs artistic heir and protg, Ted Alan Worth, with contributions by other associates and students who knew Fox intimately.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting book about a very famous organist.......2005-10-11
Based on a memoir by Ted Alan Worth, this is a look at easily the most famous organist since Johann Sebastian Bach.
Worth first met Fox when he played an organ concert at a church in California. Worth was totally blown away by the things Fox did that day; he didn't just play the organ (from memory, which was unheard of in the organ world), he mastered the organ. Is there a word beyond "virtuoso"? That is how good Fox was on the organ. After years of practice, Worth became one of the Fox "group" and became an organist on his own.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Fox was the organist at the Riverside Church in New York City. His gay lover, Richard Weagly, was the Choir Director. The unpleasant end to their relationship was played out in front of everyone. Fox spent a lot of time on tour, playing in churches and concert halls all over America. After each concert, Fox loved spending hours greeting everyone who stood in line to chat or get an autograph. He was a natural showman who wanted people to know who he was, and demanded to be able to be seen by the audience.
It was also the era of pipe organs (before electronics) where each pipe had to be tuned individually. Fox was extremely picky about the sound of whatever organ he was playing, frequently driving organ tuners nuts. In the late 1960s, Fox was asked to resign from the Riverside Church; he had gotten "too big" for the Church.
This book chronicles many ups and downs in Fox's life, both personal and professional. To replace Richard, his lover, Fox brought home a much younger man named David. He was not well liked by the people around Fox, including his manager, and David did little to endear himself to the group. In the late 1970s, Fox entered the hospital for a prostate operation. He was told that the whole tumor was removed, and everything was fine. Fox did nothing about it for a year, only to be told that just half the tumor was removed, and the cancer had spread. He died in October 1980.
This is an excellent, but specialized, book. Anyone who is interested in organ music, or the life of Virgil Fox, should read this book. For everyone else, Fox was a person who enjoyed life to the fullest, and it shows here. It is very much recommended.
Books:
- Untouchable: A Biography of Robert DeNiro
- Video Production: Disciplines and Techniques
- Waiting for Godot: A Tragicomedy in Two Acts
- Who Goes There
- Who the Hell's in It: Conversations with Hollywood's Legendary Actors
- Wide Open: Inspiration & Techniques for Art Journaling on the Edge (Book & Card Kit)
- William Goldman: Five Screenplays (Applause Screenplay)
- Withnail and I: The Screenplay - 10th Anniversary Edition
- Wong Kar-wai: Auteur of Time (Bfi World Directors)
- A New History of Documentary Film
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Managing Risk in the Foreign Exchange, Money and Derivative Markets
- Great American Bombers of World War II
- Urban Economics and Real Estate Markets
- 2004 Statement of Concepts
- Business Law: Principles for Today's Commercial Environment
- Courage After Fire: Coping Strategies for Troops Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and Their Famil
- Buying Books Online: Finding Bargains and Saving Money with Booksense Stores, Amazon Marketplace, an
- Bankruptcy and Insolvency Accounting: Practice and Procedures Forms and Exhibits, 1997
- A Declaration of Interdependence: Why America Should Join the World
- Man, Ducks and Politics
Forever Young : The Life, Loves, and Enduring Faith of a Hollywood Legend ; The Authorized Biography of Loretta Young
Complicated Women: Sex and Power in Pre-Code Hollywood
Haywire
Loretta Young Show:TV Series
Affair to Remember, An (Nova Audio Books)
