14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Have for All Hollywood History Buffs, July 6 2005
By K. L. McHale "hollywoodunderground" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Killer Tomatoes: Fifteen Tough Film Dames (Paperback)
In the world of Hollywood Biographies, you will find tons of books on Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe. But everyone else seems to have been forgotten. That is why "Killer Tomatoes" is such a wonderful book! It brings back to life the forgotten stars like Lynn Bari, Marie Windsor, Ida Lupino, Ann Dvorak, Gloria Grahame, Jean Hagen, Adele Jergans, Joan Blondell, Claire Trevor, Mercedes McCambridge and my favorite....Ann Sheridan. It also tells about more known (but still not as talked about) actresses like Jane Russell and Barbara Stanwyck. The book also presents the very well known Lucille Ball. With Lucille Ball, Laura Wagner reminds us that she was something BEFORE "I Love Lucy". This book is well researched and annotated and is just generally a fun read! Both Ray Hagen and Laura Wagner are to be complimented on presenting each of these ladies and not telling their stories in an overly fawning fashion (like some bios do) or whitewashing the stories. It's a great addition to anyone who collects books on Hollywood history. It's a real breath of fresh air in a stale Hollywood biography climate.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Stuff that Dreams are Made of, Mar 2 2005
By Jonathan Forte "jonny doowop" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Killer Tomatoes: Fifteen Tough Film Dames (Paperback)
I highly recommend this book to any classic movie lover. It is well-researched, informative, and entertaining. Unlike several other books of its kind, the two authors, in addition to covering the actresses' personal lives, also take the pains to explore and discuss the characters whom these women portrayed. In several instances, they lift direct dialogue from the films themselves to elaborate on their roles. What is the end result after reading this volume? Like me, I think you may find yourself trying to see as many of these films as you can! I anxiously await future writings from both Laura Wagner and Ray Hagen.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
These Tough Dames are tops, Sep 15 2005
By Charles Tranberg - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Killer Tomatoes: Fifteen Tough Film Dames (Paperback)
I've always been partial to the so-called dames rather than the ladies in movies. Don't get me wrong I love Katharine Hepburn and other ladies, but for my money the brassy dames of the films always gave as good as she got--and then some. This book includes some of my all-time favorites: Jane Russell, Lucille Ball--yes, it's important to remember that before Lucille became "Lucy" she was one of the best tough broads in pictures in films like "Dance, Girl, Dance" and "The Big Street", Joan Blondell, Ida Lupino and especially Barbara Stanwyck--I can't think of an American actress who combined so well toughness on the outside with a thick layer of vulnerability on the inside. The profiles are wonderful and I even learned a few new facts that I never knew before. I highly recommend these Killer Tomatoes.