How to be a Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood
by William J. Mann
Elizabeth Taylor was an actress hailed and remembered for many qualities. Her beauty, talent, iconic films, many and memorable marriages, and activism. She was also the first movie star to create a perfume line. The most incredible and lasting legacy of Elizabeth Taylor is the subject of William J. Mann’s fantastic biography: She was the first modern movie star.
Movie stars, as we know them today, are involved in romantic scandals, act wild at parties, represent several perfume labels, and are followed by paparazzi constantly. Before Elizabeth Taylor’s heyday, Hollywood studios did everything they could to cover up any hint of scandal involving their stars. If someone had an extramarital affair, homosexual preferences, a bar brawl, or a drunken scene at a nightclub, studios paid the press to cover it up. They wanted the public to think stars were “stars”, without imperfections. Elizabeth Taylor changed everything. Her homewrecking affairs were announced across the world; her marriages were full of drama, and the public learned the details. When she traveled abroad, the paparazzi followed her and climbed up the walls of her hotel to take and sell photographs of her. This isn’t shocking at all nowadays, but it certainly was back in the 1950s and 1960s.
I absolutely loved this book, and I continually recommend it to all my friends who are Liz Taylor fans. Her journey to stardom was so fascinating. Depending on your point of view when you read the book, she can seem like an innocent bystander or a calculating woman who knew how to gain and keep fame. No matter which stance or shade of gray you take, it’s easy to appreciate her lively and vivacious personality. Mann includes colorful anecdotes from film sets and writes romances that belong in a novel. It’s a wonderfully fun read, and I wholeheartedly recommend it for anyone who likes dramatic movie star biographies. I actually wasn’t the biggest Elizabeth Taylor fan before I read the book; I grew to love her as I read her life story.
The only downside some might find with the book is the ending. Mann doesn’t chronicle her later years. There’s virtually no mention of her AIDS activism, or her journey through the 1980s and 1990s. I didn’t mind the large omission because it reflected Mann’s theme. The book chronicles her journey in becoming the first modern movie star. Once the title has been achieved, Mann stops writing. If you’re looking for a book about Liz’s later life, look elsewhere. But if you want to read the ups and downs, passion, charm, and intelligence of Liz from the 1940s-1970s, this is probably the best book out there.
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's reviews of Elizabeth Taylor's films here!
Movie stars, as we know them today, are involved in romantic scandals, act wild at parties, represent several perfume labels, and are followed by paparazzi constantly. Before Elizabeth Taylor’s heyday, Hollywood studios did everything they could to cover up any hint of scandal involving their stars. If someone had an extramarital affair, homosexual preferences, a bar brawl, or a drunken scene at a nightclub, studios paid the press to cover it up. They wanted the public to think stars were “stars”, without imperfections. Elizabeth Taylor changed everything. Her homewrecking affairs were announced across the world; her marriages were full of drama, and the public learned the details. When she traveled abroad, the paparazzi followed her and climbed up the walls of her hotel to take and sell photographs of her. This isn’t shocking at all nowadays, but it certainly was back in the 1950s and 1960s.
I absolutely loved this book, and I continually recommend it to all my friends who are Liz Taylor fans. Her journey to stardom was so fascinating. Depending on your point of view when you read the book, she can seem like an innocent bystander or a calculating woman who knew how to gain and keep fame. No matter which stance or shade of gray you take, it’s easy to appreciate her lively and vivacious personality. Mann includes colorful anecdotes from film sets and writes romances that belong in a novel. It’s a wonderfully fun read, and I wholeheartedly recommend it for anyone who likes dramatic movie star biographies. I actually wasn’t the biggest Elizabeth Taylor fan before I read the book; I grew to love her as I read her life story.
The only downside some might find with the book is the ending. Mann doesn’t chronicle her later years. There’s virtually no mention of her AIDS activism, or her journey through the 1980s and 1990s. I didn’t mind the large omission because it reflected Mann’s theme. The book chronicles her journey in becoming the first modern movie star. Once the title has been achieved, Mann stops writing. If you’re looking for a book about Liz’s later life, look elsewhere. But if you want to read the ups and downs, passion, charm, and intelligence of Liz from the 1940s-1970s, this is probably the best book out there.
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's reviews of Elizabeth Taylor's films here!