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Kirkus Discoveries says:
The first full-length biography of a gifted
film and singing star of the '40s and '50s.
Gloria Jean Schoonover, more popularly known and
remembered by her professional name, Gloria Jean, had a rich life in Hollywood,
relatively untouched by scandal. Discovered by Joseph Pasternak for the
movie The Under-Pup in 1939, Gloria Jean not only had star-quality
beauty and a dramatic flair, but also a pleasing coloratura singing voice.
After her impressive debut, Gloria Jean went on to share the screen with
established stars such as Bing Crosby, Groucho Marx, W.C. Fields and Donald
O'Connor, among others. Due to poor management, crooked agents, and shifting
studio politics, she never achieved the stature of many of her peers. The
authors, an experienced husband-and-wife film-historian team, bring great
sensitivity and authority to their subject, and Gloria Jean herself provides
fascinating anecdotes of her career, which has, unfortunately, been largely
forgotten by the general movieogoer. Nearly 50 pages of photographs—including
movie stills and posters, and publicity photos—augment the text, as well
as a complete list of her movies, musicals and music.
A must-read for film buffs that will hopefully
stimulate further discussion of Gloria Jean's work.
John McElwee at Greenbriar Picture Shows says:
[O]ne of the best up-and-down the stardom
ladder sagas I’ve ever read. Finally, someone takes an actress who’s been
ignored too long and tells her story with insight and affection. Gloria participated
through the whole thing. She’s eighty this year and lays it on the line about
her star years and the ones that followed... The [book] has a raft of stills
from Gloria Jean’s personal collection, including a lot of really obscure
appearances that were totally unknown until research for the book revealed
their existence.
Amazon.com reader response:
One of the finest, most comprehensive books ever written about a show business figure... an engaging blend of biography, autobiography, show biz history, and film analysis.All
Customer Reviews at Amazon.com: Click the link and scroll down to
read reviews.
This website is maintained by Jan and Scott MacGillivray. Questions
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All text is copyright © 2006 by Scott MacGillivray
and Jan MacGillivray.