Madeline Kahn: Being the Music, A Life

by William V. Madison

Overview

Best known for her Oscar-nominated roles in the smash hits Paper Moon and Blazing Saddles, Madeline Kahn (1942–1999) was one of the most popular comedians of her time—and one of the least understood. In private, she was as reserved and refined as her characters were bold and bawdy. Almost a Method actor in her approach, she took her work seriously. When crew members and audiences laughed, she asked why—as if they were laughing at her—and all her life she remained unsure of her gifts.

William V. Madison examines Kahn's film career, including not only her triumphs with Mel Brooks and Peter Bogdanovich, but also her overlooked performances in The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother and Judy Berlin, her final film. Her work in television—notably her sitcoms—also comes into focus. New York theater showered her with accolades, but also with remarkably bad luck, culminating in a disastrous outing in On the Twentieth Century that wrecked her reputation on Broadway. Only with her Tony-winning performance in The Sisters Rosensweig, fifteen years later, did Kahn regain her standing.

Drawing on new interviews with family, friends, and such colleagues as Lily Tomlin, Carol Burnett, Gene Wilder, Harold Prince, and Eileen Brennan, as well as archival press and private writings, Madison uncovers Kahn's lonely childhood and her struggles as a single woman working to provide for her erratic mother. Above all, Madison reveals the paramount importance of music in Kahn's life. A talented singer, she entertained offers for operatic engagements long after she was an established Hollywood star, and she treated each script as a score. As Kahn told one friend, her ambition was “to be the music.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781617037627
Publisher:	University Press of Mississippi
Publication date:	04/29/2015
Series:	Hollywood Legends Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	785,897
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

William V. Madison is a former producer at CBS News and a former associate editor of Opera News; he was the lone production assistant on the Broadway musical Rags in 1986. A graduate of Brown University and of Columbia's School of Creative Writing, he is a native Texan.

Table of Contents

Introduction 3

Part I 1942-69 7

1 Childhood 9

2 A Shoeshine and a Smile: Bernie Wolfson 12

3 The Manumit School (1948-53) 14

4 Life with Stepfather: Hiller Kahn (1949-58) 17

5 Hofetra (1960-64) 25

6 The Graduate: Green Mansions (1964) and Upstairs at the Downstairs (1965-66) 32

7 Pink-Slipped: How Now, Dow Jones (1967) 41

8 We've Never Seen You: New Faces of 1968 43

9 Cigars and Lavaliers: De Düva and Candide (1968) 47

10 Only Make-Believe: Promenade and Show Boat (1969) 54

Part II The 1970s 59

11 "Educated Shrieks": LaBohème (1970) 61

12 The City Slickers' Goodtime Hour: Comedy Tonight (1970) 64

13 The Man Who Came to Dinner: Two by Two (1970-71) 66

14 The Eunice Burns: What's Up, Doc? (1972) 73

15 Bon Voyage: Missing Candide (1971) 79

16 Honky-Tonk Parade: Paper Moon (1973) 83

17 Gooch's Lament: Mame and Other Curiosities (1972-73) 90

18 It's Twue: Blazing Saddles (1973-74) 95

19 The Half-Vision of What I Might Be: Boom Boom Room (1973) 99

20 Sweet Mystery: Young Frankenstein (1974) 103

21 Down in the Dumps in the Hollywood Hills: At Long Last Love (1975) 109

22 If You Loved as I Do: The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975) 119

23 What a Dog: Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976) 124

24 Live from New York: Saturday Night Live (1976) 128

25 So Glad We Had This Time Together: The Carol Burnett Show (1976) 131

26 Prelude to a Train Wreck: Marco Polo Sings a Solo and She Loves Me (1977) 135

27 The Drug Rumor 140

28 Dames in Distress, Pigs in Space: High Anxiety, The Cheap Detective, and the Muppets (1977-78) 143

29 Train Wreck: On the Twentieth Century (1978) 150

Part III The 1980s 173

30 Annus Horribilis: Simon; Happy Birthday, Gemini; Wholly Moses!; and First Family (1980) 175

31 It's Good to Be Somebody's Mother: A Little Off-Broadway and History of the World, Part I (1980-81) 181

32 Slipshod: Slapstick (Of Another Kind) (1982-84) 185

33 The Safe Place: Santa Fe (1982-83) 189

34 Madness and Mourning: Yellowbeard (1983) 195

35 Breaking into Television: Scrambled Feet (1983) 197

36 A Banana Boat to Nicaragua: Oh Madeline (1983-84) 202

37 Aftermath: City Heat, Ludlam, and Beyond (1984-85) 214

38 The Black Widow: Clue (1985) 219

39 You'd Be Surprised: Chameleon (1986), "Wanted: The Perfect Guy" (1987), and Mr. President (1987-88) 224

40 Back to Broadway: Born Yesterday (1988-89) 233

41 At First Glance: John Hansbury 241

Part IV The 1990s 243

42 The Trouble with Auteurs: Betsy's Wedding (1990) and Shadows and Fog (1992) 245

43 An International Guest Star: Avonlea (1991), For Richer, for Poorer and Lucky Luke (1992), and Monkey House (1993) 249

44 Calling on Dolly: Hello, Dolly! (1992) 253

45 Simply Gorgeous: The Sisters Rosensweig (1992-93) 259

46 The Mother of All Lawsuits (1993) 270

47 Mixed Bags: Mixed Nuts (1994) and Anyone Can Whistle (1995) 272

48 Idle Tongues: New York News, Saturday Night Live, For Love Alone, and London Suite (1995-96) 275

49 Do You Love Me, Pauline?: Cosby (1996-99) 281

50 Enlightenment in the Dark: Judy Berlin (1999) 289

51 Loving Madeline 297

Epilogue 303

Acknowledgments 308

Notes 311

Stage, Screen, and Television Roles and Recordings 324

Index 329

Editorial Reviews

08/03/2015
Madison, a former CBS News producer, gives comedian Madeline Kahn (1942–1999) the star treatment and provides fans with an in-depth, heartfelt look into her too brief life. Kahn died far too young at age 57, having enjoyed an early meteoric rise and earned back-to-back Oscar nominations for her work in the films Paper Moon and Blazing Saddles. For years, Kahn's professional and personal decisions were defined by her tumultuous childhood, specifically the fallout from having an undiagnosed mentally ill mother whom she looked after financially, and a father and stepfather who both left her mother. Kahn attended Hofstra on a drama scholarship but gave it up over the roles she was assigned and transferred to the music department. She worked in cabarets and made her opera debut in La Bohème. Realizing she couldn't keep up with singing's physical demands, she found herself in the enviable position of being directed by Peter Bogdanovich and Mel Brooks in career-defining roles. However, Kahn, who was a serious, earnest actor, worried about how audiences perceived her and struggled with the comedic, spacey parts she was often given. Madison offers a warm portrait of Kahn, and ends on an upbeat note, observing that Kahn experienced overdue romantic and professional fulfillment in her last years, including winning a Tony award and acting in the award-winning Judy Berlin for her final film. B&w photos. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"By 1974, Kahn was by any measure a star. . . . But then, according to William V. Madison in Madeline Kahn: Being the Music, A Life, it all disappeared. The talent didn't disappear, mind you; but it seems that Kahn's faith in herself, which was never strong, deserted her altogether. . . . The book, mind you, is not depressing; it is illuminating. . . . Madison has followed her career step-by-step; every job seems to be discussed, including guest shots on television series."

—Steven Suskin, Huffington Post

"Madison chronicles Kahn's life so lovingly that readers get a real fix on who she was and what made her so hilarious."

—Ed Sikov, Film Quarterly

"A superior portrait of a talented star."

—Library Journal

"An in-depth, heartfelt look into Kahn's too-brief life."

—Publishers Weekly

"A stunning achievement to rank alongside the very few really terrific theatrical bios."

—David Noh, Gay City News

"A searching and compassionate study."

—Michael Feingold, Theater Mania

"Well-researched and insightful."

—Associated Press

"A riveting and unforgettable portrait."

—Christina Haag, actress and New York Times bestselling author of Come to the Edge: A Love Story

"A fine biography, worthy of Madeline's unique talent and contribution."

—Robert Klein

"Actresses and female singers must read this book to get an idea of the kind of adversity that Madeline Kahn faced in her career and that they may face too. It's perfectly, absolutely normal to sing and dance and play—what's abnormal is trying to make a living from it."

—Michael Karm, director and teacher (Actors Studio West), Kahn's co-star (Two by Two), and acting coach

"A genuine and engrossing tribute. . . . I think it would even make Madeline Kahn smile."

—Rex Reed

"When I started out in New York, in the late 60's, one of my earliest friends and fellow performers at Upstairs at the Downstairs was the inimitable Madeline Kahn. As young and struggling artists, we bonded as great friends, and remained friends for thirty years. Even back then, I knew her talent would take her far. She was so gifted in so many ways, it's difficult to summarize her genius.

"I'm delighted that William V. Madison's book has perfectly captured her irreverent humor as well as all the challenges she faced as a single working woman. Madeline continues to influence younger artists today, and her performances are a treasure for all of us."

—Lily Tomlin, "Below the Belt" revue, Upstairs at the Downstairs

"Bids to become the surprise biography of the year. A great untold story intriguingly revealed. Superbly researched, digs deep into the life and times of its subject and captures her essence."

—Dan Rather

"For everyone who found her an enigmatic delight on stages and screens, the book is a resonant must-read, evoking its subject and the golden age of theater and film in which she lived."

—Tom Shales, Pulitzer Prize-winning television critic

"Madeline Kahn is the best comic or dramatic actress, the best singer—serious or comic—and the best I've worked with, or known in my life."

—Gene Wilder

"Madeline was bright, committed, thoughtful, and one of the most remarkable actresses I have ever worked with. William V. Madison's biography captures Madeline's complexity and finely documents her career and personal life."

—Jane Alexander, actress, author, former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, and wildlife conservationist

From the Publisher

05/01/2015
Madeline Kahn (1942–99) was famous for her comedic roles in such films as Blazing Saddles and High Anxiety, but her talents extended beyond into the worlds of music, stage, and television. In this thoughtful biography, Madison, a former producer for CBS News, examines Kahn's career, offering a comprehensive look at her roles working with Gene Wilder, Lily Tomlin, Mel Brooks, Peter Boyle, Danny Kaye, and others. He explores Kahn's professional insecurities, difficulties with her mother, struggles within the performing industry, final illness, and lonely personal life until her relationship with and subsequent marriage to lawyer John Hansbury. Madison writes with candor and dignity, skillfully weaving personal details into the engaging narrative. He celebrates Kahn's triumphs and is honest about her failures, the 1978 Broadway musical On the Twentieth Century in particular. Kahn emerges as a gifted, genuine, and complex individual. Her versatile talents were more extensive than often acknowledged and were best summed up by the Irving Berlin song she exquisitely performed for the composer's 100th birthday tribute: "You'd Be Surprised." VERDICT This superior portrait of a talented star is supported by extensive interviews and archival research. Photographs and a thorough listing of Kahn's work enhance this fine book. For entertainment and circulating collections.—Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, NJ

Library Journal