Miriam Hopkins: Life and Films of a Hollywood Rebel
424
Miriam Hopkins: Life and Films of a Hollywood Rebel
424eBook
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Overview
In the first comprehensive biography of this colorful performer, Allan R. Ellenberger illuminates Hopkins's fascinating life and legacy. Her freewheeling film career was exceptional in studio-era Hollywood, and she managed to establish herself as a top star at Paramount, RKO, Goldwyn, and Warner Bros. Over the course of five decades, Hopkins appeared in thirty-six films, forty stage plays, and countless radio programs. Later, she emerged as a pioneer of TV drama. Ellenberger also explores Hopkins's private life, including her relationships with such intellectuals as Theodore Dreiser, Dorothy Parker, Gertrude Stein, and Tennessee Williams. Although she was never blacklisted for her suspected Communist leanings, her association with these freethinkers and her involvement with certain political organizations led the FBI to keep a file on her for nearly forty years. This skillful biography treats readers to the intriguing stories and controversies surrounding Hopkins and her career, but also looks beyond her Hollywood persona to explore the star as an uncompromising artist. The result is an entertaining portrait of a brilliant yet underappreciated performer.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780813174334 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | University Press of Kentucky |
| Publication date: | 01/12/2018 |
| Series: | Screen Classics |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 424 |
| File size: | 14 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
| Age Range: | 18 Years |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Prologue 1
1 "From a Fine Old Family" 5
2 Broadway Bound 17
3 Billy 34
4 Of Paramount Importance 46
5 Hollywood 57
6 "An Expensive Leading Woman" 67
7 The Lubitsch Touch 87
8 Sutton Place 96
9 Goldwyn 111
10 Tola 128
11 West Hollywood to Burbank 144
12 "Perfect Little Bitches" 154
13 All This, Jack Warner, and Bette Davis, Too 167
14 Angels Battle in Boston 185
15 "This Is Pure Hopkins" 194
16 To New York and Back 204
17 "A Little Off-Center" 217
18 "They Are Sure Reds" 225
19 "How Many Times Can You Come Back?" 236
20 The Final Years 254
21 "If I Had to Do It Over Again" 264
Epilogue 273
Acknowledgments 279
Appendix 283
Notes 295
Bibliography 333
Index 337
Illustrations follow page 174
What People are Saying About This
"The too often underrated and overlooked Miriam Hopkins is finally getting the spotlight she deserves. Allan Ellenberger has excavated the nuances and fascinating complexities of the woman Tennessee Williams thought he was complimenting when he said she was "the quintessence of the female, a really magnificent bitch." It turns out that Hopkins life off camera was as dramatic as any role she played."
"Allan Ellenberger's thorough, empathetic biography captures the passionate, full-blooded life of celebrated actress Miriam Hopkins, revealing the idiosyncratic and complex life of one of Hollywood's most intelligent women."
"Tennessee Williams called her a 'Magnificent Bitch.' There's probably no better label to summarize the forceful hurricane known as Miriam Hopkins, whose professional achievements both on Broadway and in Hollywood were as notable as her feuds with Bette Davis, Edward G. Robinson, Samuel Goldwyn, Warner Bros. head Jack Warner, and other luminaries of the studio era. Allan Ellenberger's Hopkins bio is a must-read for those interested in getting to know this complex, contradictory, and immensely talented 20th century personage who dared to rebel against conventional 'woman roles' both on and off screen."
"This thoroughly researched and well-sourced work is riveting and gives an in-depth examination of Hopkins's screen, stage, radio, and television performances. Ellenberger has crafted a fascinating portrait of a multidimensional actress and woman."
"As Ellenberger's approach mines detail after detail and anecdote after anecdote, from Hopkins's echt southern beginnings to every zigzag of her life afterward, the woman who emerges is complex and compulsively compelling." — Sheila Benson, former chief film critic for the Los Angeles Times and writer for the National Society of Film Critics
"The too often underrated and overlooked Miriam Hopkins is finally getting the spotlight she deserves. Allan Ellenberger has excavated the nuances and fascinating complexities of the woman Tennessee Williams thought he was complimenting when he said she was "the quintessence of the female, a really magnificent bitch." It turns out that Hopkins life off camera was as dramatic as any role she played." — Cari Beauchamp, author of Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Powerful Women of Early Hollywood
"Outstanding for its authoritative research, Allan R. Ellenberger's Miriam Hopkins: Life and Films of a Hollywood Rebel is a lively, interesting book about a lively, interesting woman." — Emily W. Leider, author of Myrna Loy: The Only Good Girl in Hollywood
"This thoroughly researched and well-sourced work is riveting and gives an in-depth examination of Hopkins's screen, stage, radio, and television performances. Ellenberger has crafted a fascinating portrait of a multidimensional actress and woman." — Christina Rice, author of Ann Dvorak: Hollywood's Forgotten Rebel
"Screen/stage star Miriam Hopkins has long deserved a full-length biography covering her extensive career. This meticulously researched book does the actress complete justice. The author presents a vivid study of a high-strung talent who, professionally and romantically, was often her own worst enemy. A great read!" — James Robert Parish, author of Hollywood Divas
"Allan Ellenberger's thorough, empathetic biography captures the passionate, full-blooded life of celebrated actress Miriam Hopkins, revealing the idiosyncratic and complex life of one of Hollywood's most intelligent women." — Mary Mallory, author of Hollywood at Play: The Lives of the Stars Between Takes
"Tennessee Williams called her a 'Magnificent Bitch.' There's probably no better label to summarize the forceful hurricane known as Miriam Hopkins, whose professional achievements both on Broadway and in Hollywood were as notable as her feuds with Bette Davis, Edward G. Robinson, Samuel Goldwyn, Warner Bros. head Jack Warner, and other luminaries of the studio era. Allan Ellenberger's Hopkins bio is a must-read for those interested in getting to know this complex, contradictory, and immensely talented 20th century personage who dared to rebel against conventional 'woman roles' both on and off screen." — Andre Soares, Alt Film Guide
"Screen/stage star Miriam Hopkins has long deserved a full-length biography covering her extensive career. This meticulously researched book does the actress complete justice. The author presents a vivid study of a high-strung talent who, professionally and romantically, was often her own worst enemy. A great read!"
"As Ellenberger's approach mines detail after detail and anecdote after anecdote, from Hopkins's echt southern beginnings to every zigzag of her life afterward, the woman who emerges is complex and compulsively compelling."
"Outstanding for its authoritative research, Allan R. Ellenberger's Miriam Hopkins: Life and Films of a Hollywood Rebel is a lively, interesting book about a lively, interesting woman."