Overview

"Charlotte Greenwood never intended to become a comedienne, but she was unfashionably tall at 5' 10"" and her early aspirations to become a great dramatic actress eventually led her to the field of comedy. Greenwood, whose early life had taught her nothing if not how to be optimistic, stifled her disappointment and used her considerable skill to become one of the greatest comedic actresses of the early twentieth century. Based on Greenwood's unpublished memoirs, this biography presents a personal, detailed look at her colorful life. Beginning with her early years in Philadelphia, Boston and Norfolk, it relates her struggles with ill health, her social difficulties caused by her then unusual height and her realization of her ambition to become an actress. The main focus of the work is her career, which spanned more than 50 years and ranged from vaudeville to the dramatic stage and, finally, to films (during the World War II years she starred in Twentieth Century Fox musicals with Cesar Romero, Betty Grable, Edward Everett Horton, Jack Haley, Don Ameche, and Carmen Miranda). Her roles in a variety of works including The Passing Show of 1912, So Long Letty (both stage and film), and I Remember Mama are also discussed. Special emphasis is placed on her career-defining (and best-known) role as Aunt Eller Murphy in the 1955 film adaptation of Oklahoma! Charlotte Greenwood's performance history, a list of her known recordings, and a filmography for her husband Martin Broones are also included, along with a collection of rare photographs and memorabilia."

Full Product Details

Author:   Grant Hayter-Menzies
Publisher:   McFarland & Co Inc
Imprint:   McFarland & Co Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 17.80cm , Height: 1.40cm , Length: 25.40cm
Weight:   0.467kg
ISBN:  

9780786429950

ISBN 10:   078642995
Pages:   266
Publication Date:   02 May 2007
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

Table of Contents Acknowledgments       Foreword by Brian Kellow      Preface      Introduction      Part One 1. “I come from a long line of Philadelphia barbers!”      2. Illness and Abandonment      3. Near Death in Boston, New Life in Virginia      4. “Show people were my people”      5. The White Cat      6. A Wayburn Girl      7. Two Girls and a Piano      8. The Passing Show of 1912      9. The Birth of Letty      10. Love and War      11. Trotting Tintypes and the Music Box Revue      12. “My darling”      13. Mrs. Martin Broones      14. Back to Hollywood      15. “Life is just a circus”      16. To London on the Santa Fe Express      Part Two 17. Wild Violets      18. Toast of the West End      19. “Charlotte Greenwood, the actress”      20. The Late Christopher Bean      21. Gay Deceivers      22. Letty’s Last Dance      23. “To the Antipodes and back”      24. Battle Drums      25. Zanuck and Stardust      26. Down Argentine Way      27. The Stars at War      28. Home in Indiana      29. Mrs. Eddy      30. Doris Day      31. Out of This World      32. Oklahoma!      33. “She knew what she had and she knew who she was”      34. Farewell Performance      Epilogue      Afterword by William Luce      Appendix A: Greenwood’s Performance History      Appendix B: Known Vocal Recordings of Greenwood      Appendix C: Lyrics Credited to Greenwood      Appendix D: Shows with Songs or Scores by Martin Broones      Appendix E: Martin Broones Filmography      Appendix F: Known Piano Recordings of Martin Broones      Appendix G: GUPPA (Greenwood’s Unusual Painless Pound Annihilator)      Appendix H: Greenwood’s Family Circle      Chapter Notes      Bibliography      Index     

Reviews

"""a first-rate biography...Grant Hayter-Menzies does his subject proud""--The Slide Area; ""extensively researched""--Vancouver Voice; ""a unique talent and an overlooked chapter in show business history, diligently researched and informatively written. Beloved Charlotte Greenwood has been brought back to life with candor and charm. A movie lover's must-read!""--Rex Reed, journalist, New York Observer; ""Charlotte Greenwood was a tough and bright show-biz cookie who broke the rules and wrote her own. Grant Hayter-Menzies chronicles her zig-zags, public and private, with remarkable passion and compassion, precision and perception. Those who only know Greenwood at twilight, essentially as sweet old Aunt Eller, are in for some happy jolts""--Martin Bernheimer, music critic, Financial Times, London."

a first-rate biography...Grant Hayter-Menzies does his subject proud --The Slide Area; extensively researched --Vancouver Voice; a unique talent and an overlooked chapter in show business history, diligently researched and informatively written. Beloved Charlotte Greenwood has been brought back to life with candor and charm. A movie lover's must-read! --Rex Reed, journalist, New York Observer; Charlotte Greenwood was a tough and bright show-biz cookie who broke the rules and wrote her own. Grant Hayter-Menzies chronicles her zig-zags, public and private, with remarkable passion and compassion, precision and perception. Those who only know Greenwood at twilight, essentially as sweet old Aunt Eller, are in for some happy jolts --Martin Bernheimer, music critic, Financial Times, London.

Author Information

Biographer Grant Hayter-Menzies lives in British Columbia. His works include biographies of Charlotte Greenwood, Princess Der Ling, Sarah Pike Conger, Pauline Benton, and Lillian Carter, along with the life of a dog, military mascot Rags of the First Division in World War I. He is the literary executor of playwright William Luce.

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