Amazon.com
The debut volume from the new L.A. Weekly imprint at St. Martin's Press, Diana McLellan's witty and penetrating study of the golden age of Hollywood sapphism will delight the armchair detective as well as the lavender movie buff. Thanks to McLellan's obsessive sleuthing, The Girls offers not only the most detailed biography of Mercedes de Acosta, seducer of the stars, but provides tantalizing evidence of an early affair in Germany between Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo, women who in later life claimed never to have met. Much of the book is devoted to Garbo--another sign of the author's good taste--and revelations abound. Sadly, the golden age gave way to McCarthyism. Even the "gayest" of Hollywood lesbians retreated into the closet, or, like de Acosta, left for Europe. McLellan tracks their disappearance in the 1950s and 1960s against the first stirrings of the gay rights movement, providing a satisfying conclusion to a fascinating but not always happy tale. --Regina Marler
Book Description
From the complex love life of the elegant Mercedes de Acosta through Isadora Duncan and Tallulah Bankhead to Garbos lover Salka Viertel, McLellan untangles a passionate skein of connections that stretches from the theater to brazenly bisexual socialites deep into the heart of the film industry.
Customer Reviews:
McLellan's tone makes the book.......2006-11-19
Homosexual activity in Old Hollywood was wrapped in such a thick shroud of secrecy, it's doubtful there will ever be a "definitive" book on the subject. The reviewers who criticize this book as being too speculative miss the point that, with so little provable fact to work with, any book on the subject winds up being speculative. (Even interviewing surviving family and friends doesn't guarantee the researcher will avoid opinions, lies and personal agendas.)
Since there are so many holes chroniclers must fill in, the books end up being more of a Rorschach test of the authors than an objective presentation of the history. (And in reading the reviews here, I'd hazard the opinion that it becomes a Rorschach of the READERS, too!)
Here's my personal Rorschach:
I couldn't disagree more with the comment that McLellan's tone was off-putting. Her tone was precisely what I liked best about this---yes---speculative romp. (The term "my girls" is patronizing? Funny, I felt the author's distinctive *affection* for her subjects with that phrase.)
I have read far too many Old Hollywood biographies written by disapproving authors. In these books, lesbianism was presented as a seedy, shamefaced, sideline activity which resulted from either inebriation or narcissistic hedonism.
However, McLellan dares to create a tone of celebration when talking of her subjects and their attraction to each other. Yes, these women were catty and manipulative and their affairs were short-lived and often shallow. However, throughout the book, McLellan creates the feeling that these women were capable of genuinely loving life and each other between melodramas. Wow. Women-loving-women being portrayed as actually being FUN? How radical is that? (wink)
Take the book with a grain of salt, (like all other books on the subject, even William J. Mann,) but enjoy the fact that women-loving-women in Old Hollywood DID exist and that some of it was actually a celebration.
Herta von Walther was in Joyless Street, not Dietrich.......2006-07-15
`"I'm of course aware that some believe that Herta von Walther played the Dietrich role in the Garbo film Die freudlose Gasse, "The Joyless Street",' so writes Diana McLellan.
Despite the author's claim that Marlene was in Pabst 's "The Joyless Street," there is absolutely no evidence that any actress other than Herta von Walther played the part of the woman in the butcher line.
McLellan certainly has no proof that Marlene played the part. Therefore any thing she says about her in that role is opinionated speculations.
There is, however, much evidence that Herta von Walther was in that role.
Marlene and Herta did appear together in one film in 1923, Tragödie der Liebe.
There is no evidence that Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich ever appeared in any films together.
The fact is that Herta made four films with the director of The Joyless street between the years 1925 and 1928. The four are Joyless Street, Secrets of a Soul, Love of Jeanne Ney, Abwege.
There is no record of director Georg Wilhelm Pabst having ever made any films with Marlene Dietrich.
Too much conjecture.......2005-10-07
Interesting book, a quick read, and an interesting perspective about the evil influence of Salka Viertel on the career of Greta Garbo. Ironic that the only friend she ever trusted ruined her career (Salka Viertel). I did not like Greta Garbo's treatment of her loyal friend/lover Mercedes. Greta Garbo is depicted as a young woman who developed some strange coping mechanisms in order to survive in Hollywood. Some things that the author wrote about seem fictional or conjecture, for example, Greta stripped down to nothing in front of Georges Schlee for a fitting by his designer wife. How could the writer know such things unless she interviewed Mr or Mrs. Schlee themselves?
Fun, But Too Many Flaws.......2004-08-16
Sure, I had fun reading this book. But the Amazon reviewer who termed it "highly speculative" is understating the case. Opinion, conjecture, hearsay, and speculation too often take the place of thorough, solid documentation. And unlike many other Amazon reviewers, I found McLellan's tone off-putting. She alternates between patronizing her subjects (the very notion of calling them "my girls," for instance) and setting them up primarily as sources of voyeuristic thrills for the herself and the reader. Is the book dishy and intriguing and flamboyant? You bet. But is the topic of lesbianism in Hollywood well-served here? I don't think so.
Excellent Survey!.......2003-07-08
Now this book on stars' sexuality was definitely worth buying! I could not even put it down. Miss McLellan does a superb job in revealing the true side of many of Hollywood's top female stars. And, let me tell you, some of the pictures were unbelievable! It was great fun to read about Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich and Tallulah Bankhead, as well as others such as Barbara Stanwyck, Claudette Colbert and Judy Garland. This is a must for any classic film buff, and anyone interested in sociological or sexual topics. A+
Average customer rating:
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Sappho Goes to Hollywood : The Girls
Diana McLellan
Manufacturer: Robson Books
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KEY BENEFIT:
This book is aimed at Advanced Methods in Music Education courses, which address the organization of a curricular framework for upper elementary and secondary school students. Designed to guide older beginners through the transition from folk songs as the basic vehicle of instruction to art music as the core of the music curriculum, this step-by-step guide features 19 lessons organized precisely in the sequence of the Kodaly Method. Its interactive, outcome-based approach exposes students to the great music of the world, letting them experience its dynamics in a firsthand, meaningful way.
Customer Reviews:
Kids can do more than you think they can........2006-10-18
In this book, Choksy recounts classroom activities which she has presented in upper elementary elementary school. She dispenses with the usual Surprise Symphony and Persian Market and, instead, performs tasks which are usually confined to the conservatory. Rondos, fugues, sonata movements--you name it, she taught it to upper elementary children.
I have just two questions, though:
Question number one: Can Choksy really assure us that any classroom music teacher can get similar results? My high school orchestra teacher taught a music appreciation class which the school counsellors recommended as an easy class for dumb students. He couldn't get them to recognize the themes in rondos and sonata movements. Was he really incapable of getting better results? Or should he have read this book?
Question number two: On pages 5-6, Choksy tells an interesting story: At the beginning of the year, the sixth-graders came into class carrying an armload of pop records. Her predecessor had given up trying to control those big and tough kids, and was finally reduced to bribing them with a daily fun session as a reward for good behavior.
She repaired the damage by establishing herself as a mean ugly witch. From this point forward, there will be no more pop records. She will make all the decisions and that's that.
This brings up the age-old question of whether learning should be content-centered, student-centered, or an optimum balance of the two. At any time, young people are listening to music which could demonstrate any number of technical terms. Minor modality? Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is a masterpiece, but "Sealed With a Kiss" by Bryan Hyland is kinda nice, too. Ritornello? Monteverdi is great, but the Beatle song "Michelle" isn't so bad either. For a lesson on harmony, compare Schubert's Serenade with "Heart and Soul" and see if you don't find a similarity.
Last I heard Choksy had retired from teaching music and set up a bed-and-breakfast business. I hope that the loss for the music teaching profession has been offset by the gain for the bed-and-breakfast business.
Book Description
How to perform over 600 card tricks, devised by the world's greatest magicians. 66 illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
Good Learners Book.......2007-05-03
Ordered this book as a gift for my husband. He's new to card tricks. While he didn't find the entire book useful, he did find a lot of interesting/entertaining tricks to work on.
Overall 4 stars because it helped him learn some new tricks but didn't keep him occupied for more than 2 weeks :).
A great book for ideas.......2007-03-30
Some people cook by recipe, others "by ear," so to speak. I do magic by ear. That is, I look for ideas, and then usually tweak things to fit what I think makes sense.
This is a tremendous book for ideas! Lots and lots and lots of them.
So for a "give me an idea I can run with" person, I think this book is just great. For someone looking more for a step-by-step recipe, this probably isn't the book for you.
Good start.......2007-02-19
The title of the book gives a good idea of what is in store. Primarily an information source of magic card tricks.
Light on useable information so far as performing is concerned, yet good for the historian.
Then again, most magicians are weak performers and strong on history, so this book will be a treat.
Very Complete Book of Card Tricks.......2004-11-15
This book is great in its completeness and organization. It walks you through most of the card tricks. This book is not geared toward beginners or younger audiences. If you are a visual learner this book is not for you. There are very few pictures and diagrams so you will have to use your imagination at times to visualize what the trick is supposed to look like based on the descriptions.
Card Tricks book is a great reference.......2004-01-22
The cardtricks book is well written and PACKED with card tricks - more than you could deal with in a lifetime. Hugard has written many books on the subject and you can't go wrong. Another online resource I found and loved is http://www.ellusionist.com - amazing site with card trick movies and a bunch of cool stuff.
Average customer rating:
- EXCELLENT!
- DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND DON'T BUY THIS BOOK!
- Magnificent!
- Nicely explained and great for beginners
- Wonderful Resource For Beginner or Advanced Magicians!!!!
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The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Card & Magic Tricks
The Diagram Group
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Similar Items:
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Encylopaedia of Card Tricks
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Self-Working Table Magic: 97 Foolproof Tricks with Everyday Objects
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Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic
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Self-Working Mental Magic
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Magic for Dummies
ASIN: 0806993472 |
Book Description
83 card tricks appear: key card tricks, mathematical card tricks, tricks using arranged stacks of cards, sleight of hand, and tricks using two packs of cards, as well as special cards, props, and card novelties. And 66 magic tricks --with coins, silks and handkerchiefs, string and rope, paper, mind games, and mathematical tricks. Worth the price of the book for any beginner are the 30 pages of card handling methods. There's even a section on how to get the truly "magical" effects that will have your audience shaking their heads in disbelief and calling for more. 512 pages (all in 2-color), 4 3/16 x 5 1/4.
Customer Reviews:
EXCELLENT!.......2000-03-31
I think this book is the best! It has everything including slight-of-hand maneuvers and a great deal of card tricks! I would recomened getting this book. Even after four and a half years of being a magician, this book was still useful. GET THIS BOOK
DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND DON'T BUY THIS BOOK!.......1999-09-09
I am an amateur magicican and I must say this book is lousy at best. This is definately a book that you should judge by its title. (it is actually quite small barely fitting in your hand). As the latter suggests, it is quite difficult to hold on to this book since its really so small in size. As far as the contents, the book does not contain any useful slights. In addition, the tricks are not explained in a whole lot of detail and the pictures don't help at all either. I did learn some tricks which were quite good, but it took considerable time to learn based on the nature of the book. Do yourself a favor and buy Mark Wilson's Complete course in magic.
Magnificent!.......1999-07-12
This book is an excellent guide to those who wish to put on magic shows or just make friends ask you, "how the heck did you do that". While some of the props you have to make yourself, most of these tricks can be done with everyday objects. It also allows you to add your own creativity to the tricks. A great book!
Nicely explained and great for beginners.......1998-11-17
This book is great for those wanting to learn easy to moderately difficult card and magic tricks.
Wonderful Resource For Beginner or Advanced Magicians!!!!.......1998-08-23
This is by far one of the most comprehensive books on magic I have seen. I have been a magician for nearly ten years now, and I still find use for this versatile manual of magic. It has everything from card and rope magic, to amazing parlour tricks!!! If you are beginning in magic or are just looking for a new resource for your repetior, you will find what you need to spice up your act in this book. I love the book and would recommend to anybody!
Book Description
Read the Preface, Introduction, and Chapter 1 at thewellnessrevolution.paulzanepilzer.com.
Five years ago, Paul Zane Pilzer outlined the future of an industry he called “wellness” and showed readers how they could get in on the profitable bottom floor. The New Wellness Revolution, Second Edition includes more guidance and business advice for entrepreneurs, product distributors, physicians, and other wellness professionals. It’s an industry that will only grow, so get in while you can.
Customer Reviews:
Wellness is worth it!.......2007-08-07
Paul educates the reader about how to take part in the next trillion dollar industry by getting into health and wellness.
Question about something.......2007-07-30
I have read some of this book in the bookstore because it looked rather interesting - and is. And maybe I'm stretching things, but I was 'confused' by some things in it, and here is one example. He talks about Dr. Mercola's website, which I had previously learned about and registered on. Then later in the book, he touts how GREAT soy is. Well anyone that follows Mercola's website knows that Dr. M does not promote soy and actually has articles detailing the adverse effects that regular consumption of soy can produce. And with Pilzer writing about Mercola and later about how good soy is, well those two items are in conflict to me. I suppose I should see this book more along the lines of reference material as well as a promotion of how trends will tend toward pro-health activities and lifestyles, not forgetting to mention the potentially profitable opportunities that exist. I guess when I read a book, I expect topics and information to run along similar lines. It would be like say a democrat writing a book about his liberal views, with a chapter detailing how Roe vs. Wade should have been thrown out altogether. It just wouldn't be the expected fit for me. I welcome any comments to help me see things more accurately. Feel free to write to me at purpleshake on gmail if so inclined. Thank you.
The New Wellness Revolution - Rocks`.......2007-07-03
Being in the Health and Wellness industry i found this book to be state of the art. A definite read for everyone.
Brian Brown.......2007-04-11
This book was amazing. Paul is dead on the money. As the owner of a fast growing Health & Wellness company, it is affirming to hear that I am doing the right things. It also gave me a lot of new ideas for my current projects. If anyone is considering being involved in this trillion dollar industry, this book is a must read!
A must read for anyone concerned about their health and the future!!.......2007-03-22
This is a great book to open your eyes about health and your responsibility in being responsible for yourself. I was amazed to read about milk!!
Take charge of your life and read this book!
Book Description
How to make a fortune in the next big boom industry
The paperback edition of this revolutionary business book, by bestselling author Paul Pilzer, shows wellness professionals and entrepreneurs how to get in on the ground floor of the booming wellness industry. A legendary entrepreneur and speaker, Pilzer predicts that within the next decade money spent on disease prevention will surpass that spent on disease treatment-and he shows readers how to stake their claim while there's still time. The Wellness Revolution is a step-by-step plan for getting rich that will help entrepreneurs figure out where they fit in the industry, learn how to control demand, and how to get started. This insightful and well-reasoned book shows how to take advantage of the wellness boom, but its lessons can be applied to any new market.
Paul Zane Pilzer (Park City, UT) is a world-renowned economist, a multimillionaire software entrepreneur, a part-time rabbi, a college professor, and a bestselling author. As an entrepreneur, Pilzer earned his first $10 million before the age of thirty. A former commentator on National Public Radio and CNN, Pilzer has been a guest on Larry King Live! three times, and he has been on the cover of several national magazines. He speaks to nearly 500,000 people a year, and more than 10,000,000 video and audio copies of his speeches have been sold.
Customer Reviews:
An Informative Book That Will Inspire Crusaders of The Anti-Aging and Wellness Revolution.......2005-11-23
This is a MUST READ for all Networkers whose companies are offering Anti-Aging and Wellness products!
Nobel Prize Winning Economist Paul Zane Pilzer has predicted that US$1 trillion of the US economy will be devoted to products and services that keep people healthy, make them look or feel better, slow down the effects of aging, and prevent diseases from developing altogether!
If you're a MLM crusader of Anti-Aging and Wellness, this book informative book will certainly reinforce your conviction.
James Leong
Author of The World's First Book on Network Marketing with NLP,
"MLM Persuasion Mastery: How Master Networkers Change Beliefs and Behavior"
Great Book--Now is the time to find the right vehicle .......2004-12-28
Now is the time to take action with the fastest growing industry in the world-The Wellness Revolution. Pilzer is a genius.
Read this book for health & wealth.......2004-06-16
I won't go over Paul Zane Pilzers credentials as other reviewers have, I believe that if you found your way to this webpage, you already know his credentials.
But the fact is that Pilzer has predicted other trillion dollar industries. He knows what of he speaks. Personally, I am a baby boomer and in a company that is predicted to become the next billion dollar company. I have also had some health problems and hardly a day goes by when I talk to other baby boomers where the subject of health & wellness doesn't come up.
Pilzer has something here. Worth a read for both your health and your wealth.
Stay Well Rather Than Cure Sickness!.......2003-06-16
The main problem with The Wellness Revolution is that the brilliant Paul Zane Pilzer has stretched a magazine article's worth of information on healthy living and ways to develop businesses around that theme into a book. If you know nothing about how nutrition, water and exercise affect your health, you will probably love this book. But you can find better books. If you have been paying attention to those areas, you will find the book to be superficial and limited. As for investing, the ideas are pretty broad. Basically, you should make the economics of your business serve wellness and anti-aging.
What will be new to some are the details of how you can use high deductible health insurance and tax-advantaged medical savings to cut your cost of sickness while having some money left over for wellness activities (like exercise and better food). If you regularly read investment or business magazines, chances are you will know about these ideas too.
For entrepreneurs, the stories of Steve Demos (Silk soy milk), Paul Wenner (Gardenburger), Jill Kenney (Club One fitness), Dr. Frank Yanowitz (The Fitness Institute), Dr. Tod Cooperman (ConsumerLab.com), and Stuart Johnson (facilitating wellness products being provided through network marketing) may help inspire a new business thought or principle. Professionals can look at pages 188-189 for specific examples that apply to them.
Those who want stock purchase ideas won't find much here, although you'll probably have an itch to buy stock in whomever first specializes a whole company in wellness insurance.
As a result, the "how to" part of the book's subtitle is quite misleading.
There is a fine book that can be written on this subject, but unfortunately, this isn't it.
After you finish this book (if you choose to read it), I suggest that you find ways to make your working and investing more health-enhancing for you and others. If nothing else, walk on a treadmill while you watch the financial news at night to pick out companies that enhance health!
Mine went in the trash.......2003-06-15
This book really didn't tell me a whole lot I didn't already know. Probably the only part that I really paused to think about was the link between the "sick care" industry and the food industry. I already know about how processed our foods are and are lacking nutrition. As a benefits specialist for my employer, I found of the information about the insurance to be somewhat misleading. This book probably would have been great about fifteen years ago, but we are already here now. Save your money, most of the information here can be found in other sources and I was really wondering how I was going to make my "fortune" in the health care industry and I'm not about to sell medical insurance.
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- The Grip Book, Third Edition
- The Illustrated Star Wars Universe (Star Wars)
- The John Wayne Filmography
- The Making of Kubrick's 2001
- The Soulful Divas: Personal Portraits of over a Dozen Divine Divas, from Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, & Diana Ross to Patti Labelle, Whitney Houston, & Janet Jackson
- The Truman Show: The Shooting Script
- The Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin'
- The Wizard of Oz Catalog: L. Frank Baum's Novel, Its Sequels and Their Adaptations for Stage, Television, Movies, Radio, Music Videos, Comic Books, Commercials and More
- The Women Who Knew Too Much: Hitchcock and Feminist Theory, Second Edition
- Trier on von Trier
Books Index
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Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood, 1910-1969
Hollywood Lesbians
Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America (Between Men--Between Women)
Complicated Women: Sex and Power in Pre-Code Hollywood
Lulu in Hollywood: Expanded Edition
