George Cukor: A Double Life: A Biography of the Gentleman Director

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George Cukor is best known for directing witty comedies, but he also made wonderful dramas and musicals. He adapted many of his films from theatrical productions, but with such technical proficiency that they rarely felt stagy. In his long and productive career, he made classics such as Camille, Holiday, The Philadelphia Story, Adam's Rib, A Star is Born, and My Fair Lady. Patrick McGilligan's excellent biography gives the story behind the making of these and many other movies as well as terrific insights into Cukor's Jewish upbringing, his homosexuality, his reputation as a "woman's director," and his long-time association with Katharine Hepburn, with whom he made 10 films.

Customer Reviews:

George Cukor: Gentleman Director of Hollywood's Golden Age.......2006-07-21

George Cukor (1899-1983) grew up in a lawyer's middle class
and cosy home in New York. Cukor's family heritage was Hungarian and Jewish (Cukor was a secular Jew). All of his life Cukor
fought an inferiority complex based on his ugliness, weight and
life in Anti-Semetic America. His biggest secret was his overt
and active homosexuality. Among the major directors of the glory years of Hollywood he was the only one who was gay.
Cukor directed several blockbusters such as The Philadelphia Story; Adam's Rib; Pat and Mike' The Women; Camille; Born Yesterday Holiday and My Fair Lady (for which he won his only
Oscar for best director) This book contains a complete Filmography of Cukor's oeuvre as well as several vintage photographs.
Cukor was a kind man who could show his temper. His famed
Hollywood parties drew the likes of Garbo, Kate Hepburn, Spencer
Tracy (who lived in a home on Cukor's estate); Vivien Leigh;
Laurence Olivier; Humphrey Bogart and a large contingent of his
gay friends and lovers. Cukor was a man of wit, intelligence,
culture and artistic proclivity.
The best chapters deal with his complex relationship with David O. Selznick who fired Cukor as director of Gone With the
Wind. Another intriguing chapter deals with the disaster than
was A Star is Born the comeback vehicle for the tortured Judy Garland. Cukor
was the director of Marilyn Monroe's last film Something's Got to
Give until she was fired for failing to show up on time. Cukor
was kind to her.
The book is a typical Hollywood biography where the films and
the backstage life of the personality are discussed in length.
Many readers might find this dull. For the classic movie buff,
however, this McGilligan biography is well researched and written.

Follow Cukor's Example and Take Your Time.......2001-03-12

This platter is full of many good pieces: enlightenment, gossip, display, speculation and journalistic integrity. Before recommending it for immediate consumption, however, one should ponder the notion that while some bites are indeed chunky and tasty, some have been diced into inedibly large pieces; and while at times the meal is juicy and succulent, at others it is bland and overcooked. More than anything, it is FAR too much to digest in one sitting. It might be better to eat as leftovers than as a buffet.

I could not think of a more comprehensive text about Cukor's interesting existence; however some people and relationships (especially with Katherine Hepburn) seem cnspicuously more fleshed-out than others that are teased upon (to this reviewer, it is most obvious with Cukor's father, Spencer Tracy and George Towers, all very influnetial people in Cukor's life with mere paragraphs describing them). The text also suffers at times from trying TOO hard to be fair to Cukor. Certainly, to the author's credit, nasty and contradictory elements are introduced, but it seems that just as much effort is placed on balancing this with excuses or possible alternatives. Cuko was not universally popular, and very few attended his funeral (not even Hepburn was there); so the fairness seems a bit of a disguise.

I would recommend a grain of salt to make this tastier; and I would also recommend less than a chapter a day. The book is long on filmography, can be slow reading, and takes time to digest. Overall, it is pleasing, as are Cukor's films, for the most part; but they all took lots of time, according to most accounts. Do the same.

Uninformed bio.......1998-09-18

This book is subject to what so many Hollywood biographies suffer from: total ignorance on the part of the author as to how films are actually made. Authors of these kinds of books are tempermentally predisposed to disinterest in anything except gossip. What emerged from this book was a portrait of a shallow man whose career rested upon his ability to socialize. Why are so many books on film history so damned bad?

Spotlight on another slice of Hollywood History.......1997-11-26

Very solid biography of the director, George Cukor, covering his long life and career. McGilligan does well covering the dual nature of Cukor's personality, how his homosexuality both colored and hindered his film projects. Very well researched, the book vividly portrays the Hollywood gay society of the 30's - 50's and does well analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of both Cukor and his films. McGilligan is not balanced in his judgments on the films, however. He denigrates many of Cukor's more popular works ("The Women") and lavishes praise on the director's own favorites (the overrated "Adam's Rib"). His assessment of the much-debated firing of Cukor from "Gone With The Wind" also seems simplistic. Overall, a worthwhile read and a fine overview of a major Hollywood career and an important figure in film history.

George Cukor : A Double Life, A Biography of a Gentleman Director

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George Cukor : A Double Life, A Biography of a Gentleman Director
Patrick McGilligan
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NUFVRE

George Cukor, A Double Life, A Biography Of The Gentleman Director

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George Cukor, A Double Life, A Biography Of The Gentleman Director
Patrick McGILLIGAN
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RJMGGU

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What a fantastic book on a timely and important issue.......2007-06-21

Children are told in their schools not to say, "Merry Christmas" This book deals with this issue in a very constructive and helpful way. It is child-friendly and clear. A perfect book for every family to have.

What happened to the donkey after Christmas?

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What happened to the donkey after Christmas?
Joseph R LoBianco
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What Really Happened Christmas Morning? (Muncaster, Ralph O. Examine the Evidence Series.)

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What Really Happened Christmas Morning? (Muncaster, Ralph O. Examine the Evidence Series.)
Ralph O. Muncaster
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Blackjack the SMART way is THE BEST

Very helpful until I had any idea what I was doing

A Mugs Guide to Playing Blackjack

Blackjack the Smart Way

How much I won from this book.

Blackjack The Smart Way, Revised 3rd Edition
Richard Harvey
Manufacturer: Mystic Ridge Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

A soup-to-nuts best-seller on famed blackjack innovator Richard Harvey's leading edge blackjack strategies. The book that's turned the blackjack world on its head.

Customer Reviews:

Blackjack the SMART way is THE BEST.......2007-02-04

Blackjack The Smart Way is, in my opinion, THE book for playing blackjack "new school" in this century. The work by Dr. Thorpe got us all recognizing that Blackjack could be beaten. Richard Harvey tells us how to win by using such technics as The "X" factor and card observation. You'll also discover the secrets of tricky "2's" & silent "7's". This is information not available anywhere else. You'll change accepted theory on spliting and doubling. Blackjack isn't the same game we played 5 or 10 years ago. It's tougher and you need to be informed before you enter a casino. That is IF you want to win. I also highly recommend Cutting Edge Blackjack, but buy this book first. If you only own one Blackjack book or you're even thinking of playing blackjack you'll thank me for recommending BLACKJACK the SMART way.
Erskine, host Erskine Overnight, syndicated talk radio program

Very helpful until I had any idea what I was doing.......2006-04-23

This was my first blackjack book. It is well written, easy to follow, and entertaining. Unfortunately, it is also ridiculous. Its not surprising, upon reading other texts on blackjack and speaking with professional players, that one cannot find mention of this authors work amongst professional players anywhere. If you don't have anything nice to say....

Harvey is convincing when you don't know any better. I wondered about these negative reviews and thought people were just quick to judge a different approach, until I got more involved in advantage play. Truly, the strategies in this book are a bunch of esoteric mumbo jumbo that will cost you your entire bankroll eventually.

Do you want to put your bets on the line for hunches, or do you want to have a true advantage? Don't let this book fool you. No pros even acknknowledge its existence. Start with the "Big Book of Blackjack" or "Blacklbelt in Blackjack" - both by Arnold Snyder. And read every book you can on the subject before comitting money.

A Mugs Guide to Playing Blackjack.......2003-10-28

Mr Harvey has shown me a new way to make money from Blackjack - write a book that gives mugs the impression they can be good players by cleverly engaging in stupid play.

Read all the negative reviews, they are obviously written by people who know how to play blackjack. Mr Harvey's book is a sucker bet. Play his way for fun and a quick win - if you are lucky. Long term, it is slow death.

There are gamblers who follow lucky streaks and actually make a living doing it. If you want to develop that sort of intuitive talent then this book is for you.

However, this book doesn't stand up to even modest analytical scrutiny. Nevertheless, for the inquiring mind, there are one or two ideas here that are worth investigating, just don't apply them as given.

Mug players will love this book, it makes all the right noises and tantalizes them with the notion of a 'better way to play'. I can honestly say the casino's would do well to sell this book to all their patrons; in fact I seriously wondered if he wasn't employed by the casinos to write it! Mr Harvey's biggest ace is the fact that there are no end of people who will want to believe his claims.

Even so, every card counter will be pleased that this book is on the market as it will generate a new breed of people to distract the casinos from who the real counters are. (Hmmm, so maybe the casinos didn't employ Mr Harvey after all.)

I wish I could have been nice about this book, I was looking forward to getting it, I wanted to believe in what he said. But truly it is like giving a kid a loaded gun to play with. You would do much better to get an astologer to compute your lucky days for playing blackjack than to blindly follow his methods. Truly.

Blackjack the Smart Way.......2003-08-20

I have read this book several times and have made money at the tables in Vegas and Atlantic City. I have also attended a seminar by Richard Harvey.

How much I won from this book........2003-06-26

After spending three days reading this very easy to read book, I learned optimal basic strategy along with simple card-counting techniques. With a total of 14 hours spent in the casino after reading this book, I made a profit of more than 150%!

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Blackjack the Smart Way
Richard Harvey
Manufacturer: Mystic Ridge Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Both Blackjack The Smart Way and Preparing You To Win By Richhard Harvey at a Special Sales Price

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You've Got To Get This Book--It's Great

Both Blackjack The Smart Way and Preparing You To Win By Richhard Harvey at a Special Sales Price
Richard Harvey
Manufacturer: Mystic Ridge Productions, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Book Description

A great offer! A great GIFT idea! Get the new blackjack book that's sweeping the nation, "Blackjack The Smart Way by Richard Harvey" -- which posted an amazing 88.24% win rate -- AND the great new audio book "Preparing YOU To WIN" written and narrated by Richard Harvey, for one low price of $39.95, for a savings of nearly $10! A killer combination! Learn the ins and outs of becoming a consistent blackjack winner with the acclaimed and unique book, and then use the audio book whenever you're heading to the casino, to sharpen your memory and skills, and prepare you for any of the day's challenges at the casino. The audio book goes beyond the material of the book and is a MUST for the serious player!

Customer Reviews:

You've Got To Get This Book--It's Great.......1999-12-17

A month ago I received a gift of the book "Blackjack the Smart Way" with its audio book "Preparing You to Win", and I just want to pass along how great Richard Harvey's system is. (In fact I've just ordered a set to give as a birthday present). The book is easy to read and understand. I like his sensible approach to money and bet management. Also, unlike other books on blackjack it has a lot of illustrations that make things very clear. Now I'm winning consistently; before, I had trouble putting together a winning streak. I'd win one day and lose on another. It's much more fun now that I know what I'm doing. The audio book is a good way of reviewing in your spare time what you read. In addition, it talks about the "Circle of 13", Harvey's own invention, which really helped me understand the math behind the game.I have already used it to win some hands that I might otherwise have lost.I really surprised a dealer a couple of times by making unorthodox moves based on the "Circle of 13". When I won, he replied how lucky I had been, but I knew it wasn't luck.

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Individuals are resilient; Relationships are fragile

Life Saving

Absurdly brilliant! Extremely satisfying paradox of a book!

Don't be fooled by the word 'management'

Of the best business books ever

Management of the Absurd
Richard Farson
Manufacturer: Free Press
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An original, contrarian philosophy that challenges today's leaders to look past the quick fix and deal thoughtfully with the real complexities of managing people.

In organizations, as in life, human behavior is often irrational -- and problems do not easily lend themselves to the simplistic answers and gimmickry offered in the myriad business "self-help" books and management training programs available today. In Management of the Absurd, Richard Farson zeros in on the paradoxes of communication, the politics of management, and the dilemmas of change, exploring relationships within organizations and offering a unique perspective on the challenges managers face.

Customer Reviews:

Individuals are resilient; Relationships are fragile.......2007-02-11

For me, the core of Richard Farson's message is that "individuals are resilient and relationships are fragile." On page 91 he writes about the impact of parental rejection, marital strife and problems with bosses; and about the devastating impact of isolation, alienation and erosion of community. What this means for managers and others in the workplace, as I see it, is that although self improvement and individual achievement are vital components of success, cultivating relationships is what matters most. And, you will be interested to read that this is more complicated and easier to accomplish than one might imagine. If my last statement is a little confounding, it will prepare you for even more confounding moments reading Management of the Absurd. One of the things that I love about the book is that you need not read it from front to back. For example, I started from back to front and then skipped about going from one fascinating section title to another. The author cautions in the end, "My advice is don't take my advice." Other examples? Chapter 27, "Morale is Unrelated to Productivity;" and Chapter 12, "Praising People Does not Motivate Them." I recommend this 172 page book of refreshing insights and ideas that are sure to, as (I think) Fritz Perls once said, lead you to "lose your mind and come to your senses." So don't take my word for it. After all, who am I? Instead, look at the credits inside the book cover and you will see that two smart guys from MIT recommend the book. Although I have never heard of them, they probably never heard of me either. But all three of us like this book. So, go get it!

Life Saving.......2006-02-18

Every couple of years I get so fed up with things I want to walk, even though I really enjoy management. Whenever my corporate world starts to resemble "Arrested Development," I read this book again. After almost ten yearts the book is falling apart after a lot of use. I have this book on tape and I keep it in the car. Among all my books on management, and I've a whole shelf full of them, this remains my touchstone. Note, though, the book is NOT by Michael Crichton; Crichton wrote the forward.

Absurdly brilliant! Extremely satisfying paradox of a book!.......2005-09-15

I'm an avid reader of business books. Some of the greatest books out there like "Now Discover Your Strengths", "First, Break All The Rules", "Built To Last" and "Good to Great" make me sit up, listen, take notes, and learn how to apply them in my career.

I rank "Management of the Absurd" right up there with the great books above. This book is so easy to read that I found that if I took notes, I wouldn't catch all the business wisdom imparted by Farson. It's unique in the sense that I "got it" even without taking notes. Don't be fooled - after you "get it" you'll REALLY have to think about your assumptions about managing people, your business, your career, etc. It's literally a business wisdom book! I felt wiser after reading it. This makes the book truly unusual.

Thought provoking, easily digestable short chapters, covering topics such as "The more important a relationship, the less skill matters", "Technology creates the opposite of its intended purpose", "The more we communicate, the less we communicate", and so on, ending with "My advice is don't take my advice"!

Simply put, it's one of the wittiest, most thought provoking, most realistic and yet most relaxing books I've ever read in my entire life. I can't recommend it enough for those of you who want a break from the often prescriptive nature of business books. "Management of the Absurd" makes you think without even trying.

Don't be fooled by the word 'management'.......2005-04-09

This book may be listed under 'management' in the bookstore, but it's just as good for sole-proprieters, teachers, or even parents looking for new ideas on problem-solving. Farson's book is really about being self-aware, about learning how to step outside of a 'formula' mentality and see the deadly irony that sometimes the perfect approach under perfect conditions leads you exactly nowhere. Nonetheless, this same approach may be perfect the next time, so don't give it up. Just, well... just accept that both can be true, that's all.
One example that he gave was technology. Take the washing machine: for many years most people didn't have one, and women would often spend a full day--10 or 12 hours--doing all the wash for one week. Of course, the invention of the automatic washing machine would change all this, cutting down time and making the job and its speed so much faster. In hindsight, it's a technology that today we couldn't imagine living without.
So what happened?
Well, instead of having all this time, all this new convenience, we basically raised our expectations about clean clothes. 50 or 100 years ago people might wear something 4 or 5 times before washing a typical garment. Today, most of us wash something after one use. The new 'convenience' was in essence a gateway to a new standard--and suddenly the 'convenience' had practically disappeared.
The book is riddled with many such examples--how the best way to oversee is to let go, how to lead is not by demonstrating, etc. The book itself lives the same contradiction: it's title is just okay, I'm not a manager, and how can you possibly apply the theory that the opposite of a truth is very often just as true? I guess you can't. And yet, in spite of this, I consider it the best business book I've ever read, one that I will read over and over for many years to come.
Go figure.

Of the best business books ever.......2004-05-16

It's amazing this book isn't handed out to every literate adult in America. In so few pages, it completely challenges linear thinking about everything from running a meeting to raising kids, and you'll find yourself constantly finding real-world examples of what he's talking about after you read it. Though much of what he writes may not be new, as he frequently cites the predecessors he learns from, the ingenuity is how he coherently and concisely pulls it all together.

Superfund standards 'absurd.': An article from: National Underwriter Property & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management

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Superfund standards 'absurd.': An article from: National Underwriter Property & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management
Steven Brostoff
Manufacturer: The National Underwriter Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from National Underwriter Property & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management, published by The National Underwriter Company on April 17, 1995. The length of the article is 651 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Sen Bob Smith continues to lobby for Superfund reform. Smith believes that environmental cleanups should be cost-effective and prioritized, thus enabling Superfund to focus on the worst pollution sites. Sen John Chafee also believes that the Superfund program is not efficient. Sen Frank Lautenberg, however, believes that Superfund's first duty is to protect people rather than provide economical clean-ups.

Citation Details
Title: Superfund standards 'absurd.'
Author: Steven Brostoff
Publication: National Underwriter Property & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 17, 1995
Publisher: The National Underwriter Company
Issue: n16 Page: p4(2)

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