Gloria Jean: A Little Bit of Heaven by Scott MacGillivray, Jan MacGillivray
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Product Details
- Pub. Date: October 2005
- Publisher: iUniverse, Incorporated
- Format: Paperback, 348pp
- ISBN-13: 9780595370801
- ISBN: 0595370802
Synopsis
Here is the first book-length biography of Gloria Jean, one of Hollywood's finest performers, who starred in film, radio, stage, nightclub, and television productions. And what a story it is! This is the first in-depth profile of her public and private life.
You'll read about her co-stars, including Bing Crosby, Groucho Marx, Donald O'Connor, and Mel Tormé...go behind the scenes on the set of Never Give a Sucker an Even Break and meet W. C. Fields, her "Uncle Bill"...follow her memorable show-business career with its breathtaking heights and heartbreaking depths, guided-and sometimes misguided-by the studio...enjoy dozens of rare photos from Gloria Jean's personal collection...browse vintage posters and lobby cards.
As a special treat for film buffs, you'll see actual frame enlargements of never-before-seen screen tests...and discover three lost Gloria Jean feature films, documented here for the first time anywhere!
The first full-length biography of a gifted film and singing star of the '40s and '50s. Gloria Jean Schoonover, more popularly known and remembered by her professional name, Gloria Jean, had a rich life in Hollywood. The authors, an experienced husband-and-wife film-historian team, bring great sensitivity and authority to their subject, and Gloria Jean herself provides fascinating anecdotes of her career, which has, unfortunately, been largely forgotten by the general moviegoer. Nearly 50 pages of photographs-including movie stills and posters, and publicity photos-augment the text, as well as a complete list of her movies, musicals and music. A must-read for film buffs that will hopefully stimulate further discussion of Gloria Jean's work.
—(Kirkus Discoveries)
Customer Reviews
Gloria Jean: A Little Bit of Heavenby Anonymous
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March 14, 2007: Gloria Jean, a popular actress in the 40s and 50s, is regrettably little known today. As a Deanna Durbin, Bing Crosby and Donald O?Connor fan, I discovered this contemporary of theirs. I managed to get my hands on a copy of her first movie, a cute little film called ?The Under-Pup.? I was as impressed, so I bought her next film, ?If I Had My Way? with a set of Bing Crosby movies on DVD. Once again, her performance was endearing. I decided to purchase this biography to find out more about her. Most of this book is told in Gloria Jean?s own words, and she is quite as charming here as she is in her movies. Her insights into show business are both eye-opening and intriguing, but the thing that struck me most about this biography is that Gloria Jean is so different than many actresses who reflect on their younger days. She had her ups and downs, but she is not bitter when things didn?t work out the way she would have liked them to. Instead of indulging in gossiping about her co-stars, she remains gracious, remembering small kindnesses and trying to look at things in proper perspective when someone was unfair. Her wholesome screen persona was not a put on for the movies, but something she lived out. Another highlight of this book is the many pictures, both personal and studio images. The one aspect of the book I was slightly disappointed in was that I wished that there would be a little more time to discuss stories about her family and less movie plot descriptions. The authors do say in the beginning that this is done to familiarize the reader with her work, because her films are rarely seen today. I did like them, but I still wanted to know a little more of her personal life instead of her career. It is a shame that Gloria Jean?s movies are not more widely circulated. Probably her most famous movie, ?Never Give a Sucker an Even Break,? is not her best. She does get to sing some beautiful songs, but the story is disjointed and the star is W.C. Fields, who is not a favorite of mine. I?m glad that this book has made me more aware of this shining star of a bygone era. It was a pleasure to be introduced to Gloria Jean Schoonover, and I hope that others will find it so as well.
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