The lives of those in the silver screen have always been shrouded in thick mystery. Private lives hard to decipher. But thanks to a selected few who can sneak a peek into those secret lives, we are able to read in wonder about them.
Since the early days of silent cinema, Hollywood has been regularly rocked by scandal. Drug-taking, brawls, divorce, sex, political persecution, grotesque suicides, mental breakdown and murder most foul have figured prominently in the colourful history of Tinseltown.
The authors look at some of the more bizarre and celebrated Hollywood scandals - cases like John Belushi's death froma drug overdose, the alleged rape of a young starlet by Fatty Arbuckle, Sharon Tate's murder at the hands of Charles Manson's gang, the controversy surrounding films, the decline and tragic death of Frances Farmer, and how Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate bankrupted a major studio.
Illustrated with a selection of classic black and white photographs, this book is a must for film fans everywhere who like to look behind the glamorous facade of Hollywood and the lives of its rich and famous.
I found this to be a riveting read although there were many famous names that I barely knew. It just goes to show how little we know about those who helmed the movie industry and brought life to the screen as what we see today.
