Pearls Before Swine : The Life and Times of Tallulah Bankhead

Rating:
Summary: Just the Facts...
Review: ....and none of the dazzle, which pretty much makes the life of a changeling like Congressman's Bankhead's little girl a dull read. While the author's research is impressive -- and some of the new information he provides genuinely insightful -- it's buried in far too many plot synopses and sniffily disapproving asides on his subject's (mis)behavior. In the end, he gives the impression of one who would far rather have written about a dutiful, intellectual, sobersided performer -- Helen Hayes? Jane Alexander? -- than one of the most tempestuous, maddening, bewitching figures in the American theatre.

Also -- and really quite shocking -- the photographs that are included, while mostly unfamiliar, are also almost uniformly startlingly unflattering. It's hard to get a sense of why people found Tallulah so fascinating when the visuals are so thoroughly un-enchanting. Everyone takes a bad photo now and then, and certainly no retoucher ever had a better friend than TB, but with so much richness available, why stint?

Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: Intelligent, funny, remarkably well-researched, and for once, a biographer who shows respect for Tallulah as an actress. I've seen many of her film performances, but had never realized till I read this book how talented and versatile an actress she was.

The only reason I did not give this four stars is--as one other reviewer mentioned--not enough photos, and not enough good photos. I know they cost a lot to print, but they really ARE necessary.

Rating:
Summary: Impressive detail but lifeless
Review: Several biographies appeared in the decade following Tallulah Bankhead's death (1968) but since then, her light has diminished rapidly. It is thus exciting to see a brand new biography published in 2004. This 500+ tome is probably the most detailed ever but most of the information here focuses on her career and works. Every play and film is analyzed in minute detail. This is so much a "career biography" that the wild antics and hilarious persona of the woman herself often seems to be hiding in the background and we never get a sense of this fascinating woman's personality. Although I admire the research that went into this book, I cannot say that it was a "fun" read and not nearly as entertaining as Lee Israel's 70s biography "Miss Tallulah Bankhead". Also, as other reviewers have noted, only a handful of photos are included.

Rating:
Summary: Loved it
Review: Sexy, funny and extremely well researched. A pleasure to read, this is both a rollicking tale of a tough, talented temptress and an education in theatre from the twenties to the fifties.

Rating:
Summary: Divine, darling!
Review: This superb book is not your average Tallu-as-one-liner biography. The author is serious about bringing out the human being, but he also doesn't shy from the delightful dastardly Tallu that lives through memory and legend.

His investigations yield exciting clues to the woman behind the bravado, but the information is not presented as apologetic. I found Lobenthal's tone and approach to his compelling subject to be neighter judgemental nor 'icon-izing.'

I loved his presentation of the plays she was in. Remember, some were not published for the public, presenting them revives a bygone day in theater history. And they conveyed the times, the sensibilities, in which Tallu was living. I read them as a sort of backdrop, although they also served the purpose of conveying her professional range.

This is a rich and layered read about a woman who has often been reduced to stereotypes -- marvellous ones yes, but two-dimensional nonetheless. This book shows how much more daring and destructive and determined and divine she actually was.

All the naughty fun of Tallulah here, but it's part of the complex and sophisticated mix of an actual person. Lobenthal has given a great gift to Tallulah lovers and theater lovers and to the grand dame herself.

Rating:
Summary: Making Tallulah Dull
Review: Unexpectedly finding a new biography of Tallulah Bankhead was a joy. Reading it, however, proved arduous. The author manages to take one of the 20th century's most interesting lives and make it stultifyingly dull. Choosing to rehash play plots in detail and to death, the author takes the spotlight off of the woman while trying to illustrate her.

It was a bad choice.

The author has obvious affection for his subject, but at the clear cost of his objectivity. Not a chapter goes by where he doesn't sound like an apologist for her most outrageous behaviors or take umbrage with her most scathing reviews.

This is a tough read, but a significant one. The author succeeds in an area I would have thought impossible.

He makes Tallulah Bankhead boring.