Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Bio reveals the voice of the real Sal Mineo
Review: H.Paul Jeffers biography of the talented, uncompromising theatre and film professional that was Sal Mineo, is a fascinating look at the "forgotten star" (who just happened to be nominated for Academy Awards twice by the age of 21!) that is long overdue. My "review" must be qualified by the fact that I knew Sal and, indeed, am an interview-ee in the book. I worked on the N.Y.& L.A. productions of the play FORTUNE AND MEN'S EYES, as asst stage manager, director of understudies (in L.A.), and in other capacities, including actually performing in the show. Acting and rehearsing with Sal and with the understudies, was a great learning experience, as the man had, in the productive twenty of his then thirty years, become a polished professional who communicated beautifully as a director with his cast, and electrifyingly in his own on-stage performance, with both actors AND audience. Working with him was sometimes frustrating, always productive. Socializing with him was sometimes puzzling, but always fun. The most fascinating aspect of Mr. Jeffers' bio is that in it Sal simply rings true!! The voice of Mineo, both as directly quoted, and as heard through the musings of others like myself who knew and worked with him over the years, rings TOTALLY true!! This IS Sal Mineo!! I enjoyed reading about the career, learning a great deal that helped me to fill in holes in my understanding of this complex man. Whereas I always thought that Sal had been mismanaged careerwise by others, Jeffers' book makes me realize at long last, that the mismanagement was always with Sal himself. Career choices, including AND ESPECIALLY personal choices (revelations?) that affected his career, were Sal's alone. There is no question that Sal Mineo decided that, as long as he wasn't going to be the big star that he had once been, that he would just be himself. Paul Jeffers' book lets both the casual, interested reader and the person like me, a good acquaintance--not a close friend-- put Sal in perspective. Slight controversy seems to be stirring up over certain revelations in the Jeffers bio about the sexuality of Sal, the author and others, yet these things are simply the truth. Hardly a one-night stand, H.Paul Jeffers was a close friend of Sal Mineo's from Fortune's New York run until his death. And though Sal had certain close relationships with members of the opposite sex (most notably his Exodus co-star Jill Haworth, a truly lovely person and his close and caring friend for the rest of his life) he was, as far as I could ascertain, basically and unashamedly homosexual. Sal urged H.Paul Jeffers to write his life story. And Jeffers has done just that, unsparingly and with fascinating results for those intersted in Sal both as the fine, though wasted and sadly unfulfilled talent he was and as the proud gay man he also was. If you want to know Sal Mineo (as closely as you probably will ever have the chance) as both professional and person, then buy this book and read it now. It will be talked about, and you might as well be prepared to join in. As for Sal, I have no doubt he is sitting in some celestial space, smoking a filter-tipped Kool, toasting Jimmy with his tenth cup of coffee--black with sugar, giving Natalie a wink, and smiling that quiet, enigmatic smile that only tells that, once again, he is thoroughly enjoying being the center of controversial attention.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Bio reveals the voice of the real Sal Mineo
Review: H.Paul Jeffers biography of the talented, uncompromisingtheatre and film professional that was Sal Mineo, is a fascinatinglook at the "forgotten star" (who just happened to benominated for Academy Awards twice by the age of 21!) that is longoverdue. My "review" must be qualified by the fact that Iknew Sal and, indeed, am an interview-ee in the book. I worked on theN.Y.& L.A. productions of the play FORTUNE AND MEN'S EYES, asasst stage manager, director of understudies (in L.A.), and in othercapacities, including actually performing in the show. Acting andrehearsing with Sal and with the understudies, was a great learningexperience, as the man had, in the productive twenty of his thenthirty years, become a polished professional who communicatedbeautifully as a director with his cast, and electrifyingly in his ownon-stage performance, with both actors AND audience. Working with himwas sometimes frustrating, always productive. Socializing with himwas sometimes puzzling, but always fun. The most fascinating aspectof Mr. Jeffers' bio is that in it Sal simply rings true!! The voice ofMineo, both as directly quoted, and as heard through the musings ofothers like myself who knew and worked with him over the years, ringsTOTALLY true!! This IS Sal Mineo!! I enjoyed reading about the career,learning a great deal that helped me to fill in holes in myunderstanding of this complex man. Whereas I always thought that Salhad been mismanaged careerwise by others, Jeffers' book makes merealize at long last, that the mismanagement was always with Salhimself. Career choices, including AND ESPECIALLY personal choices(revelations?) that affected his career, were Sal's alone. There isno question that Sal Mineo decided that, as long as he wasn't going tobe the big star that he had once been, that he would just be himself.Paul Jeffers' book lets both the casual, interested reader and theperson like me, a good acquaintance--not a close friend-- put Sal inperspective. Slight controversy seems to be stirring up over certainrevelations in the Jeffers bio about the sexuality of Sal, the authorand others, yet these things are simply the truth. Hardly a one-nightstand, H.Paul Jeffers was a close friend of Sal Mineo's from Fortune'sNew York run until his death. And though Sal had certain closerelationships with members of the opposite sex (most notably hisExodus co-star Jill Haworth, a truly lovely person and his close andcaring friend for the rest of his life) he was, as far as I couldascertain, basically and unashamedly homosexual. Sal urged H.PaulJeffers to write his life story. And Jeffers has done just that,unsparingly and with fascinating results for those intersted in Salboth as the fine, though wasted and sadly unfulfilled talent he wasand as the proud gay man he also was. If you want to know Sal Mineo(as closely as you probably will ever have the chance) as bothprofessional and person, then buy this book and read it now. It willbe talked about, and you might as well be prepared to join in. As forSal, I have no doubt he is sitting in some celestial space, smoking afilter-tipped Kool, toasting Jimmy with his tenth cup of coffee--blackwith sugar, giving Natalie a wink, and smiling that quiet, enigmaticsmile that only tells that, once again, he is thoroughly enjoyingbeing the center of controversial attention.
Rating: 
Summary: Finally...
Review: I became a Sal Mineo fan after seeing his wonderful performance as Plato in Rebel Without a Cause, and I was interested in finding out more about this brooding, intense actor. However, there was absolutely nothing written about him. That is, until now. This comprehensive biography provides a lot of detail about Sal's life and career and tragic death. There are also a number of great photos included. Plus it's written by an acclaimed biographer who was a personal friend of Sal's. Anyway, I feel as if words are superfluous for this review. If you are a Sal Mineo fan, you'll want to own this book. Period. However, I would like to voice one complaint I have. Why do biographers feel the need to focus so readily on a person's sex life? While this book avoids the soft-core excesses of say Paul Alexander's James Dean biography, it still spends too much time (in my opinion) centering on Sal's homosexuality. I'm not at all homophobic and truly admire Sal's refreshing honesty in this regard, but while homosexuality was a facet of his life (even a major one) it doesn't define who he is. I feel the book loses focus at times on Sal's humanity when it can't see past his sexuality. Anyway, this is only a minor complaint. This biography ultimately reveals a clearer portrait of the wonderful actor and (most importantly) person that was Sal Mineo.
Rating:
Summary: At Long Last
Review: I must admit that this book was not the one I was looking for. It is so chock-full of videographical notes, while I had hoped for something a bit more dicey. Shame on me! In all reality, considering that this is Mineo's first bio, it is really quite good. It fills in a lot of facts, figures, etc. surround Mineo's films; and it has the fairly comprehensive feel that the author probably figured Mineo's (as yet) only bio should have.The facts on his home life and relationship with family is a bit underwhelming, however, in this rush to get as much information filled in about all films as possible. Mineo's relationships, while certainly mentioned, seemed to have been given the once-over without really considering how they fit into a bigger picture (pardon the pun). Also, for an author who purportedly knew (and... uh...) enjoyed the company of Mineo, it is very light on personal insight and creative dash. Too much would have killed the book, but too little kept this reader staring at the last pages and praying that more info would appear between the lines. Maybe a few cocktails would have helped. I did finish this book enjoying it for what it was and what it set out to be, though. Wishing it were more is useless; and I do feel I know a little more about the man who made my mouth drop when I first saw the doe-eyes at Jimmy Dean in "Rebel without a Cause." I enjoyed the book on its own terms (though on a cautionary note, I wouldn't purchase this title based on the "mystery" element suggested by the title); and I was mostly glad, in the end, that it wasn't the lurid little tale I had at first anticipated. The book may not be a collar-gripper, but, in its praise, at least it can lay claim to being fair and reasonably objective.
Rating:
Summary: At Long Last
Review: I must admit that this book was not the one I was looking for. It is so chock-full of videographical notes, while I had hoped for something a bit more dicey. Shame on me! In all reality, considering that this is Mineo's first bio, it is really quite good. It fills in a lot of facts, figures, etc. surround Mineo's films; and it has the fairly comprehensive feel that the author probably figured Mineo's (as yet) only bio should have. The facts on his home life and relationship with family is a bit underwhelming, however, in this rush to get as much information filled in about all films as possible. Mineo's relationships, while certainly mentioned, seemed to have been given the once-over without really considering how they fit into a bigger picture (pardon the pun). Also, for an author who purportedly knew (and... uh...) enjoyed the company of Mineo, it is very light on personal insight and creative dash. Too much would have killed the book, but too little kept this reader staring at the last pages and praying that more info would appear between the lines. Maybe a few cocktails would have helped. I did finish this book enjoying it for what it was and what it set out to be, though. Wishing it were more is useless; and I do feel I know a little more about the man who made my mouth drop when I first saw the doe-eyes at Jimmy Dean in "Rebel without a Cause." I enjoyed the book on its own terms (though on a cautionary note, I wouldn't purchase this title based on the "mystery" element suggested by the title); and I was mostly glad, in the end, that it wasn't the lurid little tale I had at first anticipated. The book may not be a collar-gripper, but, in its praise, at least it can lay claim to being fair and reasonably objective.
Rating:
Summary: Sal's Tragic Life Story- Ready For The Big Screen
Review: I really was not familiar with Sal at all until I read this book. I've now seen several of his movies and have read even more about him at various sites on the Internet. Having said that, I must say that by no means am I an expert on Sal's life. It seems that there is some dispute among the other reviewers of this book- as far as some of the details of Sal's life. I thought this book seemed to be impeccably researched and the fact that Sal handpicked Jeffers to write his biography (at least that's what Jeffers says and I really have no reason to not believe him; he seems to be a credible writer) gives this biography a certain air of authorization. I don't feel, AT ALL, that the sexual details of Sal's life that are included in this book are exploitive in any way. Although I was just a small child in the early 70's I have read enough to know that there was a sexual freedom that went on at that time. Sal was famous- his life as far as sex goes does not seem to be out of line with what other famous people were doing at that time. I felt that the reason why details of Sal's relationship with his family were on the "light" side was because Sal didn't seem to be that close with them. He was living a completely different life on the other side of the country from them- they were not in his life on a day-to-day basis. If people want to know the details of his family they should wait for someone in his family to write a book. This book moves along nicely, it never seems to dwell on any one issue too much. Included are many black and white photos of Sal that span his entire career- right up to his unfortunate death. Great book that I'm completely glad I've read. It will always have a space on my bookshelf!
Rating:
Summary: Sal's Tragic Life Story- Ready For The Big Screen
Review: I really was not familiar with Sal at all until I read this book. I've now seen several of his movies and have read even more about him at various sites on the Internet. Having said that, I must say that by no means am I an expert on Sal's life. It seems that there is some dispute among the other reviewers of this book- as far as some of the details of Sal's life. I thought this book seemed to be impeccably researched and the fact that Sal handpicked Jeffers to write his biography (at least that's what Jeffers says and I really have no reason to not believe him; he seems to be a credible writer) gives this biography a certain air of authorization. I don't feel, AT ALL, that the sexual details of Sal's life that are included in this book are exploitive in any way. Although I was just a small child in the early 70's I have read enough to know that there was a sexual freedom that went on at that time. Sal was famous- his life as far as sex goes does not seem to be out of line with what other famous people were doing at that time. I felt that the reason why details of Sal's relationship with his family were on the "light" side was because Sal didn't seem to be that close with them. He was living a completely different life on the other side of the country from them- they were not in his life on a day-to-day basis. If people want to know the details of his family they should wait for someone in his family to write a book. This book moves along nicely, it never seems to dwell on any one issue too much. Included are many black and white photos of Sal that span his entire career- right up to his unfortunate death. Great book that I'm completely glad I've read. It will always have a space on my bookshelf!
Rating: 
Summary: below average.
Review: I've waited a long time to see a book written about the wonderful,Sal Mineo. Now,an author with respectable credits,has written this sloppy,one dimensional view,of an actor that deserves much more! Some of the book is interesting,but always goes back to Sal's homosexuality,and the fact the author had a few one night stands with him.And the way the author exploits Sal's sex life,it seems that wasn't a big accomplishment. I don't think Sal Mineo was properly depicted in this book,as the author obviously has some obession with the fact he had sex with him.I hope a more respectful author will come along,and not try to exploit Sal's sex life,for the sake of selling-out.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: If you're a fan of Mineo's and you're looking to add another piece of material to a media collection, buy this book and keep it on a shelf somewhere. If you would prefer to gain some insight into a complicated life, move on. This is the kind of biography I abhor: its content is almost entirely derived from fan magazines, press releases and newspaper clippings. To make matters even worse, it attempts to pass itself off as a serious work when it should be mass paperback sized and sold alongside the Jonbenet Ramsey and Scott Peterson quickie books at the supermarket. Peppered throughout the book is superfluous information that appears to have no value aside from increasing the page count(for instance, an entire page is devoted to listing the contents of the theatre owners press book for "Crime in the Streets.") So many people who were a part of Mineo's personal and professional life are alive and the author appears not to have contacted any of them, conducted one interview or gathered any new material whatsoever. What makes that even more frustrating is that the author was acquainted with Mineo during the last several years of his life and alludes that writing this book was a mission he needed to undertake. Unfortunately the inclusion of a few of his personal conversations with Mineo (some having to do with Mineo's rather convenient wish that the author write his Bio) are no substitute for a well researched biography and the insights of an expert. If you'd like to read a fascinating book on a somewhat similar person, find a copy of Charles Winecoff's "Split Image: The Life of Anthony Perkins."
Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: If you're a fan of Mineo's and you're looking to add another piece of material to a media collection, buy this book and keep it on a shelf somewhere. If you would prefer to gain some insight into a complicated life, move on. This is the kind of biography I abhor: its content is almost entirely derived from fan magazines, press releases and newspaper clippings. To make matters even worse, it attempts to pass itself off as a serious work when it should be mass paperback sized and sold alongside the Jonbenet Ramsey and Scott Peterson quickie books at the supermarket. Peppered throughout the book is superfluous information that appears to have no value aside from increasing the page count(for instance, an entire page is devoted to listing the contents of the theatre owners press book for "Crime in the Streets.") So many people who were a part of Mineo's personal and professional life are alive and the author appears not to have contacted any of them, conducted one interview or gathered any new material whatsoever. What makes that even more frustrating is that the author was acquainted with Mineo during the last several years of his life and alludes that writing this book was a mission he needed to undertake. Unfortunately the inclusion of a few of his personal conversations with Mineo (some having to do with Mineo's rather convenient wish that the author write his Bio) are no substitute for a well researched biography and the insights of an expert. If you'd like to read a fascinating book on a somewhat similar person, find a copy of Charles Winecoff's "Split Image: The Life of Anthony Perkins."
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