Tallulah Bankhead: A Scandalous Life

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Summary: All Hail the Ed Wood of Biographers!
Review: After reading this book, I can assure you that the definitive biography of Tallulah Bankhead has yet to be written. The reader suffers through 250+ pages of garbled prose, which revels in the salacious details of Ms. Bankhead's life, only to find that he/she knows no more about the PERSON who was Tallulah than at the onset of the book. Furthermore, though Mr. Bret claims to have extensively researched his subject, the book conveys little firsthand knowledge of Tallulah or the people she knew. Most quotations in the book stem not from interviews, but from secondhand sources. The result is a laughingly bad work, on a par with any supermarket tabloid. Therefore, I beg you to save your money and buy the National Enquirer.

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Summary: Scandalous doesn't begin to cover this legend's life
Review: It is hard to imagine anyone leading a fuller life than Tallulah Bankhead. She did it all -- twice. The book jacket points out that she had 500 lovers of both sexes. She smoked 150 cigarettes a day and drank even while performing on the Broadway stage. The author has written a well researched book that points out the enigma that was Bankhead. She could be willful and spoiled as a child and yet keep people on her payroll years after firing them. Through all the tumult and excesses of her personal life, she still managed to give many engaging performances. In the end, her lust for life caught up with her and her lifestlye killed her at a relatively young age. Tallulah Bankhead is still a fascinating character and this book is a fascinating read.