Rating: Summary: Superb biography of the queens of film noir Review: Some 50 years ago, the women of this book worked in relative obsurity amidst the shadows of large studios during film noir's heyday. Now with the resurgent popularity of the film noir genre, these actresses are finally being recognized for the keen talent they possess and the effect they had on a generation of movies.None of these women are household names because none of these women were given the star publicity treatment that Myrna Loy, Joan Crawford and others were givne during the same time period. But their stories are every bit as interesting and author Eddie Muller tells them wonderfully. Muller is obviously a fan of folm noir, but does not let this color these biographies. Rather, Muller deftly allows the six actresses featured here to tell their own stories. The result is an honest, touching and insightful view into the Hollywood moviemaking era of the late 30s to early 50s. Each actress' life is chronicled from the time she was born until the present. The personalities shine through as Muller shows the different ways in which each woman found a love for acting and was later "discovered" by Hollywood. The result is poignant. From the exhileration of the "big" movie to the sorrow at the death of a spouse, each life is fascinating. A great book!
Rating: Summary: overproduced and underwhelming Review: Terrific tribute to these wonderful underrated actresses. So sad that Lizabeth Scott and Rhonda Fleming were not included. Well maybe next time. If there is a second volume , I would love to find out more about Dorothy Malone and perhaps Peggy Cummins ("Gun Crazy"), Jan Sterling and Eleanor Parker.
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