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HOLLYWOOD'S . . .CRIME: William Desmond Taylor Murder
HOLLYWOOD'S MARRY-GO-ROUNDS
HORROR - SCIENCE FICTION
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HORROR - SCI FI: The Atomic Submarine (1959)
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MUSIC: The Lyrics
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TRANSPORTATION IN THE MOVIES: Aviation
VINCENT PRICE
VINCENT PRICE: Connoisseur
WHAT'S MY LINE?
THE WHISTLER
THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)

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MARY ASTOR ON MARY ASTOR

 

            Maven has two autobiographies in her library by Mary Astor.

          One that she quotes in these pages of her website is A Life on Film by Mary Astor; Delacourte Press; 1967, 1968, 1971; New York.  This is a must-read for her fans and fans of movie  history, The Maltese Falcon, Clark Gable and Red Dust, John Barrymore and the affair she had with him. . . .  You get the idea.

          The other one is My Story:  An Autobiography; Doubleday & Company, Inc.; 1959.  She included a “thank you” for “Frank Carothers for his labors on [her] behalf in organizing and editing the original manuscript of this autobiographical analysis.”  It was the product of her time with the Reverend Peter Ciklic, Ph.D., as part of her therapy.

           As Astor quotes him[1]: 

“Mary,” he said, “you would help me very much, and it would save a great deal of time, if you would sit down and write the story of your life. Write every day for a few hours, just as you remember it.  Write fully.  No one is looking over your shoulder.”

Astor continues:

“It was hard to do.  I clubbed my memory, and sometimes during an entire afternoon of sitting at my desk I would have only a couple of pages.  Then things seemed to clamor to be remembered, odd things, forgotten things.  And I lived through them all over again.  There was much that was beautiful, pleasant, amusing.  But sometimes I put my head down on the keys and cried, lost in bitterness and pain.”

It’s a fascinating story and an incredible look into the soul of a Hollywood actor.

It's also available for free online at http://www.archive.org/details/mystoryanautobio001183mbp.



[1] My Story:  An Autobiography; Doubleday & Company, Inc.; 1959; page 23.

"The Maltese Falcon" (1941)
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With Bogart, Lorre, Astor and Greenstreet

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

Maven has come across a Christmas gift for old movie lovers!  Two of her prize possessions are the two autobiographies by Mary Astor (MARY ASTOR).

One is Film on Film that focuses on her Hollywood career and well worth finding if you enjoy names like Humphrey Bogart and The Maltese Falcon; and Bette Davis, Joseph Cotten and Olivia de Haviland in Hush . . . Hush, Sweet Charlotte.

The other that is Maven’s Christmas Gift to you all is My Story: An Autobiography and makes a great companion piece that you can find free online at http://www.archive.org/details/mystoryanautobio001183mbp.  Maven’s humble opinion is that Astor’s talent as an actress telling stories in movies and on the printed page stems from a lifetime of trying to escape a private life that would emotionally bankrupt a lot of people while still children.

Mary Astor should have gotten some kind of award for just growing up and still making such an incredible career for herself in Hollywood!

THE MALTESE FALCON by Mary Astor

The Maltese Falcon Map to San Francisco

Mary Astor and Douglas Fairbanks
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In "Don Q, Son of Zorro: (1925)

Mary Astor wrote about makeup during the twenties when she was co-starring in her 1925 movie, Don Q, with Douglas Fairbanks.  Maven isn't sure they were paid enough to go through this stuff!

Mary Astor on Makeup in the Silent Era

"Beau Brummel" (1929)
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Test with Mary Astor and John Barrymore
"Beau Brummel" (1924)
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With Mary Astor and John Barrymore

MARY ASTOR wrote quite a bit about knowing "The Great Profile," John Barrymore, in her autobiography A Life on Film (Delacourte Press; 1967, 1968, 1971; New York).   Part One includes their meeting and what it was like making silent movies. . . .  Fascinating:

Mary Astor On John Barrymore - Part One

Mary Astor on John Barrymore - Part Two

Mary Astor on John Barrymore - Part Three

"Beau Brummel" (1924)
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With John Barrymore (right) and Mary Astor (third from right)