Jean arthur actor biography book

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    • Jean Arthur: The Actress Nobody Knew

    August 22,
    I had waited impatiently for almost 30 years for someone to tackle a biography of Jean Arthur, one of my favorite actresses and one of the brightest comediennes of the '30s and '40s. In my youthful naivete, seeing that nobody seemed interested in the project, I thought about taking on the job myself. Thank goodness I waited for John Oller to write his book instead! There's no way that anyone could have done a better job with this most reclusive and challenging of subjects. Even during her heyday, Ms. Arthur was an extremely private person--"America's Garbo," as she was called--and in the final decades of her life, snubbed all efforts from outsiders seeking autographs or interviews about her glorious past. It may seem faint praise to call Mr. Oller's book a definitive biography when it is the ONLY one to have ever been written, but I just don't see how anyone will ever gain more access to Jean Arthur information than he has presented here. Oller has taken the time to interview dozens of Arthur's friends and family members, as well as associates from her film and stage careers and from her various teaching posts. The book is remarkably evenhanded. Arthur was apparently a very complex person, with lots of insecurities and neuroses that made her somewhat of a problem to work with. (I'm trying to be kind here.) Oller clearly thinks the world of the actress, but at the same time doesn't shrink from telling us when a producer or neighbor had something rotten to say of her. And when Oller runs into an area where the evidence leads to no clear result (such as the case of Arthur's possible bisexuality), he gives us the facts as well as can be known and leaves it at that. The book is anything but sensationalistic.

    This biography traces Arthur's roots all the way back to the 13th century (!) but at the same time does not get bogged down in needless verbiage. It moves swiftly along; indeed, I almost found myself wishing that

    Jean Arthur: The Actress Nobody Knew

    The luminous star of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Shane, and other classic films was, as the subtitle aptly puts it, "the actress nobody knew." Jean Arthur () kept her personal life private, disdained the Hollywood publicity machine, and was called "difficult" because of her perfectionism and remoteness from costars on the movie set. John Oller, a lawyer, tracked down kinsfolk and friends never before interviewed to capture the elusive personality of a free spirit best embodied in her favorite role, Peter Pan. Arthur herself might have appreciated his warm, respectful portrait. "âAnã insightful, painstakingly researched analysis of Arthur's life and career raises the curtain on the complex, conflicted person behind the screen personaCaptures the special shine of a unique star who turned out to be a genuine eccentric." - Chicago Tribune

      Jean arthur actor biography book

    Jean Arthur: The Actress Nobody Knew

    She is probably best remembered for her wistful-husky voice which, as Pauline Kael wrote, "was one of the best sounds in the romantic comedies of the 30s and 40s". But Jean Arthur's screen career began in silent films and spanned more than a quarter of a century. She worked with great directors of Hollywood's Golden Age: John Ford, Frank Capra, Cecil B. DeMille, Howard Hawks, George Stevens and Billy Wilder; and she shared star billing with the likes of Gary Cooper, James Stewart, Cary Grant, Alan Ladd, Charles Boyer and John Wayne. Her most enduring films include Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, You Can't Take It With You, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The More the Merrier, The Whole Town's Talking, A Foreign Affair and, in her last screen appearance, Shane. She was, in fact, one of the most popular and beloved movie stars of her time. Jean Arthur's popularity sprang from her talent, her charm and her quiet beauty, not from her offscreen exploits. Independent, indifferent to most of Hollywood's rules if not defiant of them, treasuring her privacy above all else, she chose to become an enigma - and so she has remained until now. In this, the first biography of Jean Arthur, John Oller, after years of research among the actress's closest friends, relatives and co-workers, has uncovered the life she tried so hard to shroud: a bruising, rootless childhood that left her with a crushing sense of insecurity, but also a steely determination to stand up for herself and what she believed in; a romance with David O. Selznick that ended unhappily, a childless marriage to film executive Frank Ross that descended into bitterness and recrimination, and rumors of lesbianism that continue to this day; legal battles fought over the roles she was offered as well as in defense of animals and the environment; repeated, aborted attempts to conquer Broadway that yielded but one theatrical triumph - as Peter Pan, a character she loved because, like herse

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    During the past three weeks, I read a biography of the extremely secretive Jean Arthur, the &#;American Greta Garbo&#;, who lived a very private life, in view of the blogathon I&#;m hosting in her honour in a few weeks. I wanted to prepare myself well and wanted to do so by doing more than just watching her films. Happily, Quebec&#;s National Library had this book: Jean Arthur: The Actress Nobody Knew written by John Oller and first published in , six years after the passing of the queen of screwball comedy. So, off I went with my mask to take hold of the object. The favourable reviews on Goodread convinced me. I started reading it on a bench in the park next to the library with a coffee and a chocolatine to eat.

    Jean Arthur: The Actress Nobody Knew was, to say the least, an ambitious and daring project. So, I have to raise my glass to John Oller for accepting this challenge and, overall, accomplishing it with brio. Why was it such a challenge? Because, as I&#;ve mentioned previously, Jean Arthur was probably one of the most private people in Hollywood. She very rarely attended parties with other movie stars, refused to participate in film publicity and very rarely took part in interviews. She prefered enjoying a life as quiet as possible, far from the spotlight. So, it is obvious that she wouldn&#;t have written an autobiography and, according to a few testimonies in the book, she very unlikely would have done it and was, overall, not someone who really liked to write.

    Through testimonies of various people who knew Jean and in-depth researches, John Oller succeeded to tell us more about this mysterious actress. As a result, the book is a complete and very informative one. We learn about Jean&#;s background, her family, what she liked, what she didn&#;t like, what kind of person she was, etc. Moreover, the book is well-written and reads itself well.

    However, if it is overall a good book, Jean Arthur: The Actress Nobody