Get Lit: 501 Movie Stars, including Gwyneth Paltrow
Annoying, self-satisfied vegans who could do with a few martinis aside, there’s interesting material in the book, which, like 501 Movie Directors, is a kind of crash course in Hollywood folk. Admittedly, the best tidbits are nothing more than old gossip recycled. For example:
• Milton Berle was a “well-endowed ladies’ man who was married five times.”
• Bette Davis once said, “An affair now and then is good for a marriage. It adds spice, stops it from getting boring. I ought to know.”
• Rudolph Valentino’s role in The Sheik was commemorated with “Sheik” condoms in the 1930s.
• Errol Flynn, not allowed to drink on set, would “inject oranges with vodka to make his breaks more entertaining.” Also: the middle-aged Flynn died in the arms of his teenage lover at a party!
Oh, and if you want to know more about the stars’ actual careers, the book is a good resource for that too. – Cathy Matusow
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