Alice Faye Books

I LOVE this book!!!!! The words are short and sweet, enough to grab and hold the childs attention for days. The illustrations are beautiful. The pictures really grasp the love that is felt in each and every page. I love to read this story aloud to the children I work with, they just love the colors and the repetative language. I can't wait for her to write the next book!

I have a son and I love him so much. This book is so beautiful. Everytime we read it together, it is a celebration of our love for each other. I think that it is very important for black mothers to express that kind of love to theirs sons daily given the type of world we live in. In addition, the paintings in this book are a feast to the eyes. My son loves it and I do too.

"Honey Baby Sugar Child, Lord knows I love you so." This is the simple first line that begins HONEY BABY SUGAR CHILD, a wonderful book that celebrates the love a mother has for her child. The warm and inviting illustrations mirror the sentiments of the storyline and help maintain interest. In a nutshell, the book is filled with various expressions of love that are realistic and full of emotion.

This book has become a part of a daily reading ritual with my toddler. Sometimes he turns the pages as I read and other times we act out some of the scenes. As a mother of a boy, I really appreciate the fact that the child in the book is male; however, the story will appeal to readers of either gender. The story reminds parents of the importance of telling their children they are loved unconditionally, while maintaining a timbre that makes the book just plain fun to read.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

This gem of a book was written to be read aloud. It reads like a snappy little song. I heard a librarian read it at the public library today and all the little kids left the reading singing, "HONEY BABY SUGAR CHILD!" The actual plot is a mother's love declaration to her young child. Every new mother and newborn should experience the tenderness offered here. Every kid in elementary school should experience the unconditional love and affirmation in the text.

I am stocking up on this one for Chrismas Gifts if amazon can deliver. Otherwise, my friends' kids will receive this one for birthday presents in the '05.

The author, W. Franklyn Moshier, offers the book as ..."a record of the screen work . . ." of Alice Faye. Believe me, it is so very much more than that! I have owned this book for only a year but it truly captures as well as enhances my memories of Sunday afternoon movie-watching as a young girl in the 1970's. The films were broadcast from Cincinnati, and the most vivid image remaining is that of "Lillian Russell", with the title character protrayed by the statuesque Alice Faye. The hours of programming set aside for televising movies from twenty and thirty years ealier was entitled, "When Movies Were Movies" and the films of Alice Faye were always among those broadcast. Therefore, I found it quite fitting for me that this book edition was published in 1974. Even more fitting is the reference on the inside front flap of the dust jacket to the thirties as being the time when movies were movies. This printed tribute to Alice Faye is so much more than a record of her screen work. The chronology provided is a true timeline of her talent, charm, and elegance. The hundreds of priceless photographs included are beyond fabulous. The carefully complete descriptions of the movies are filled with more than mere details and trivia. As each page is turned, one receives a revelation of production realities, thought-provoking reviews, and insight into the personableness of a true screen star legend. I was enthralled from cover to cover. I have always felt I was born about 40 years too late. Fortunately, this treasure has made it possible to feel like having a front-row seat and being backstage at the very same time!

I have owned this book (1st Edition) since 1974) and It is a swell rememberance of the delightful Alice. I know personally that Alice was delighted with it and considered it her "Oscar". The photos and movie reviews are stunning and also a testament to How to grow older with STYLE! We miss her terribly, as her talent , grace and charm is very rare to find! Though she has left us, her music and the movies linger..Perhaps a little girl of 10 will be watching "Stowaway"this weekend, and wonder"Who was the Lady singing?" Thats how the new fans start..Well, "ONE NEVER KNOWS, DOES ONE?"

Alice Faye Duncan has done it once again! Christmas Soup is an easy read for children with a universal message. The book demonstrates the generosity of the human spirit and the way children learn through examples. Great book!

Recently, while searching the children's area of my local bookstore, I stumbled upon this classic story. In a nutshell, it is a book which teaches young children that God's abundance is released when we pray and when we share what we have with others.

Yep,here is a modern day tale (with comedy) about old-fashioned ideals like caring and sharing with your neighbor.

A must have for all ages!!!!!

I purchased this book after seeing the author read it live here in Memphis. I found that the story has a very compelling message that reaches children and adults alike. I also have to say that I have seen my fair share of live children's book readings and have never seen an author read a story as dynamically as Ms. Duncan. She really gets into it

My mom and I have been reading one chapter of this book each night. Now that I'm on vacation from school we watch a movie from the actress we read about the night before the following day. My mom has always talked about these actresses and I've enjoyed knowing more about their personal lives. It gives me a better understanding of their acting when I know who they were in real life.



All the famous ones are covered in "Hollywood Blondes" - My favorites are Marilyn Monroe, Judy Holliday, Betty Grable and Jean Harlow. The detailed filmographies have helped us track down which movies we want to see too. It's a real bonus to have the filmographies of each actress after their chapter.



Not all of the movies are available anymore but old movies are being found and restored all the time so hopefully some of the lost films will become available in the future. If you're a fan of the blonde actresses from many years ago, whatever your age, this is a really fun and enjoyable book to read :) :)



If you think famous people of today like Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and Nicole Ritchie have their problems, after reading this book, it seems that old Hollywood celebs had the same pressures, addictions and problems. Many of the women in this book were addicted to drugs and alcohol. They had so many marriages and men in their lives, I found it hard to keep up and there were even some murders! I also found it interesting that as beautiful as they all were, their self esteem was very low. Probably the reason why they used drugs and alcohol to feel better about themselves.



Well, that's it. I just really liked this book and wanted to let you all know about it. Thanks!!!!!

I was beyond thrilled when someone told me there was a chapter about Marie McDonald in this book. I have been a huge Marie fan ever since I saw her in Promises Promises but there is not a lot of information about her out there. Thank goodness for Hollywood Blondes! This has to be the most detailed and accurate look at Marie's turbulent life. I thought they picked some stunning photos of Marie too. I wasn't surprised when I learned the authors started MarieMcDonald.org

I also like the other chapters in Hollywood Blondes. It was a good mix of bombshells from the 30s, 40s, and 50s.

I didn't like this book - I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!! If you think the stars today live crazy lives you should see the messes these classic stars got themselves into. I like to consider myself a classic film expert and I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I learned. There is a lot of information packed into this book. There are tons of quotes sprinkled throughout the book which made you feel like you were hearing the actresses tell their own story. Adding a detailed filmography at the end of every chapter was a great idea too. Also most books like this give you one or two pictures of each actress but this one is filled with dozens of great photos (some were a little dark). The best part for me was discovering actresses like Carole Landis and Barbara Payton who I didn't think much about before.

You can tell the authors have a lot of respect for these actresses because they are all written about in a mostly positive way. I hate books that treat the stars like they were saints but Hollywood Blondes doesn't do that. It gives you all the real dirt about their bad marriages, their drug problems, and their sad endings. Fanatics probably won't like seeing their idols exposed but you have to face the fact that celebrities are human beings. These blondes may have been gorgeous and talented but they were also very flawed women. After reading it you really feel sorry for them yet you still want to run out and rent their films.

I did find some factual errors but that is true with every book. There are definitely not as many errors as some of these other reviewers claim. The Jayne Mansfield and Jean Harlow chapters were actually two of my favorites. I am looking forward to Michelle Vogel and Liz Nocera's next book!

Hollywood Blondes is the title of a new but highly superficial and unoriginal book on the flaxen actresses of the silver screen by Michelle Vogel and Liz Nocera. Weaving the reader in from silly hair color commercial catchphrases, to the history of how blonde hair was revered throughout the ages, (throughout the centuries women have use horse dung, horse urine, and saffron to lighten their hair) to the introduction, these two self-proclaimed "film historians" do themselves in and let the reader know what they are in for....which certainly is NOT knowledge of famous blonde actresses.

From telling the readers about the psychological effects that blondes are supposed to be lovelier, and that only a few percentage of the world's population are naturally blonde, one gets the idea that they are over-wording just to use up more space in the book.

I will limit myself discuss the Jean Harlow chapter and add a couple of notes here on other actresses I am familiar with, so others can write their reviews on other stars they know more about.

While Jean Harlow's hair did become damage from over-bleaching, it wasn't true that, "She had no other choice but to wear a platinum blonde wig in her last seven films." In fact, Harlow was not a platinum blonde since 1935. She opted for a platinum colored wig in 1935's China Seas, as she was letting her own hair grow in. The only two films that she wore wigs after that were in Riffraff----the movie that introduced Harlow to the world as a "brownette"in 1936, and in Wife vs. Secretary. Harlow wore her own natural hair color of honey blonde hair in her other films from 1935 on, including Saratoga, her last film in 1937.
Here are some mistakes about Jean Harlow that were written on this book.

--Jean Harlow was not born in St. Louis, Missouri. It was Kansas City Missouri. Betty Grable was the one born in St. Louis.

--Harlow's mother was never referred to as "Mama Jean"; she was known as "Mother Jean."

--Jean's grandfather, Skip Harlow, was not an architect; he was a real estate broker.

--Clara Bow did not make a film called The Love Parade with Harlow. It was The Saturday Night Kid, in which Jean had a minor part.

--Charles McGrew did want Jean to have their child at the time she was pregnant.

--Howard Hughes was never "infatuated" with Jean; he was never interested and neither was she. There was no romance between the two.

--Canine star Rin Tin Tin did not die "cradled in her (Jean''s) arms." That is just a myth added to the Harlow legend.

--MGM Mogul Louis B. Mayer was not "obsessed" with Harlow; he never offered her a mink coat to have sex with her. That is a tall tale fabricated by novelist, Irving Shulman, who wrote an unaccountable, undocumented, un-researched, and false account on her life.

--Paul Bern, Jean Harlow's second husband, did not buy Jean "a mansion on Easton Dr, in Benedict Canyon." after they got married. That house was already his.

--Jean was never suspected of "being the killer" in Paul Bern's death; that is a plot from one of Jean''s movies.

--Jean did not "witnessed" Dorothy Millete killing Paul Bern. Jean was at her mother's house where she had spent the night.

--It was not "one of the biggest mistakes" for Jean to turn down King Kong, as we know it Fay Wray did nothing but scream and scream in it since the star of the picture was and will ever be: Kong!

--The character of Lola Burns in Bombshell is not patented after Jean Harlow, as the writers claim, but after Clara Bow. However, this was Jean's favorite role.

--While John Barrymore was in Dinner at Eight where Harlow was featured, Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford were not. The authors were thinking of Grand Hotel, in which Jean never appeared.

--Jean did not buy" a big mansion." She purchased the lot and her mother build it. It was called the ``White Palace," not "the big white house."

--MGM never tried to "destroy all copies" of Harlow's novel Today is Tonight. Mother Jean sold MGM the book after Jean''s death. MGM bought it help out Mother Jean economically.

--Reckless was not "loosely based on Jean and Paul Bern's real story." It was a script patented after Broadway star Libby Holman, whose husband, Zachary Smith Reynolds, had killed himself the same year that Bern did.

--Jean and her mother did not move in "a modest bungalow on North Palm Drive." It was a beautiful, Spanish styled, two-storied large home in Beverly Hills.

--Jean did not "collapsed into his (Clark Gable''s) arms" on May 24. The time was May 29 and the actor was Walter Pidgeon.

--Gable did not call "William Powell who took Jean home." She was driven in a limo back to her house by herself.

--William Powell died in 1984 not "1980."

--Mary Dees was not Jean's "long-time stand-in." Dees was hired to complete Saratoga. She never met Jean Harlow.

--Mother Jean did not die in "the same room at Good Samaritan Hospital," and she did not die on June 7th either; Mother Jean died of a massive heart attack on June 11, 1958.

As for Marilyn Monroe, the authors inform us that, "Without a doubt, Marilyn Monroe's persona was a creation of men, for men." That's part of the Monroe legend but it isn't true. By taking on Harlow's favorite color of white dresses to Lana Turner's hair styles, and Betty Grable's make up, Monroe presented her own version of the dumb blonde in the 1950's.

The misquote attributed to director Billy Wilder, where Marilyn said she was the only blonde in the films, didn't happen in Some Like It Hot (1959). The incident to what the writers are recalling was from Something's Got To Give (1962), Monroe's last and uncompleted film, and the director was George Cukor. If people watch Some Like It Hot, they can see that Monroe was in an all-blonde-girls-band. Another misquote attributed to Colombia Pictures' mogul Harry Cohn; he never said "Get me another blonde!," when he heard that Monroe had died in 1962. Monroe made only one film at Columbia when she was a starlet in 1948. She was never a contract player at Columbia; they had their own bombshell in Kim Novak. Any Monroe fan knows that she attained stardom at 20th Century Fox Films with the release Niagara in 1953, and had been that studio's contract player from 1951 till 1962.

According to the authors, Jayne Mansfield was "the poor man's Marilyn Monroe." In all my years of researching the library's microchips newspapers on Mansfield I never read that she was referred to that way. Mansfield was a Broadway star, given a highly-paid contract by Fox. Mansfield was that studio's premiere blonde star of the late 1950's. The only two films Monroe made at Fox, after her departure, were Bus Stop in 1956, and her last, Something''s Got To Give. Jayne''s market value at 20th Century Fox was twenty million dollars in late 1950's and early 60's money, which is about one hundred million in today''s money.

In a grave error the authors state that Lana Turner's Cheryl Crane "...shot and killed her (Turner's) gangster boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato..." and then telling us that "Cheryl stabbed him with the knife" in the Lana Turner chapter. At this rate one wonders, who did this book's editing? I found most of the chapters that I read to be careless, rehashed stuff from similar and equally badly written books. The authors use unverified websites as reference, quote sensationalist books, and worse, misquote a lot and resort to tabloid-trash writing. I would advise any reader to skip this book at all costs, not even for the photographs, which are studio-standard photos that any fan is probably familiar with. The writers just didn't care or know about reporting fresh, insightful, and true accounts of these stars' lives.

This book is sensational. From the gorgeous cover to the well written text. Vogel andher co-author, I do not know but am now a fan of, have really been great in their work. This book went into why Hollywood Blondes lived such tortured lives. Sure there are things in here, that some reviewers can and will disagree with. But it's unfair and tasteless to claim facts are wrong and you (the reviewer) knows more about a star like Jean Harlowe than the writer. Maybe the writer got information from someone other than you. Maybe if you are such a Jean Harlowe nut, you should write a book yourself. I found this book to be more than 99% accurate, sometimes writers have their own way of doing things and finding research and you shouldn't assume they didn't do their homework. These authors most certainly DID do their homework and the book is written brilliantly! I enjoyed the Lana Turner chapter most of all. The way Vogel writes it, gives you the feeling of almost being in the room as an observer in many dramatic and shattering scenes played out in this blonde beauty's life. Great job, Ms. Michelle Vogel. Looking forward to your next book.

Sadly, Alice Faye seems to be forgotten these days. She made some major pictures in the 30's and early 40's but, as she never had a comeback role, today she has been replaced in historians minds with Betty Grable (ironically, Ms. Faye led the way for Betty).

This book is a fast, easy read which starts off by explaining that Alice Faye was never a very reliable source for historical data about her own life. Once you know that, a few omissions here and there do nothing to take the reader away from the fascinating person that Alice Faye must have been.

Details about her, her movies and her personal life are told to the readers in an informative, respectful, manner. From her start in films through her abrupt self-dismissal from Hollywood, you feel you really know (and like) the woman. Her marriage to Phil Harris, their radio show and the final years of her life are also carefully told.

This is what a book should be and I highly recommend it.

Alice Faye was an ordinary woman who led an extraordinary life. In this well researched, lucidly written biography, Jane Lenz Elder explores the many contradictions of Alice Faye: her struggles with stage fright and poor self image despite her enormous stage presence and success, her commitment to marriage and family despite a busy professional life, and her courageous willingness to act in her own best interests in a day when performers were expected to conform to the rigid codes of the Hollywood contract system.

But this book is more than just another biography of a silver screen legend. Ms Elder's background as a historian is evident in the detailed background provided. The reader will learn about the difficulties of life in Hell's Kitchen in the early years of the 20th century, how Prohibition created the night club milieu in which Faye developed her skills, and how business was conducted during the heyday of the great Hollywood studio chiefs.

The result is a rich story about a simple woman during one of the most interesting times in Hollywood history.

Good things do happen to good people! In Ms. Elder's comprehensive biography of Alice Faye's we experience a young girl who emerges from a broken and impoverished home unscarred and loving. Her dreams of becoming a dancer place her in an atmosphere of traveling bands and their leaders, one night stands, and the New York night club scene, and in this atmosphere where so many others lost their ideals, she enjoys the friendship and respect of all her co-workers, male and female, as well as success.. She enters the Hollywood movie arena of the 40's and 50's, where Mr. Zanuck and moguls of the movie studios try to dictate movie roles to her, yet she holds fast to what she inherently knows is correct and triumphs. And when she knows the time is right for her to quit show business and begin a private life, she does so and has many happy years with her family in a good marriage.

Ms. Elder's excellent writing maintains a balance between the career of Ms. Faye and the social and business environment in which she found herself. Indeed, this book gives splendid insight into the world of show business, from the early night club scene in New York to the developing Hollywood movie business with its contract players, radio broadcasts, and the early days of television. Of particular interest is the role of the newspaper reporters and the film magazines, as well as the role of the movie studios' publicity departments.

This is an all-round interesting book, well researched and documented. I felt I really knew Alice by the end of the book, and admired her strength and values.

Alice Faye deserved the best and with this biography she got it. The author has captured her reserve, talent, wit and determination beautifully. The fact that Alice's daughters and friends participated so willingly is testament to both herself and the tact and skill with which the author has put the story together. Most impressively, the author has captured the milieu in which Alice Faye developed and this makes for a fascinating insight into New York during the depression.

All of her films are described in detail with a real feel for the pressures with which Faye dealt as she emerged as a superstar and from which she eventually walked away. Her relationship with husband Phil Harris is also analysed and it is a case book study in how 2 people make a life together - commitment, independence, humour etc. Faye's unexpected and extraordinary re-emergence into the limelight in her seventies as a spokeswoman for Phizer Pharmeceuticals is also included. As the author states, her elderly years were truly golden as she worked in a meaningful job and enjoyed her family and grandchildren.

The author's prose is literate with a low key style, like its subject. This makes for easy and entertaining reading.

This is the only complete biography of Alice Faye written since her death in 1998. To those who admire Alice Faye it is a very well researched and interesting book covering her entire life. But the pictures in the book do not do her full justice. The best book there is The Alice Faye movie book,

Theses Bio-bibliographies vary in quality. This is not one of the better ones. The volume is full of inaccuracies and VERY expensive but it certainly captures the breadth of Alice Faye's career and for anyone who thinks of her only as a film actress, it is a revelation.

However, the errors and sloppy editing could have been avoided because the author had access to all the corrections but did not bother. Sadly, this perpetuates the errors so that the uninformed just does not know what is correct and what is not.

The references to articles about Faye and interviews with her are particularly useful for those who wish to learn more.

Greenwood Press offers yet another example of it's policy of publishing something... anything... just because it's not yet in their cataloge. Those seeking an overview of Alice Faye's career will find all the basic facts (many of them wrong) in this work, which resembles nothing so much as xeroxed pages stapled together. In no instance do we get any feeling for the performer as a person, just a rundown of "and then she did..." or "and then she recorded..." etc. Such a long lived and important career deserves far, far better than this overpriced rubbish.

I've owned the Alice Faye book for several years, and consider it a very useful, and even affectionate, look at Faye's career. The author clearly admires the star, and in the filmography chapter he does print contemporary reviews that prove how highly Faye was regarded. The bibliography alone encompasses an enormous amount of material that has been written about Faye, and even the complete log of her radio show with husband Phil Harris is accounted for. The volume even includes information I previously had no knowledge of-- such as Faye's post-Hollywood career as a representative for a pharmaceutical firm. I appreciate that a reference book as this has been done--there are some excellent photographs too.

To anyone looking at this book for information it is quite impressive. People giving these rave reviews aaasume the information in the book is correct. Anyone who knows about Alice Faye would know that the information in this book is unreliable. There is a mistake of some kind on almost every page. The author was given a wealth of information/corrections to work with but he and the publisher were more interested in getting it done now than getting it done right. It's a shame that people refer to these so-called "reference books", assume what their reading is fact, and the mistakes get copied over and over. To sum it up - opportunity lost. A big let-down for people who love Alice Faye. The book to find, although not as broad in scope, is "The Alice Faye Movie Book" (aka "The Films of Alice Faye"). It was written by someone who actually saw every film.