Veronica Lake Books

This book keeps you guessing with all the twists and turns in the plot. The end will surprise you as you try and figure out who did it.

This book keeps you guessing with all the twists and turns of the plot. The end will surprise you as you try and figure out who the guilty party is.

I would like to say "Polly The Mosquito" is a great book for the family.
I believe this book to be for all ages. While learning her habitat she teaches morales and self-discipline. This sweet, lovely, adorable, red
head ventures out on her first journey with the colony. It's amazing
she being the youngest and somehow the smartest. I urge anyone with
children to make this little character part of their book collection.
Hats off to "Polly The Mosquito" Thanks Veronica Lake for writing such
an interesting story about mosquitos. Thanks to Scott Merril for creating
such a cute character.

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.

Apparently some readers who previously reviewed this title must have read a different book, or were too blindsided by their own misinterpretations to realize what a great book this actually is. Lenburg has done a remarkable job in writing this authorized and harrowing story. What some readers have failed to take into account is the historical context of Veronica Lake's mental illness and the era (the 1930s) in which she was diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic. Back then, people were often institutionalized, and medical treatment was far more limited than it is today. Throughout history, many other notable figures, also ravaged by schizophrenia when little was done for their condition, managed to hide their illness and separate their public and private lives. Certainly, Lenburg did not create or fabricate the circumstances that Veronica Lake lived, and the fact she was tormented for years by mental and was a self-professed alcoholic, he did not rely on her "fuzzy" memory of the truth. Every fact and story were carefully corroborated and substantiated by Lenburg by Lake's mother, family members, and over 40 of her closest co-workers and friends. This includes those accounts as told by Veronica in her own autobiography, each corroborated and verified by the author for inclusion. This also includes many new revelations about Lake that she never revealed in her book, such as a secret abortion, spousal abuse, a possible lesbian relationship, extramarital affairs, and much more. In addition, Lenburg uncovers the truth about other stories told the national press by Lake or Paramount's publicity department that, for many years, were believed true by fans and the media only to turn out false. Unlike other "tell-all" books that don't always attribute the source of their information in the text or throughout, Lenburg does an admirable job in this case. He consistently provides testimonial evidence with actual quotes from Lake's mother and the people he interviewed who knew her best about many of the instances and stories described in his book. Similarly, Lenburg presents a fair, balanced, fully fleshed, true and accurate portrait of Lake without exhibiting any bias toward Lake or her mother. Final judgment of both, whether they were each crazy, or who was at fault is at it should be, it's left up to the reader to decide. The bottom line: "Peekaboo" is a fascinating read, well worth the time and effort about a voluptuous vixen who's life was a disaster from beginning to end.

I have the original hardcover edition of this book published in 1983 and it is one of the worst biographies I have ever read. It was virtually co-authored by Veronica's grasping stage-mother who used her as a meal ticket and who also sued her for support once the money dried up. Miss Lake's real problem was alcohol and this book's dubious (and central) theme that she was a paranoid schizophrenic does not seem based on medical fact. The authors provide no proof of this 'diagnosis' -- only hearsay -- with Veronica's redoubtable mother as the only reference. The real truth about this beautiful, tragic actress who was more sinned against than sinning remains to be told, and sadly, may never be. Miss Lake's own autobiography "Veronica", while glossing over a lot, gives a much better sense of her as a person -- flawed, alcoholic, but seeking only love and peace of mind in a much less enlightened world than today.

Jeff Lenburg, the author of this horrific tome, dedicates his book to: Constance "Veronica" Marios, Veronica's absolutely terrible mother (her comments and interviews make up a great deal of the "misinformation" about Ms. Lake. In the first place, Veronica Lake could NOT possibly have been a "paranoid schizophrenic" as the author (and mother) claim: no one with that level of mental illness could possibly remember lines; perform in any way before a camera; much less create an "image" which her studio bosses at Paramount Studios embraced. In additon, someone with illness of this type (during the time frame when Ms. Lake was alive), would have been subjected to shock therapy (the strong psychiatric drugs were not developed until much later (early 1950's); if Veronica had any kind of mental illness, it is much more likely that she was possibly a manic-depressive (many people with THIS diagnois have in the past, prior to the drug, lithium, utilized alchol to keep them "level" between the highs and lows of their condition. This author takes the position that Veronica drank simply for the sake of drinking--if she had been a paranoid schizophrenic, she would probably put herself into a catonic state and never could have performed in any movie, or done any of the later work which she continually attempted after leaving her movie career. Instead of reading THIS book, try to find the autobiography of "Veronica" written by Veronica Lake with Donald Bain, published in 1977 by The Citadel Press. A reading of this book supports the many inaccurate "statements" put into "Peekaboo" that obviously the author and her estranged mother (her mother not only sued Veronica during one of her most financially difficult situations in Hollywood, this "stage mother" did not even attend her only daughter's funeral -- apparently no one did, except her son Michael. If any more pertinent information relating to Veronica could have been given in "Peekaboo" it should have been supplied by her surviving children (although Veronica did not have the usual maternal relationships with them, as her "career" and unfortunate choice of husband(s) (as the old standard goes, "she looked for love in all of the wrong places")-- but the reader is advised to by-pass this book completely, and try to find a copy (libraries use inter-loan procedures, or one can purchase a "used and out-of print" copy of the much more "accurate" autobiography. As I have read both books, I can promise anyone who has seen any of Ms. Lake's movies, and seen the levels of her performances, the information contained in "Peekaboo" is extermely inaccurate at best. Ms. Lake's story is extremely sad at best; as another reviewer remarked: where were the residuals (apparently, Veronica did not have adequate managerial or financial advisors); however, one would think that she would have been given SOME type of support from the Hollywood System (unfortunately, she did not have a support-system network in Hollywood during the time she worked there, except some minor acting characters -- but it is important to note, the she attempted to keep on working in television(as an actress; a hostess for classic films); tried her hand at the stage (most of these ventures were of the summer-stock variety, but at least she persisted -- and these activities took place during the various stages of her alcoholism. Hers is a cautionary tale, and best told through her autobiography (the earlier book referred above) than to this shoddy and erroneous depiction of Ms. Lake written by Jeff Lenburg--in fact, it is the MOST hateful "biography" I have ever had the displeasure to read about any Hollywood "star. By all means, AVOID this book by Jeff Lenburg at ALL costs, and search for the earlier out-of-print "autobiography" instead.

The book is worth reading and the pictures are great. The writing is good, but not perfect. Not enough or maybe too much time is spent on her relationship with her mother and her mental illness. Overall, a sad, but interesting read.

I knew very little about Veronica before I read this book and now I feel like I understand her a lot better. She was a flawed person and the author does not try to sugarcoat her life. He gives us all the details from her childhood, her rise to fame, her marriages, her battles with alcohol and mental illness, to her tragic end. Her mother was the main source for the book and maybe her memories are tainted but there's also a lot of Veronica's own words in here. There are quite a few unpublished photos too. This book has definitely made me a fan of Veronica and I hope more people read it to learn about her tragic story.

Being a Veronica Lake fan will help you get past this book's so-so writing and sometimes obvious exclusion of facts/details. Her alcoholism is mostly denied, the rumors of schizophrenia are not even mentioned, and she lists her birth date in 1922, although many say it's 1919.

The book is still a good read and offers a look at Hollywood as it was at the end of its golden era. Lots of behind the scenes stuff and interaction with other actors/directors/producers of the day.

Although listed as an "autobiography", the title page says "By Veronica Lake with Donald Bain".

I am almost finished reading this book which I got from the library. It was the only one on Veronica Lake. Well, I chose to read it even though I was not alive during her hay-day, but my mother was. She had always been a fan and admired Veronica Lake. When I was younger, my mother would say at times my hair looked like Veronica Lake's (it's thick and wavy), whomever that was, and like Veronica says in her book 'can't do a darn thing with it.' All I knew later is that she was an actress.

I think the book clearly expresses her alcoholism. She turned to drinking EVERY time she had a rough spot in her life--one of her marriages going bad, being out of money. In fact, she hung out with the merchant marinemen while dating Andy Elickson--and they all would drink for many hours.

I don't remember about the age thing, but I really think she was honest. She surprised me. She sounds tough, sarcastic and not real nice many times. So, I think you get a clear-cut view of a woman trying to make it from living with an over-bearing mother pushing her to be something she wasn't--she didn't really care about being a 'star'(her real father dying when she was very young).

There were a lot of 'honest' type remarks in there about herself and others, but it's not a show and tell like many other stars or biographers write about. Veronica knows when to name names and when not to. It's sad actually, her story. Her deepest love, Andy--she never married. She was a survivor and I admire her for many things she did even though she was a 'star'. It didn't go to her head at all. She went through a lot. She was a waitress at one time just to make ends meet. Fans sent her money after learning of this, but she returned all their money. A pride thing she said.

I'd like to know the rest of the story--this was written by her 2 years after I was born. I think it's very informative if you are a fan. I was more curious than a fan since I didn't know much about her and don't think I saw any of her films. Apparently, she had a natural gift for acting, especially in comdy, surprisingly. She tells it like it sounds as it was, that's for sure. And don't get me wrong---she seems nice enough, but seems to have a negative view of most things. I think her honesty speaks through loud and clear. Just reading the first chaper will tell you that! And she wasn't a fake.

The story review of this book sounded promising, but the book itself was not at all interesting. I had to make myself finish it, and really didn't care how the book ended anyway.