All That Glitters

by Thomas Tryon

Five Fabulous Sex Goddesses

Their careers span the history of motion pictures. The life of each has been touched by the legendary agent (and lover) Frankie Adano. From Babe, the outrageous honky-tonk blonde who becomes an eternal box-office draw ... to April, the classy beauty who never wanted to act, let alone be a star ... Claire, Star of Stars, quintessential Hollywood Movie Queen, who's lasted the longest yet still looks back unforgivingly at her incredible life—they're dominated by exalted success, desperate failure, excess, and illusion ... royal lives ruled by All That Glitters.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

534 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

It was Noel Coward’s partner, Gertrude Lawrence, who encouraged Tom to try acting. He made his Broadway debut in 1952 in the chorus of the musical Wish You Were Here. He also worked in television at the time, but as a production assistant. In 1955, he moved to California to try his hand at the movies, and the next year made his film debut in The Scarlet Hour (1956). Tom was cast in the title role of the Disney TV series Texas John Slaughter (1958) that made him something of a household name. He appeared in several horror and science fiction films: I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958) and Moon Pilot (1962) and in westerns: Three Violent People (1956) and Winchester '73 (1967). He was part of the all-star cast in The Longest Day (1962), a film of the World War II generation, credited with saving 20th Century Fox Studios, after the disaster of Cleopatra. He considered his best role to be in In Harm's Way (1965), which is also regarded as one of the better films about World War II.

While filming the title role in The Cardinal (1962), Tom suffered from Otto Preminger's Teutonic directing style and became physically ill. Nevertheless, Tom was nominated for a Golden Globe award in 1963. He appeared with Marilyn Monroe in her final film, Something's Got to Give (1962), but the studio fired Monroe after three weeks, and the film was never finished. That experience, along with the Cardinal ordeal, left Tom wary of studio games and weary at waiting around for the phone to ring.

After viewing the film Rosemary's Baby (1968), Tom was inspired to write his own horror novel, and in 1971 Alfred Knopf published The Other. It became an instant bestseller and was turned into a movie in 1972, which Tom wrote and produced. Thereafter, despite occasional film and TV offers, Tom gave up acting to write fiction full-time. This he did eight to ten hours a day, with pencil, on legal-sized yellow tablets. Years later, he graduated to an IBM Selectric.

The Other was followed by Lady (1975), which concerns the friendship between an eight-year-old boy and a mysterious widow in 1930s New England. His book Crowned Heads became an inspiration for the Billy Wilder film Fedora (1978), and a miniseries with Bette Davis was made from his novel Harvest Home (1978). All That Glitters (1986), a quintette of stories about thinly disguised Hollywood greats and near-greats followed. Night of the Moonbow (1989), tells of a boy driven to violence by the constant harassment he endures at a summer camp. Night Magic, about an urban street magician with wondrous powers, written shortly before his death in 1991, was posthumously published in 1995. The dust jackets and end papers of Tom's books, about which he took unusual care, are excellent examples of his gifts as an artist and graphic designer, further testimony to the breadth of his talents.

Reviews

[Zachary · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALL THAT GLITTERS....

An excellent insight into the dark side of old HOLLYWOOD. I loved the fact that he intermingled the fact with the fiction. You can draw your own conclusions about who's who and and certain times and places. Being an old movie buff, I loved it!!

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. I am crazy about old Hollywood.

[Susan Kaspersen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my fav from Mr. Tryon.
Harvest Home makes up for everything though.

[Tristan Robin Blakeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read several of Tryon's books; they're always a fun read. Crowned Heads, Lady, Harvest Home, The Other and The Night of the Moonbow all kept me thoroughly engaged whether thriller, personal drama, Hollywood glamour or historical melodrama, he keeps the story barreling along with witty dialogue and marvelous descriptions of both characters and settings, as well as the sociological worlds at play in each.

Unfortunately, All That Glitters is an anthology of short stories - actually novellas, I guess - of five Hollywood leading ladies and their climb to the top and what it cost each of them. Each seemed a bit trite, and I thought perhaps this might have been his initial idea for what became Crowned Heads, but I realized that this was written quite some time after that book.

Although the five characters who inspire each of the five stories are interesting, there just isn't enough happening to make the reading that intriguing. I never felt I learned much beyond 'and then this happened.' The snappy conversation I'm used to with Tryon books seemed to be less than brilliant here - though some of the (obviously inspired by Mae West) Babe Austrian lines were quite amusing.

The omnibus is tied together with the thread of the elegant charming man who was each of their agent. I actually wish the book had been about him and the glittering ladies of the screen were the background threads! He was rather fascinating and lots of things seemed to happen to him, as well as being a complex and interesting character.

If you've never read a Tom Tryon, and you enjoy Hollywood background stories, I would recommend Crowned Heads before this one. It really just doesn't pull it's weight.

[Boris Cesnik · Rating 3 out of 5]

More a classic screenplay for an 80s soap opera than a novel on/of Hollywood.
Too cartoonish and grand to be fully believable. The narrator and most of the 'stars' act just like in a movie, unrealistically pathetic. Where's all that magistral vortex of language, style and stories that made Crowned Heads such a monstrous triumph...and yet I did finish it. You can't take away your eyes from Tom Tryon's writing. He's just too good.

Babe is the one I enjoyed the most. The narration of the first chapter just grabs the reader with its quick change of perspective, its silly but effective wit, its savoury anecdotes and the only scenes where real life and fictional drama blend together to create a sparkling and enchanting joie de vivre.
Skip the rest if you wish.

[Sherrill Watson]

A decent story (I guess) about Hollywoodland. "Babe," (about Mae West), "Belinda, April / Anna, Maude, and Claire" (Elizabeth Taylor). Maybe not. You can judge for yourself. A tell-all of the 1930s - 40s. Very tame by today's standards. Who cares who slept with whom, and what was reported in "Photoplay" magazine and / or by Hedda Hopper? Long-winded, too much interminable namedropping about people and some places I never heard of. He never tells what happens to himself and any of the ladies in the bedroom, which is ho-hum by today's standards. Some plots, but mostly bla-bla-bla with (to me) pertinent details left out.

[Earl Pestano · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really the “best” book I’ve read but upon reading, I have learned that all the glamour and glory of man will all fade away.

Favorite part:

“Maybe it really will be gone-with-the-wind time, when a hollow wind will whistle through the dead sound stages, when the desert tumbleweeds will bumble along the empty streets and the last foot of printed celluloid will have fallen to dust. Or maybe it was never real at all, maybe it was only a dream, the kind of tinsel and cellophane dream that slips away little by little, no matter how hard you try holding onto it - and you know in your heart of hearts it could never have been real.”

[Denver Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth it, yes! Any book you can borrow from the library is worth reading. Ever heard the expression? My eyes are bigger than my appetite. I don’t think I’ve ever asked that question before. This author had way too much meat on the bone! I love the way the author intermingled fact with fiction. But he went into way too much detail! Overall a fascinating read.

[Audra Stinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just could not finish this book - i feel like i read for months and just barely made it to 58% done. it moves at a snail’s pace. the writing was good, but i have too many books on my tbr list to stall out on this one.

[Tara N · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is 30 years old!!! It had been on my shelf for at least 15 years, getting passed over and over and over and over. I finally blew the dust off and read it. 5 stories, 5 women, 1 man. It is a good read- not as scandalous as I'd like a Hollywood story to be, but still a decent read.

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 1988. Tryon takes us back to the royal Hollywood whose customs, excesses and illusions he was privy to in his own film-star years.

[Erin Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, but for lovers and scholars of Old Hollywood only.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this trashy, gossipy book.

[Warren Granfor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Would have been a great book if about 40% of it could be deleted.

[Kerri K Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sit down at the table of All That Glitters during the days of glam. This book serves as an exquisite main course, a pot pie if you will. I didn't find a real bite of the meat for the first 100 pages,,, oh but the rich gravy of Tryon's verbiage always keeps me spooning for more. This book, these words, I am completely sated.
Thomas Tryon has been a favorite since I was a teen and read The Other. I found All That Glitters amongst my mother's old books. Revisited ,this beloved author has been a delight. I must admit at the end of this sup it has occurred to me people who have a grasp of the Hollywood rise are fast fading. Oh but to lose the taste for such a meal would leave this deliciously delightful dinner untouched. Thomas Tryon's word recipe should be passed on to the next generation.

[Kylie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to force myself to finish this novel because, as a Tryon fan, I felt I should read it. Even so, I think I set it down with 20 pages left, which for a 500+ page novel should be unthinkable! I didn't care at all about the characters, the pacing was really uneven, and for every amusing anecdote, there were at least 10 boring ones.

Tryon's way with words is always great, and as a huge fan of old movies and classic Hollywood, I love the premise of this novel. The execution left much to be desired though. This was a tedious read, and I would not recommend it to anyone other than the most devoted Tryon fan.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the rare times where a first chapter leads to a book that lives up to all the build up. I'll admit that I sat straight up with the twist at the end of the chapter. Obvious that part of this are based on real life figures and real life incidents. Also clear that the author has lived the Hollywood life.

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

So boring