Flesh and Fantasy

by Penny Stallings, Howard Mandelbaum

Americana, Art, Television, Broadcasting

Genres: Nonfiction, Film

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[Jim Nirmaier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 1978, this fun and well-organized gossip tell-all is very similar in style and lay-out to Kenneth Anger’s two previous notorious tattletale books, Hollywood Babylon I & II. But his compilations had a sinister side to them (he was a known satanist and dabbled in the black arts) whereas Ms. Stallings’ is more fun and light-hearted.

But, don’t get me wrong: it’s loaded with plenty of juicy tidbits. The book is divided into two main sections 1) Flesh & 2) Fantasy, both including about 12 sub-chapters. One of the interesting things is that in 1978, a bunch of these old-time Hollywood stars, legends, and wanna-be’s were still with us, while the REALLY old silent-era, pre-Roman Catholic enforced Hays Code (ironically led by Presbyterian elder Will H. Hays) to safeguard the American public from what they deemed indecent and immoral, and pre-personal income tax period of wide-open Tinseltown; was not that far in the rear-view mirror at that time.

Juicy tidbits:

The casting couch was at its infamous apex. “Me Too” Hollywood actresses think they’ve got it bad now. There was a Harvey Weinstein variation running every major studio in town. “The major studios were each headed by a “Big Daddy” who reigned supreme.” – Evelyn Keyes (who played Scarlett O’Hara’s younger sister in GWTW).

Louis B. Mayer, the paternalistic and dictatorial head of M-G-M studios for decades, controlled every aspect of his stars’ lives, especially the young progenies. “For several years, Mayer allotted Judy Garland’s mother a salary to match her daughter's; in return, Mrs. Gumm performed various management chores, like seeing to it that Judy kept up her special diet of chicken soup and Dexedrine prescribed for her by the studio.”

Plastic surgery was rampant BITD with nose jobs (Dean Martin, Peter O’Toole, Sissy Spacek, Jill St. John, Raquel Welch, Annette Funnicello, Barbara Eden) dental work (Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich, Humphrey Bogart which accounted for his famous trademark teeth grimace), facial scars repaired and covered up, hair rugs hiding thinning heads (Fred Astaire, Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Bing Crosby, Jimmy Stewart, Frank Sinatra, and on, and on, and……), electrolysis to remove too much facial hair & bushy eyebrows (Tyrone Power, Rita Hayworth, Barbara Stanwyck, Ginger Rogers) diminutive leading men (Steve McQueen, Al Pacino, Fred Astaire, Dustin Hoffman, Mickey Rooney, Humphrey Bogart, Alan Ladd, Gene Kelly, James Cagney, Jack Nicholson and on, and on, and……). We won’t even go into the countless facelifts over the years.

Affairs between the stars (married or not), and many times co-stars, were legendary. Director Tay Garnett was helming the film "Seven Sinners" and had Marlene Dietrich lined up as his leading lady but still had not cast his leading man. According to Garnett, “We needed a tough he-man type who could use his fists, and I decided to borrow a still below-the-marquee B-star from Republic Pictures named John Wayne. Marlene had the choice of all her leading men. I decided not to mention Wayne to her, but simply to place him in the Universal commissary where she couldn’t miss seeing him. He stood between us and our table as we walked in for lunch, chatting with a couple of actresses I had set up. She swept past him, then swiveled on her heel and looked him up and down as though he were a prime rib at Chasen’s. As we sat down, she whispered right in my ear, ‘Daddy, buy me that!’ I said, ‘Honey, it’s settled. You got him.’ Then, at a pre-arranged signal, Wayne came to the table. If you didn’t know what was going to happen, you’d be as blind as a pit pony. Their relationship got off like a fireworks display. They were crazy about each other, but every man on the picture wanted her.”

Many, many fascinating stories of faded lights, has-beens, near-misses, stars that disappeared or dropped out, etc., etc.

And tons and tons of wonderful vintage and glamorous black & white photos.

Recommended guilty pleasure reading for movie nuts like yours truly.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hybrid between Hollywood Babylon (without the salaciousness), and the great old filmdom magazines Photoplay and Confidential! It may seem like a fluff piece about Hollywood, but it's actually fascinating the way the author looks at the history of Hollywood and all it's machinations, and it's effect on culture here and abroad.

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Hollywood Babylon Lite" might be an apt description for this work--entertaining perhaps, in a trashy way, but without the venom of the earlier work. Nevertheless, all claims, rumor and innuendo within its pages should be taken with a grain of salt.

[Dan Trefethen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up at a yard sale for a buck. I probably overpaid.

This 1978 book is a trashy, catty look back at the old Hollywood studio system, dishing the dirt on various movie stars and wannabes, plus directors and studio heads. Lots of sex, fights, backstabbing, the whole nine yards. It's OK if you want to wallow in voyeurism, and you'll learn a few interesting facts along the way, but it has not held up well since 1978. There are casual racist remarks (as well as a whole gamut of blackface images), and the giggly attitude towards women sleeping their way to the top does not go down well in this #MeToo era, now that we know so much more about predatory studio executives.

The book has a cheap production value, looking like it consists of text blocks and photos pasted up and shot on a copy stand.

There are some interesting images, especially a series of stars with their lookalike stand-ins, but much of the rest is fluff.

Nobody under 60 years old probably knows who most of these people are, anyhow. This book's time has come and gone.

[TriCedratops · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually quite liked this book and it was the perfect read for a snow day.

I initially bought it at a used book sale, amidst a hoarding binge of most-things-old-Hollywood, likely for the large amount of great photos (all B&W, no colour) and it's alluring title. It's sat on my TBR shelf for quite some years now, until yesterday when I opted to read it before hacking it up for a collage. * * Oh the shock and horror of butchering books for art! ** but I actually have a large collection of books strictly for that purpose.

BUT... I can't do it; I can't sacrifice it to my literary butcher block because I enjoyed it that much. There is a touch of fun campy humour in the writing that is chock-full of interesting and fun facts about old movies and the characters on the screen, the characters that played them, and the characters that created them. I'm opting to consign this one at the local used bookstore in hopes it'll bring as much enjoyment to another old Hollywood fan.

[Vultural · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stallings, Penny - Flesh And Fantasy

For an ever dwindling demographic, this fat volume will be the equivalent of a jumbo bag of potato chips.
Stories, gossip, rumors, tell-alls, pertaining to the Golden Age of Hollywood. Primarily the 1940’s and 1950’s, albeit touching on the 1930’s and 1960’s.

Before and after retouched glamor photos. Stand-ins. Wannabees lingering to seize a petulant star’s role.
Dirt, along with magic of gauze.

Thing is, Boomers may have been the last generation to grow up with these films and faces, so routine on the late show or afternoon matinee.
Who watches now? Buffs and geriatrics.

Packed, packed, packed with photos. Obscure photos, the sort one could only find in the memorabilia shops scattered along Hollywood Boulevard, once upon a time.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Appropriately subtitled "The Truth Behind the Fantasy—The Fantasy Behind the Truth" this is a great book for anyone who is interested in behind-the-scenes classic Hollywood. It is not only chock full of all kinds of rarely seen photos and movie trivia tidbits, it is also very funny. Not as scathing as "Hollywood Babylon" it nevertheless covers many of the scandals, affairs, rumours, anecdotes and just plain weirdness of Golden-Age Hollywood.
My favorite section was called "Love and Hisses" and told the stories of well-known stars who performed convincingly passionate love scenes together because they were really in love, and others who were convincing in spite of passionately hating each other's guts. A very fun read.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like other reviewers said, this is pretty much Hollywood Babylon lite. That said, and taking things with a grain of salt, it was still a fun read-- rare photos and information on stars who've since eluded our cultural memory of hollywood's golden age.

[Avis Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a lot of fun even for someone not very interested in Hollywood, like me.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very like the Hollywood Babylon books.