Hollywood's Hellfire Club: The Misadventures of John Barrymore, W. C. Fields, Errol Flynn and the Bundy Drive Boys

by Gregory William Mank, Charles Heard (Contributor), Bill Nelson (Contributor)

They made fans go crazy and censors apoplectic, spent fortunes faster than they made them, forged Rembrandts and hung them in major museums, went on trial for committing statutory rape with necrophiliac teenage girls, reinterpreted Hamlet as an incestuous mama's boy,and swilled immeasurable quantities of spirits during week-long parties on wobbly yachts.


They were "The Bundy Drive Boys," and they made the Rat Pack look like Cub Scouts.


Their self-destructiveness was spectacular, the misanthropy profound, but behind the boozy bravado was a devoted mutual affection. The Bundy Drive Boys' un-bowdlerized stories have never been illustrated so well or told so completely as within Hollywood's Hellfire Club.


Author Gregory William Mank also wrote It's Alive!: The Classic Cinema Saga of Frankenstein and Hollywood Cauldron.

Genres: Biography, Film, History

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting, well-told and balanced account of some of Hollywood's most legendary degenerates. Doesn't pull any punches when discussing the consequences of Barrymore et al's alcoholism and dissipation but also makes a case for them as artists and madcaps swimming against the tide of their times.
Wonderfully illustrated with scads of photos of the principles and paintings and sketches by the gang as well.

[Mickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe you have to be someone over 60 to love this book, but I did. Just really funny and sad and fascinating to have all the dirt and some if the gossip on these guys laid out.

[Malcolm Frawley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hollywood of the 1930s & 40s doesn't exist any more &, if this book is anything to go by, the world is all the better for it. A group of friends (enablers?) that included actors John Barrymore, Errol Flynn & Anthony Quinn, writers Gene Fowler & Ben Hecht, artist John Decker, & comic legend W. C Fields railed against the world, & women (the misogyny is so thick you could cut it with a breadknife), together while slowly drowning in alcohol. Most of them died early, & somewhat tragically, but didn't seem to have lived any less so. Not much to like here, although Hecht's wit salvaged his rep a little. Somehow, still an absorbing read for a film buff.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I am a huge W.C. Fields fan. Look at the cover he is front and center. Read the title Mr. Fields is listed second. Well, that was a disappointing read. The book should be accurately titled The Story of John Barrymore and John Decker... and a couple of their friends.

[Brian Burris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was quite boring, lots of names and dates and a few interesting stories. Glad I didn't purchase it though.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book!

[Permies.world · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so surprised that this book received such high ratings. I checked it out from the library based on the reviews here. I'm glad I didn't buy it. The writing itself was nearly ADHD at it's worst and eclectic at it's best. The author would switch from one celebrity to another without any segue, in the same chapter. You don't have to get far into the book to see this either. It starts right away the prologue and continues throughout. I would have to go back try to find where he made the switch. Several times, there was no evident switch...

The photos were interesting. The content was tragic in places. I guess I was surprised to know that the golden age of Hollywood was as dark as it was.

Overall, there are other individual bios out there that cover the material (though not corporately like this one) better. At least from a literary standpoint. It's not a book I'd recommend.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read my full review here: http://carnivalobscura.blogspot.com/

[Kevin Calhoun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on early Hollywood and the Bundy Drive Boys. If you like this era (W.C. Fields, Errol Flynn, John Barrymore) then you'll love this book.

[Rachel Pollock · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are doing research on any of the folks in this book, it's great to see the numerous photos, paintings, reproduced documents, and check out the extensive bibliography.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very interesting subject matter although not very well written.