GRACE: THE SECRET LIVES OF A PRINCESS NOW AN E-BOOK!

My Grace Kelly biography was my first New York Times bestseller, and it changed my life. I was now a serious biographer, not just a fan writing books on his favorites or a picture editor. Not to knock those efforts--I'm very proud of them--but Grace put me in a whole new category.

For a biographer, there's nothing so satisfying as to uncover something previously unknown about a subject that changes the public's perception of him or her. With Grace, I discovered that her public persona as "the girl in the white gloves" who was chaperoned on chaste dates by her sister (after she became a star!) was nothing but press agentry. The Grace I wrote about had a full and varied sex life, sleeping with fellow acting students, her acting coach, and four of her first six leading men (all of whom were much older and already married.)

I was actually a bit stunned by the reaction to the book. It was the talk of the town--articles appeared, I was interviewed on all three morning news programs (highly unusual for a book author!), and the book became a bestseller in twelve countries.

The reason for that was the utter surprise readers felt on learning that Grace was a normal, sexually active young woman in Hollywood. Many thought she was a virgin at 26 when she married Prince Ranier of Monaco--including the prince himself! Highly unlikely--but Grace's chaste public image was so meticulously cultivated that many through it a real likelihood.

My greatest satisfaction came not from discovering this information, but from learning why Grace behaved the way she did. Over the next weeks, I'll share some anecdotes with you that explain her youthful promiscuity.

August 5th--The Fiftieth Anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's Death

It's hard to believe that fifty years have passed since Marilyn Monroe died. In that time her image has become synonymous with Hollywood. No other movie star has remained so fresh in the media and the public's mind after half a century as has Marilyn. And like the Kennedy assassinations, there are enough questions, conflicting reports and controversy surrounding her death that all kinds of theories have arisen, including that she was murdered.
         There was unquestionably a cover-up of the facts surrounding Marilyn's death. Her telephone records disappeared the next day, witnesses gave widely divergent accounts of the events leading up to a shortly after the discovery of her body. But why? The prevailing theory is that all evidence of Marilyn's involvement with the Kennedy brothers (however intimate that was) had to be kept from the press and the public or the Kennedy presidency could be compromised.
          One of the reasons I wrote my book Peter Lawford: The Man Who Kept the Secrets was Peter's involvement with Marilyn, his part in introducing her to his brothers-in-laws Jack and Bobby, and his important role in covering up the truth about her demise.
           Vanity Fair excerpted the chapters in the book that dealt with Marilyn's death, and called them "the best account of Monroe's death yet."
            If you'd like to read that account (and all the other amazing stuff that made up Peter Lawford's life), please go to Amazon and pick up an e-book copy!

'Good News' for Peter

Peter Lawford's 1947 film "Good News" was aired on TCM recently. It may be his best, most charming performance. Although he's incongruously playing Tommy Marlowe, an American college football star, he carries it off with his charm and good looks. He even sings--well enough, but Frankie didn't have anything to worry about. Aside from the 'Varsity Drag' number, the film's most memorable sequence is 'The French Lesson,' in which meek student/librarian June Allyson tries to teach Tommy French so he can pass and play in the big game. It's a cute but absurd number--Tommy learns the language so quickly that he's responding to questions posed in French within two minutes, and doing so with a flawless accent. Of course, French was Peter's first language. Later, Peter sings the second verse of "The Best Things in Life Are Free" in perfect French. As Peter said at the time, "This is the most ridiculous part I've ever had or hope to have."

Peter and Judy and Fred, Oh, My!

April 9, 2012. Yesterday was Easter, and Turner Classic Movies appropriately aired Peter's 1948 musical Easter Parade. It was a lavish MGM production featuring Judy Garland, Fred Astaire and Ann Miller along with Peter. In the film's first five minutes, we see an Easter fashion show and a full song and dance number by Astaire. Peter was charming as Fred's best friend who's in love with Judy. (Judy's in love with Astaire, who's in love with Miller, who's in love with Peter.)

The film was a huge success, but it was most memorable for Peter as the picture that brought him together with Judy, who remained a lifelong friend. They bonded when Peter would drive Judy to her psychiatric sessions. "She unleashed on me the torrents of emotion that built up in her relationship with the studio and the men in her life. She grew up with a mother thing and every man tried to be her father. I really went all the way 'round the mulberry bush with her."

Peter had a similar relationship with his friend Robert Walker. "It's funny, Judy and Bob were both very disturbed peple, and they were my best friends. They always would seek me out. I ws probably the level-headed one."

But Peter had demons of his own, which I'll go into next post.

Peter and JFK

Peter was totally out of his element within the Kennedy family. He was apolitical, and was not yet a citizen of the U.S. and so couldn't vote. But he was useful to Jack Kennedy during the 1960 presidential campaign because of his experience with television. It was Peter's advice that Jack look directly into the camera (and thus at the viewers) during the televised debates with Nixon. As a result he looked earnest and trustworthy, whereas Nixon looked shifty-eyed. Kennedy often called Peter after a major address to get his critique of his appearance and delivery. (Once Jack called and Peter had fallen asleep. He bluffed his way through the conversation.)

Still, JFK liked nothing more than to tease Peter. The photograph above hung in a hallway near a bathroom of Peter's Santa Monica beach house. Peter was using the facilities, and he heard the president's booming voice calling at him to come out. Flustered, Peter hurriedly finished up and came into the hallway. "Peter, take a look at this picture," Jack said. "What's wrong with it?" Peter wasn't sure what the right answer was."I don't know, sir," he replied. "It looks all right to me."

"I'll tell you what's wrong," Jack said. "Nobody's gonna believe this picture because it looks like I'm listening to your advice!"

Joe Kennedy Vets Peter Lawford

Soon after Peter asked Patricia Kennedy to marry him, he had to face her father, the formidable Joe Kennedy, who demanded a meeting with him in New York. Old Joe was "bristling," Peter recalled, and began by telling Peter, "If there's anything I'd hate more for a son-in-law than an actor, it's a British actor!" The patriarch then recited Peter's bank account balance. "I'd been thoroughly checked out," Peter said. What he didn't know was that Joe had called J. Edgar Hoover and been sent a copy of Peter's FBI file. One of the tidbits in the file was that Peter frequented prostitutes employed by "a well-known call-house madam." Rather than destroying Peter's chance to marry Pat, the information was considered positive by Joe, who had heard the rumors about Peter being gay. He gave his consent to the marriage.

2012: A Big Year for Barbra Streisand

With the exception of her relatively small but memorable turn as Roz Focker in Meet the Fockers and her smaller and less memorable appearance in its sequel Little Fockers, Barbra Streisand has been off the screen since directing and starring in The Mirror Has Two Faces in 1996. She hasn’t appeared in a musical since the 1983 movie Yentl. That is about to change. Barbra is set to star in another film version of the iconic Stephen Sondheim/Jule Styne/Arthur Laurents musical Gypsy. She’ll play Mama Rose, one of the most coveted roles in theater history, a part interpreted by Ethel Merman, Rosalind Russell, Tyne Daly, Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters and Patty LuPone, among others.  

            Barbra will co-produce with Joel Silver (The Matrix, Sherlock Holmes). Their first executive decision certainly seems like a good one: the screenwriter will be Julian Fellowes, Emmy-winning writer/creator of Downton Abbey, Oscar-winner for writing Gosford Park. He also adapted the script of the film Mary Poppins for Disney’s stage version. No director has been set, but it likely will not be Barbra. Hopefully Rob Marshall will be available.

            Gypsy will likely not be released until Christmas 2013, but 2012 will be a busy year for Barbra for other reasons. October 1 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the day she signed her first recording contract with Columbia Records. The label will celebrate by releasing a lavish 12-DVD set featuring “unprecedented access into Streisand’s professional and personal life [with] never before seen footage directly from Barbra’s archives.”

            To cap off the year, on November 2 Paramount will release Guilt Trip, a road comedy starring Barbra and Seth Rogen as a mother and son who embark on a cross-country trek. It’s her first starring role in sixteen years, and the film promises to be a big hit. It has gotten strongly favorable reactions at screenings, and Rogen is very hot right now. Anne Fletcher (27 Dresses, The Proposal) is the director and Dan Fogelman (Cars, Crazy Stupid Love) wrote the script. Among the eight producers are Streisand, Rogen, Fogelman and Lorne Michaels.

            Paramount rescheduled the film from spring to late fall, which is a sign they feel it can compete well with all the major films released at year’s end.

Look for the e-book of my updated biography Streisand: Her Life later this year!