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Post by Shaun on Jun 14, 2005 9:11:53 GMT -5
Has anyone read "An Affair to Remember" by Christopher Anderson? How does it compare to Kanin's book? I saw Anderson's book at the library here, along with Kate's "The Making of the African Queen", and am thinking of reading both.
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Post by Cate on Jun 14, 2005 11:39:40 GMT -5
Shaun -- You should read The Making of the African Queen! For one thing, it was written by Kate herself... and her sometimes wicked sense of humor shows through. I read it in one night. Then I made my mom read it.
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Post by Shaun on Jun 23, 2005 17:11:07 GMT -5
I read "The Making Of the African Queen" but it took me two days to finish (how pathetic) and loved it. I've also read her autobiography "Me", Charles Higham's "Kate: The Life of Katharine Hepburn", and Scott Berg's "Kate Remembered" and couldn't put any of them down, yet how can anything about Kate the Great not be fascinating? Some of you here have expressed a disliking towards Higham's book but I can't understand why. He does a thorough job of describing Kate's career in the movies and her private life, at least I thought so.
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Post by smith on Jun 23, 2005 18:39:41 GMT -5
The Higham book - he interviewed a lot of people who other writers did not including Laura . But he's not the best writer - he seems so taken with Katharine that he couldn't be objective but the amount of detail makes it worth reading - for example I don't think that we would have been aware that Laura was at the rehearsals for The Lake - her point of view was interesting
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Post by karina on Jun 25, 2005 13:27:34 GMT -5
Shaun - I liked the Christopher Anderson book. Can't remember anything specific I'm afraid, as it's quite a while ago since I last read it, but I know I enjoyed it. Have you also read his earlier book, "Young Kate?" - it's even longer since I did so and it's not one I have in my private collection - I borrowed it from the library at the time.
Think I'll go and re-read "An Affair to Remember" though......
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Post by Cate on Sept 8, 2005 14:22:49 GMT -5
So... speaking of biographies... I read, for the second time, Kate Remembered. It's like watching a movie, you read things you might have missed before or forgotten. For instance, I don't remember reading about Fiona, her niece having cystic fibrosis. I never knew about it until Judy told me... and then there's Irene Selznick's death. I must have gone into multiple comas in the middle of reading that book which is strange because it has to be the most fascinating biography I have ever read... and all I read are biographies and non-fiction -- with a few fictions here and there -- WHICH I found out the second time around, Kate read as well! I also dropped into a minor depression after finishing it (again) . As if I didn't already know the ending.
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Post by Cate on Sept 8, 2005 14:25:18 GMT -5
PS I forgot to elaborate on Irene's death... I remember Berg saying he thought she "willed" her death, which is interesting because I somewhat believe people can will their bodies to do certain things -- hypochondriacs, for instance, are a good example... But I guess the thing I didn't know was that he was so affected by her death. He went to her apartment and cried... I almost cried just reading it. Maybe I was premenstrual.
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Post by Cate on Oct 17, 2005 11:59:32 GMT -5
My John Bryson book just came in! I don't know why I chose that particular book... It was on a whim and that one came to my head. I'm thinking now perhaps I should have gotten the Higham book. What are everyone's thoughts on the Bryson one? Did anyone know he died last month?
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Post by Shaun on Oct 17, 2005 15:15:50 GMT -5
I had to look the Bryson book up on Amazon--I couldn't remember it. The reviewers had nothing but nice things to say about it, but then again they spelled her name with that dreadful "e" so how much could they possible know about Kate to decide whether the book is accurate? Bryson apparently had KH's consent to write the book and there are some rare photos in it. I'll probably end up reading this one.
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Post by Sherry on Oct 17, 2005 23:24:39 GMT -5
The Bryson book is excellent because it was the first time Kate allowed anyone into her life to photograph her everywhere -- NY, CA, and Fenwick. The photos were taken over a span of 15 years. Bryson had unprecedented access to Kate at very private moments with friends, family, and on film sets. The level of co-operation on her part was total because she liked and trusted him. The book provides the reader with a very intimate view of her. Where else would we have ever seen her sitting at her dressing table -- sans makeup as she puts up her hair in curlers? Excellent book which every Hepburn fan must have in their collection.
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Post by smith on Oct 18, 2005 4:43:38 GMT -5
The Higham book which was the first biography of Katharine - written about 1975 is very poorly written . However he did interview many people who subsequently died before the next biography came out including Jed Harris and he also interviewed Laura . Its full of a lot of interesting detail which appears to have been lost in other biographies .
For example I didn't realise that when Katharine first came to Hollywood she worked 6 days a week - 10 - 12 hour days which apparently was pretty normal . That's why she commented once how busy Leland and herself were . Bit of trivia , Laura Harding went out with a couple of dates with Leland in the 1920's .
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Post by Cate on Oct 18, 2005 12:46:08 GMT -5
The book is full of wonderful photos of Kate, some I haven't seen before (actually, a lot that I haven't and I'm surprised they haven't been posted on the internet yet). I loved seeing all the miscellaneous decor she had in her house. On the kitchen table she had a yellow bendable bunny with a carrot in its hand -- the exact same one I had as a child! So cool. And Kate with the pruning sheers perched in a tree or dragging logs down the street. Only Katharine Hepburn.
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Post by Shaun on Oct 18, 2005 15:05:26 GMT -5
Even though I don't have the Bryson book, one of the pictures you described, Catherine sounds familiar. The one of her in the tree with pruning sheers sounds the one in the book made by LIFE magazine. Does anyone else have these books to corroborate my hunch?
P.S. The LIFE book is worth getting for the pictures alone; I can't remember a word that was written but the pictures are fantastic.
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Post by Cate on Oct 18, 2005 16:20:35 GMT -5
I saw the Life book at a book store a while back but the cover was ripped. It was only $7.98 but I can't buy books that are damaged! It does have wonderful pictures. It's still there, too. I'm thinking I might have to stick it out and try not to let my obsessive/compulsive-perfectionist side keep me from enjoying it ;D
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Post by Sherry on Oct 19, 2005 21:17:15 GMT -5
Yes, Shaun, the Life Commemorative book includes the photo of Kate in the tree with the clippers. John Bryson was a photographer and editor for Life magazine so when they put out the commemorative, they included many of Bryson's photos that he did for his book about Kate.
Sherry
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