Tab Hunter, Confidential; The Making of a Movie Star
Andrew Southam (Jacket photograph) Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2005. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. [6], 378 pages. Illustrations. Index. Signed by Tab Hunter on title page. Illustrated end paper. Includes Introduction and Prologue. In this book, Hunter speaks out for the first time about what it was like to be a movie star at the end of the big studio era, to be treated like a commodity, to be told what to do, how to behave, whom to be seen with, what to wear. He speaks also about what it was like to be gay, at first confused by his own fears and misgivings, then as an actor trapped by an image of boy-next-door innocence. And when he dared to be difficult, to complain to the studio about the string of mostly mediocre movies that were assigned to him, he learned that just like any manufactured product, he was disposable--disposable and replaceable. Hunter's career as a bona fide movie star lasted a decade. But he persevered as an actor, working continuously at a profession he had come to love, seeking--and earning--the respect of his peers, and of the Hollywood community. This book is at heart a story of survival--of the giddy highs of stardom, and the soul-destroying lows when phone calls began to go unreturned; of the need to be loved, and the fear of being consumed; of the hope of an innocent boy, and the rueful summation of a man who did it all, and who lived to to tell it all. Tab Hunter, Confidential is at heart a story of survival--of the giddy highs of stardom, and the soul-destroying lows when phone calls begin to go unreturned; of the need to be loved, and the fear of being consumed, of the hope of an innocent boy, and the rueful summation of a man who did it all, and who lived to tell it all. Welcome to Hollywood, circa 1950, the end of the Golden Age. A remarkably handsome young boy, still a teenager, gets "discovered by a big-time movie agent. Because when he takes his shirt off young hearts beat faster, because he is the picture of innocence and trust and need, he will become a star. It seems almost preordained. The open smile says, "You will love me," and soon the whole world does. The young boy's name was Tab Hunter, a made-up name, of course, a Hollywood name, and it was his time. Stardom didn't come overnight, although it seemed that way. In fact, the fame came first, when his face adorned hundreds of magazine covers; the movies, the studio contract, the name in lights, all that came later. For Tab Hunter was a true product of Hollywood, a movie star created from a stable boy, a shy kid made even more so by the way his schoolmates, both girls and boys, reacted to his beauty, by a mother who provided for him in every way except emotionally, and by a secret that both tormented him and propelled him forward. Tab Hunter (born Arthur Andrew Kelm; later Gelien; July 11, 1931 – July 8, 2018) was an American actor, singer, film producer, and author. Known for his blond, clean-cut good looks, Hunter appeared in over 40 films and was a Hollywood heartthrob of the 1950s and 1960s. Hunter's film credits include Battle Cry (1955), The Girl He Left Behind (1956), Gunman's Walk (1958) and Damn Yankees (1958). Hunter also had a music career in the late 1950s; in 1957, he released a number one hit single "Young Love". Hunter's 2005 autobiography, Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star, was a New York Times bestseller. Gelien joined the United States Coast Guard at age 15, lying about his age to enlist. While in the Coast Guard, he gained the nickname "Hollywood" for his penchant for watching movies rather than going to bars while on liberty. When his superiors discovered his true age, they discharged him. Gelien met actor Dick Clayton socially; Clayton suggested that he become an actor. His breakthrough role came when he was cast as the young Marine Danny in 1955's World War II drama Battle Cry, which was the year's third most financially successful film. His character has an affair with an older woman, but ends up marrying the girl next door. It was based on a bestseller by Leon Uris and became Warner Bros.' largest grossing film of that year, cementing Hunter's position as one of Hollywood's top young romantic leads. Hunter's autobiography, Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star (2005, co-written with Eddie Muller), became a New York Times bestseller, as did the paperback edition in 2007. In his memoir, Hunter officially came out as gay, confirming rumors that had circulated since the height of his fame. The book was nominated for several awards. It entered The New York Times' bestseller list for a third time on June 28, 2015 upon the release of Tab Hunter Confidential, an award-winning documentary based upon the memoir. Condition: Very good / Very good.
Keywords: Movie Star, Hollywood, Arthur Andrew Kelm, Arthur Gelien, Battle Cry, Dick Clayton, Gary Cooper, Dot Records, Allan Glaser, Anthony Perkins, Jack Warner, Henry Wilson, Natalie Wood, William Wellman
ISBN: 9781565124660
[Book #82651]
Price: $150.00