Wisecracker: The Life and Times of William Haines, Hollywood's First Openly Gay Star
by Mann, William J
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good/Fine
- ISBN 10
- 0670871559
- ISBN 13
- 9780670871551
- Seller
-
Santa Barbara, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Viking; Penguin, 1998. xvii, 444 pages, illustrations; 24 cm. Near fine. Firm binding, clean inside copy. Spine slightly rolled at the crown. Dust jacket protected in a mylar cover. "In 1930 William Haines was Hollywood's number-one box-office draw - a talented, handsome, wisecracking romantic lead. After leaving acting he went on to become the interior designer to Hollywood's elite - everyone from Carole Lombard and Jack Warner to Nancy Reagan - and to such clients as Ambassador Walter Annenberg, who commissioned him for the American Embassy in London. Through it all, he never disguised who he was: Off-screen, he was openly gay to reporters and studio chiefs alike, and at his side at all times was his lover, Jimmie Shields. In a world where truth is often distorted in the funhouse mirror of Hollywood, Billy Haines lived a completely authentic life." "Here is William Haines's virtually unknown story - rich in detail, revelations, and scandal. As the political climate in Hollywood changed, Billy refused to go along. He bucked studio pressure to stop carousing and get married, leading to skirmishes with Louis B. Mayer and the police; there was even a violent encounter with gay-bashing white supremacists in 1936. Here, for the first time, the stories of Hollywood's gay stars are seen in context with their times and with one another, revealing a pattern of intimidation by the studios and, ultimately, the establishment of the Hollywood closet. Alone among his contemporaries - Ramon Novarro, Cary Grant, Tyrone Power - Haines refused to play the game, and so was booted out." "In the end, however, he triumphed: In his new profession of interior design Billy gained Hollywood's abiding respect, and his union with Jimmie Shields lasted nearly fifty years." - Publisher. . 1st. Hardcover. Very Good/Fine. 8vo. Collectible.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- LEFT COAST BOOKS (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 124604
- Title
- Wisecracker: The Life and Times of William Haines, Hollywood's First Openly Gay Star
- Author
- Mann, William J
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Fine
- Edition
- 1st
- ISBN 10
- 0670871559
- ISBN 13
- 9780670871551
- Publisher
- Viking; Penguin
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1998
- Size
- 8vo
- Keywords
- Collectible
- Bookseller catalogs
- Film, TV, & Video / Film / Performers; XXX / COLLECTIBLES; Genre & Subject / Gay & Lesbian;
Terms of Sale
LEFT COAST BOOKS
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
LEFT COAST BOOKS
Biblio member since 2016
Santa Barbara, California
About LEFT COAST BOOKS
Established in Santa Barbara, California, in 2004, Left Coast Books specializes in ART BOOKS, offering thousands of titles on painting, sculpture, graphic arts, architecture, design, photography, film, video, and performance art. We also sell classics, literature, history, and a broad variety of useful academic books.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Rolled
- rolled spine or spine rolled. Damage to a book created by pressure to the spine making it fold or crease in the cover. Damage...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...