Golden Age of Hollywood Book Club discussion

Nominate a book for our first group read. Get ideas from our bookshelf!

I would love to read Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade by Patrick Dennis (1955). I loved the movie so I had to get the book! There is also a sequel, Around the World With Auntie Mame (1958).

From Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auntie_Mame

The novel was adapted for the stage by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. The original Broadway production starred Rosalind Russell in the title role. The original Broadway cast also included Robert Allen as Mr. Babcock, Yuki Shimoda as Ito, Robert Smith as Beau, and Peggy Cass as Agnes Gooch. Both Russell and Cass were nominated for Tony Awards in 1957 with only Cass winning.

In December 1958, a film of the same title, based on the play, was released by Warner Brothers,[1] with Russell and Cass reprising their roles.[1] Russell was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe for her portrayal. The film was the highest grossing U.S. film of the following year.

A musical version, titled Mame, starring Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur, opened on Broadway in 1966. It was a triumph in New York and then toured the country with great success. The musical was made into a film of the same title in 1974 starring Lucille Ball, Bea Arthur (reprising her stage role), and Robert Preston. This film was a success at the box office—including breaking attendance records during its Radio City Music Hall run—but critics generally panned it for Ball's singing ability and thought she was not up to the part (she was 62 years old).

I think whenever we read a book we should also watch the movie adaptation and compare. If we pick a book about a person or theme we can pick a movie that has to do with our subject to compare. I do not want to read too many books because we all have other obligations. We can just figure out what works best for group members :)

How about something by Raphael Sabatini such as Captain Blood or The Sea-Hawk. Always loved a good Errol Flynn pirate movie.

Can't say I was impressed after reading Auntie Mame. The movie (Rosalind Russell version) was, however, fantastic.

Any other nominations? :)

Would anyone like to nominate a book or second a book already nominated so we can start our first group read?

Nominated books:
Captain Blood
The Sea-Hawk
Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade

Captain Blood is my favorite out of the three, but I can't really say that, because I've never read Aunt Mame. :)

We are going to try nominations again. We will keep the three below plus one more I would like to nominate. Feel free to nominate any book you want to read! Nominations will end October 24th and then I will set up a poll ending October 30th.

Nominated books:
Captain Blood
The Sea-Hawk
Auntie Mame
Dear Cary: My Life with Cary Grant

The winning book is Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini. Since there was a tie so I took my vote out.

Nominations are new from this point on so let us know what you would like to read.

Don't forget book nominations are always open. Is there a book you would like to read?

For those who can read or are willing to read in Spanish, I just released this essay that I would like to nominate in case you're willing to consider it for discussion.

El Diablo es una mujer (aka The Devil is a woman)
Lunwerg, 2021



Intimate and profane, El Diablo es una mujer rewrites the story of the femme fatale. The book is defined by a need to vindicate the "bad" women in the history of film and portray her as she really is: a magic mirror that reflects male fears

This is a feminist film theory book with a strong focus on old Hollywood films that aims to change the narrative around women in and out of the screen. It talks about those characters "reduced to one-dimensionality, who once were been victims of the subjectivity of the cinematographer, of its supremacist and limiting male gaze".


Enjoy!