Ethel Merman: A Life - Hardcover

Kellow, Brian

4.06

138 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670018295 ISBN 13: 9780670018291

Publisher: Viking Pr, 2007

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

An authoritative portrait of the iconic Broadway star traces her Queens childhood through her sensational three-decade career, offering insight into her larger-than-life personality, her relationships with fellow celebrities, and her secret struggles with loneliness and vulnerability. 30,000 first printing.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

A clear-eyed, perceptive take on the reign of Queen Ethel of Broadway.
An editor at Opera News and an entertainment reporter and biographer, Kellow nimbly sidesteps the booby traps other writers have hit while writing about Ethel Merman. Though he gives her temperament its due, he admirably avoids overloading his account with tales of a sometime-outrageous diva. He places Merman's ascendancy and success in the context of 20th-century New York City. Gershwin, Porter, Berlin and others provided the scores, and their confluence created such classics as Girl Crazy, Anything Goes, Annie Get Your Gun and Gypsy. Content at center stage on Broadway, Merman was less happy out of town. Hollywood, in particular, was not her place, as evidenced by the middling films she lensed at Warner Bros. and Paramount. She did score, at least with city audiences, with the film version of Call Me Madam, but losing the main role in the film adaptation of her Broadway triumph Gypsy to Rosalind Russell was a major career disappointment. For Merman, happiness clearly began when the curtain went up. A headstrong, outspoken only child, Merman, notes Kellow, saw only in black and white, a worldview that gave her considerable force onstage but sabotaged four marriages. Her melancholy demise found her down in the depths of the Upper East Side, alone with the ashes of her parents, one ex-husband and Ethel Jr., a daughter whose death may have been an "accidental suicide."
Kellow displays a keen sense of how and why Merman worked, and his profile of her personal life is an aching refrain worthy of the musical Follies.
"Kirkus Reviews"

a A vivid portrait of a Broadway diva who shone brighter and sang louder than anyone else.a
a"The Washington Post BookWorld"
a Dishy and seamless; he understands the dynamics of the theater world and makes you feel the exhilaration of an evolving hit and the frustrations inherent in working with a performer like Merman.a
a"The New York Times Book Review"
a A wonderfully vivid portrait of a unique Broadway star. You can almost hear Mermanas trumpet voice with every turn of the page.a
aJohn Kander, composer of "Chicago" and "Cabaret"
a A fascinating read and a thorough theatrical history of her time. Loved it!a
aJane Powell

? A vivid portrait of a Broadway diva who shone brighter and sang louder than anyone else.?
?"The Washington Post BookWorld"

? Dishy and seamless; he understands the dynamics of the theater world and makes you feel the exhilaration of an evolving hit and the frustrations inherent in working with a performer like Merman.?
?"The New York Times Book Review"

? A wonderfully vivid portrait of a unique Broadway star. You can almost hear Merman's trumpet voice with every turn of the page.?
?John Kander, composer of "Chicago" and "Cabaret"

? A fascinating read and a thorough theatrical history of her time. Loved it!?
?Jane Powell

" A vivid portrait of a Broadway diva who shone brighter and sang louder than anyone else." --"The Washington Post BookWorld"
" Dishy and seamless; he understands the dynamics of the theater world and makes you feel the exhilaration of an evolving hit and the frustrations inherent in working with a performer like Merman."--"The New York Times Book Review"
" A wonderfully vivid portrait of a unique Broadway star. You can almost hear Merman's trumpet voice with every turn of the page."--John Kander, composer of "Chicago" and "Cabaret"
"A fascinating read and a thorough theatrical history of her time. Loved it!"--Jane Powell

A vivid portrait of a Broadway diva who shone brighter and sang louder than anyone else. "The Washington Post BookWorld"
Dishy and seamless; he understands the dynamics of the theater world and makes you feel the exhilaration of an evolving hit and the frustrations inherent in working with a performer like Merman. "The New York Times Book Review"
A wonderfully vivid portrait of a unique Broadway star. You can almost hear Merman s trumpet voice with every turn of the page. John Kander, composer of "Chicago" and "Cabaret"
A fascinating read and a thorough theatrical history of her time. Loved it! Jane Powell"

Kellow s chronology is dishy and seamless; he understands the dynamics of the theater world and makes you feel the exhilaration of an evolving hit and the frustrations inherent in working with a performer like Merman.
The New York Times Book Review
[Kellow] has painted a vivid portrait of a Broadway diva who shone brighter and sang louder than anyone else.
The Washington Post BookWorld
Detailed and perceptive
The Atlantic Monthly
Finally, an up-close and personal Merman who is a whole person. Thanks to this compelling biography, I finally understand how Merman truly defined what was and wasn t worthy of Broadway. Don t miss this one.
OutSmart
Once you start reading you ll find it difficult to put down.
Talkin Broadway
If I had to pick one book to read, it would probably be Kellow s. . . . Kellow, meanwhile, manages to paint a much more vivid portrait of Merman as a Broadway icon, mother and wife four times over. . . . While Kellow still has admiration for his subject, he dishes on the Diva. It s a much more enjoyable read and its lighthearted tone is much more in keeping with the musical comedies for which La Merm is best known.
Misha Davenport, Chicago Sun-Times
Kellow nimbly sidesteps the booby traps other writers have hit while writing about Ethel Merman. Though he gives her temperament its due, he admirably avoids overloading his account with tales of a sometime-outrageous diva. . . . Kellow displays a keen sense of how and why Merman worked, and his profile of her personal life is an aching refrain worthy of the musical Follies.
Kirkus Reviews
A wonderfully vivid portrait of a unique Broadway star. You can almost hear Merman s trumpet voice with every turn of the page.
John Kander, composer ofChicagoandCabaret
In Ethel Merman: A Life, Brian Kellow paints a portrait of Ethel the larger-than-life Broadway star, and Ethel the woman, emotionally crippled offstage by personal tragedy. This book is engrossing, emotional, and entertaining.
Marin Mazzie
Thank you, Brian! I am so grateful to you for giving us the human Merman. She has been so often satirized, sent up, and imitated that it is wonderful to have a lucid portrait of her inimitable career. She lived and worked the whole history of Broadway. It s about time she rates this loving and truthful tribute.
Tyne Daly
Ethel Merman was unique, and so is this book. A fascinating read and a thorough theatrical history of her time. Loved it!!
Jane Powell"

"Kellow's chronology is dishy and seamless; he understands the dynamics of the theater world and makes you feel the exhilaration of an evolving hit and the frustrations inherent in working with a performer like Merman."
--The New York Times Book Review
"[Kellow] has painted a vivid portrait of a Broadway diva who shone brighter and sang louder than anyone else."
--The Washington Post BookWorld
"Detailed and perceptive"
--The Atlantic Monthly
"Finally, an up-close and personal Merman who is a whole person. Thanks to this compelling biography, I finally understand how Merman truly defined what was and wasn't worthy of Broadway. Don't miss this one."
--OutSmart
"Once you start reading you'll find it difficult to put down."
--Talkin' Broadway
"If I had to pick one book to read, it would probably be Kellow's. . . . Kellow, meanwhile, manages to paint a much more vivid portrait of Merman as a Broadway icon, mother and wife four times over. . . . While Kellow still has admiration for his subject, he dishes on the Diva. It's a much more enjoyable read and its lighthearted tone is much more in keeping with the musical comedies for which La Merm is best known."
--Misha Davenport, Chicago Sun-Times
"Kellow nimbly sidesteps the booby traps other writers have hit while writing about Ethel Merman. Though he gives her temperament its due, he admirably avoids overloading his account with tales of a sometime-outrageous diva. . . . Kellow displays a keen sense of how and why Merman worked, and his profile of her personal life is an aching refrain worthy of the musical Follies."
--Kirkus Reviews
"A wonderfully vivid portrait of a unique Broadway star. You can almost hear Merman's trumpet voice with every turn of the page."
--John Kander, composer of Chicago and Cabaret
"In Ethel Merman: A Life, Brian Kellow paints a portrait of Ethel the larger-than-life Broadway star, and Ethel the woman, emotionally crippled offstage by personal tragedy. This book is engrossing, emotional, and entertaining."
--Marin Mazzie
"Thank you, Brian! I am so grateful to you for giving us the human Merman. She has been so often satirized, sent up, and imitated that it is wonderful to have a lucid portrait of her inimitable career. She lived and worked the whole history of Broadway. It's about time she rates this loving and truthful tribute."
--Tyne Daly
"Ethel Merman was unique, and so is this book. A fascinating read and a thorough theatrical history of her time. Loved it!!"
--Jane Powell

About the Author:

Brian Kellow is the features editor of Opera News, where his column, “On the Beat,” appears monthly. He is the author ofThe Bennetts: An Acting Family and the coauthor of Can’t Help Singing: The Life of Eileen Farrell. A classically trained pianist, Kellow has also written forOpera and Playbill, among others. He lives in New York City.

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