Evening star., 1951-07-15
The Passing Show
What Hidden Flames
Light Brightest Stars?
Maurice ZoIotow Gives the Answer
In No People Like Show People
The Posing Show
By Joy Cormody

What after ALL the difference between actors and peope
Why Talulah Bankhead all blaze stage
and off, why Fred Aliens for the world of the
8 comedy delights of the goth century?
all three of these questions this
tranquil morning might take the form of another question:
Well there is man who knows His name Maurice zolotow
you Bankhead Allen other equally
eectrfyng personalities business happen stand
out like planets the mere stars OF entertainment
Author Diieent Seeker and StyIist
He has summed them up unqueness fascination
eccentricy People Like Show People off Random
No biogapher is Author zolotow. He
Boswell type seeker after subjects
and styist who knows how to make them live in the
book
The eight specimens unique overpowerng upon
Zooow addition Miss Barkhead and Allen Jack Benny,
Jimmy Duran Merman Harris Fay
what psychologist within them
made them thus these the complicated questions zooow set
out to answer
Naturally personalities of
subjects had to be detached and intimate at the time The
perhaps millions
but material zolotow after did
interest him that Miss Bankhead frankly drinks bourbon
whisky like five Kentucky coone but rather why Or that Jed
be the nsuerabe Broadway
zootow had to know the reason
ToIluIoh Was Desperately Lonely
Miss Bankhead whose to date has consumed forests of
pulp the chapter
Like Show People She brilliantly written pages
20 required to explain Oscar Levant How much
Taluah?
early years life zoloow writes
great apervadng loneliness She had no mother (and there
vague overhangng guilt very process
of being born she had somehow caused mothers dea and
father with other AS fairly
such Talulah stuffed herself with food In the light of
physical beauty,
adolescence her family considered her quite
hopeless fat duckng. favore-and the beauty-was
Eugena Tauah learned call attention to herself by
developing her temperament and creating connections"
This sounds amazingly diagnosis to who
has spent few hours the vicinity of the Taua
No SeIf-Improvement for Duronte
Of People Like Show People" explains: "The
exaggeration these social handcap h appearance
etc. the of them his routine have made this
Caban of the greatest performers of his time Self
of the universal fetishe of society
Durante has made success of Encouragement"
These judgments of his subjects nterSpersed wealth
of fascinating anecdoa material which dramatically
each of Zootows estimates There's perfect profile of
Benny for instance in Zooow story of how he proposed
Mary Livingston:
ought to get
She said, "Why?"
We'll" he stammered. Dad likes you"
"That'S silly reason"
"Well" he you might go I
girl in the act"
That's silier reason"
Jack flushed all "Wel-u-I guess guess, love you"
terribly shy. serious worried guy, zolotow says.
Jed Harris Is Eveybodys Genius
Bankhead subject apparently fascinating
Zootow Director Jed Harris Boadwayite whose deonc
his terrifying his fellow citizens He the
Broadway whom everybody describes
Zootow writes Even his enemes-and
than frend-agree that for creative energy
theatrical imagination dramatic
ndenable flair that lifts human being of the of medoc
ry Harris vast nexpable natural like Niagara
Falls Mount VeSuvus"
Atkinson New York Times critic who
print with rapture written raptrous
L0N .a,,LA