Russ Columbo and the Crooner Mystique
A dashing Hollywood figure rather resembling Rudolph Valentino, crooner Russ Columbo once rivaled Bing Crosby. But he was killed by a tragic, accidental shooting--wasn't he? Lanza and Penna ask that and more in this lushly illustrated book about a filmland sensation of his time. Columbo got started in Hollywood as a violin prodigy, providing mood music for actors performing in silent films, but achieved the height of success as a slick, mustachioed singer. His fatal gunshot wounds were inflicted by Lansing Brown, with whom Columbo--get ready for this--"shared a camaraderie more profound than any euphemisms at the time could describe and far deeper than shallow customs of 'male bonding' usually encourage." All that, and healthy doses of Carole Lombard, Pola Negri, and other larger-than-life stars, too! Lanza and Penna's rather ethereal style seems fully appropriate for evoking the old Hollywood setting of their story, which fans of semiforgotten movie lore and death in questionable circumstances should absolutely love.Mike TribbyCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved