Colleen Dewhurst - Hardcover

Dewhurst, Colleen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0684807017 ISBN 13: 9780684807010

Publisher: Scribner, 1997

Synopsis

Before dying of cancer in 1991, the acclaimed actress had already written most of her autobiography, which here shines with anecdotes about other great names in entertainment, as well as with stories surrounding her social and art activism. 15,000 first printing.

About this title

Review

How could Colleen Dewhurst do this to us? Die, that is, and leave such a fascinating autobiography unfinished after more than 10 years of work? Oh well. As Dewhurst herself makes clear, consideration for others was never one of her strong points--though she had plenty of other strong points to compensate. A monumental actress who outgrew her times, Dewhurst made a few memorable film appearances (Annie Hall, among others) but mainly devoted her life and talent to the stage in landmark performances of Eugene O'Neill's and Edward Albee's most challenging works. She was so busy living her life she didn't have time to finish this memoir, so editor Tom Viola has fleshed it out with memories of Dewhurst by her friends, associates, and collaborators. None of this added material is as compelling, colorful, bitter, or hilarious as Dewhurst's own observations--leaving us with the realization that we not only lost a great actress, we may have lost a real writer as well.

From the Back Cover

"Over ten years ago, I had an idea that brings me to this very moment". So wrote Colleen Dewhurst, as she began - finally - to recall the stories that would fill these pages. Three years later, Dewhurst, acclaimed as one of the greatest tragic actresses of our time, died on August 22, 1991, leaving unfinished the autobiography she had been writing for nearly two decades. The partial manuscript, notes and untranscribed tapes sketched the complete woman: the daughter who wrestled with the domineering strength of her mother's will, yet whose fierce integrity would motivate her actions for a lifetime; the student of Tyrone Guthrie, Harold Clurman and Joseph Papp; the creator, with actors Jason Robards and Ben Gazzara, of definitive renditions of Eugene O'Neill and Edward Albee plays; the star who would win two Obies, two Tonys and four Emmys; the activist who as president of Actors' Equity Association and a trustee of The Actors' Fund of America spoke up first and often, becoming a fierce advocate for those who were not as well known as she; the wife of George C. Scott; the mother of Alex and Campbell - and, on television, of Murphy Brown; and, finally, the friend whose laughter and easy willingness to share the joy, the pain and the random ridiculousness of life invited many into her heart. Colleen's unbending principles and ardent activism would shape her life. But her intensity was balanced by exuberance and an egalitarian love of gossip, as evidenced by anectodes of professional success and failure; stories about the classic productions of The Taming of the Shrew, Desire Under the Elms, All the Way Home, A Moon for the Misbegotten, You Can't Take It with You and Long Day's Journey into Night; memories of finding her stage legs in cramped theaters where she earned the sobriquet the "Queen of Off-Broadway"; as well as delicious details about the menagerie of people and pets who collected at her wooded escape known as the Farm. To enhance and complete the existing manuscript, author Tom Viola, Colleen's friend and assistant at Equity, decided to interview those who knew her best. These included: Edward Albee, Jason Robards, Jose Quintero, Ellen Burstyn, Zoe Caldwell, Maureen Stapleton, Roscoe Lee Browne and Elizabeth Wilson; her sons Alex and Campbell Scott; and more than thirty others. They told the stories she wouldn't tell - of the smile that electrified a room; of the appetite for life that drew friends and strangers and audiences to her like a magnetic field; of her propensity for gift-giving; of her generosity of spirit and love. As the interviews show, Colleen's life was one of indelible impressions and stunning influence; they add nuance and remarkable dimension to the story Colleen told her own words.

About this edition

• Publisher: Scribner
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0684807017
• ISBN 13: 9780684807010
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 400