Hello, Gorgeous: Becoming Barbra Streisand - Hardcover

William J. Mann

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 184954395X ISBN 13: 9781849543958

Publisher: The Robson Press, 2012

Synopsis

In 1960, Barbra Streisand was just a seventeenyear- old Jewish kid with plenty of talent and even more ambition. Four years later, she had taken over Broadway as the star of Funny Girl and had three platinum albums. In Hello, Gorgeous, Mann charts that climb to fame. He takes us back to her formative years: her relationship with her mother, her early lovers, and her husband, Elliott Gould. With access to the previously sealed private collections of Jerome Robbins, Bob Fosse, and many others, Mann lays out the first-ever accurate account of the making of Funny Girl, fills in an incomplete record of Streisand s early nightclub and television appearances, and takes us behind the scenes of the canny marketing team whose strategies made her stardom seem inevitable. He also re-creates a vibrant piece of New York theatrical history the dinner clubs and the birth of Off-Off-Broadway . Everyone of a certain age remembers when the phenomenon of Barbra Streisand rewrote all the rules of stardom. In this intimate portrait, Mann incisively illuminates the woman before she became the icon.

About this title

Review:

"Trying to figure out the Barbra Streisand mystique is no easy task, but Mann expertly captures the launch of her remarkable career in the early 1960s when a unique 'star was born.' Mann's meticulous research and insightful analysis go deeper than any previous biography..."
-USA TODAY "[An] excellent new work...One can only put down HELLO, GORGEOUS with renewed appreciation for Barbra's single-mindedness, and with some glimpse of her inner struggle."
-Liz Smith, syndicated columnist "[A] surprisingly suspenseful and masterfully paced biography."
--Kirkus (starred) "Streisand fans will come away feeling they've had a ringside seat at her early career, and they will leave the show applauding."
--Kirkus

'In this fascinating book, veteran showbiz biographer William Mann makes the sensible decision not to retell the whole of Streisand's life, which has been done many times before. Instead, he confines himself to her Cinderella period between 1960 and 1964, explaining in fascinating detail how a rebellious girl from shabby Flatbush - a place where everything 'smelt of kale' - managed by sheer effort of will to turn herself into a household name...It is the attention to detail...which makes Hello,Gorgeous, so much more than your standard cut-and-paste showbiz biography'. --Kathryn Hughes, Mail on Sunday

From the Back Cover:

PRAISE FOR Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn

“Thoughtfully examining the differences between the ways Hepburn chose to present herself and the facts of her life . . . Kate is a real-life version of one of America’s favorite fairy tales.” – Janet Maslin, New York Times

“A page-turner and a revelation.” – USA Today

“While previous biographers may have added more embroidery to the accepted story of Hepburn’s life, Mann pretty much blows everything out of the water.” – San Francisco Chronicle

PRAISE FOR How to Be a Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood

“Rendered with a verve and fluidity . . . Mann has clearly done his research and just as clearly adores his subject.” – Frank Bruni, New York Times Book Review

“Ridiculously entertaining.” – USA Today

About this edition

• Publisher: The Robson Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 184954395X
• ISBN 13: 9781849543958
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 576