A noted reporter of the Hollywood scene provides a candid, close-up study of the life of the great Ethel Merman, Queen of Broadway, who introduced the biggest hit songs of Gershwin, Porter, Berlin, and Sondheim

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Veteran show-biz biographer Bob Thomas has crafted a breezy, affectionate tribute to Broadway's belter non-pareil, Ethel Merman. His no-nonsense narrative depicts her modest beginnings, her fierce drive to "sing," her easy, early successes and unparalleled domination of the Broadway musical scene for over 30 years. Although Merman's star was luminous and long-lasting, Thomas does not gloss over her personality quirks or her toughness. She knew how to take center-stage. Any actor, musician or even stagehand who interfered with her love feast with an audience did so at his or her professional peril. Public success did not spill over to her private life. Four troubled marriages, the deaths of her daughter and daughter-in-law, and her own physical and emotional deterioration left her virtually alone. This is a fully fleshed portraitpoignant but jubilant. Merman's triumphs, earthiness and super-professionalism all contributed to a Broadway phenomenon that has not yet been eclipsed. For theatromanes, Thomas offers a thoroughly enjoyable, easy read. Photos not seen by PW. First serial to the Star. November 20
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

There is no single word or phrase to describe the personality of Merman, one of Broadway's greatest stars through three deades beginning in 1930. By turns she was tough, warmhearted, violently jealous, and moody, yet she remained a consummate professional in her approach to her work. Thomas, the veteran Hollywood biographer, has succeeded in bringing to life the singer whose voice was said to resemble a trumpet and who starred in such unfor gettable stage hits as Annie Get Your Gun , Call Me Madam , and Gypsy. Al though her personal life was marred by four unhappy divorces and other losses, theatergoers will remember : Merman's brassy style of singing and acting as one of the most extraordinary of her generation. Public libraries should purchase. Samuel Simons, Memorial Hall Lib., Andover, Mass.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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