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Customer Reviews (20)

Truthful but sad account of Paul's life
I got this book when it first came out. I read Peter Marshall's book, so I knew about Paul's seedy side and what I was getting into with this one. Lynde loved to drink and when he had too much, his dark side emerged. The liquor covered for his insecurities. I used to watch him on Hollywood Squares during the 70s, he always seemed happy and the life of the party. Yeah, it's called acting.

While I wanted to sympathise with Paul, it was very hard to do, given that he brought most of these sad things upon himself. He obviously was no saint, and I thought that maybe if he'd gotten some therapy, it might have prolonged his life and changed his outlook on it, I must agree with others that this book is a difficult read, especially if you were a fan of Lynde, like I was.

Inside of the life of Paul Lynde....
Interesting detailed life story... Too bad they omitted some of the
dirty laundry... I could tell you stories Sista! Its a fun read and
great for a few laughs...

Skewed, Poorly-written Biography That Focuses on Hearsay and Negatives
This disjointed, terribly-written biography takes a beloved character actor and verbally assassinates him, all in the guise of trying to uncover his sexuality.From the first page you know you are in for trouble--the writing style is high schoolish, most of the quotes go without attribution so you have no idea who said something, none of the research material notes where it came from and page-after-page is filled with suggestive conclusions that the facts don't support.

It's obvious that Paul Lynde had a lot of problems and these authors make every attempt to drudge up every possible negative thing about him.This book focuses almost completely on his private life and very little on his career.Those that are Paul Lynde fans will be disappointedthat there are few behind-the-scenes stories that go beyond short newspaper clippings (that were obviously the source material for much of what is in this book).

Worst is the psychoanalysis and conjecture that the writers do on their subject.They write things like "Paul must have felt..." or they claim his behavior was due to repressed childhood sexuality.They condemn his home town as "intolerant" but offer no evidence for any of their opinions (which are stated as facts).They are just making up their own conclusions based on the publisher's agenda.

Instead of just telling us the facts and telling us who the sources were, the authors bludgeon the star's memory with repeated gossip. Any fan of Lynde who doesn't approach the subject with the same agenda will come away depressed and will not be able to view his work the same way again.So it's best to not even read it.

There should be a decent professional biography written about this great comic performer--but this isn't it.

Poorly Written and Depressing
Wow. And I thought Leona Helmsley was 'The Queen of Mean' ...? Like most of America, I grew up loving the comedy of Paul Lynde and lived for his little short appearances here and there -- from Doris Day movies to Hollywood Squares. But if this book is even half way true, he was certainly one miserable individual. Too bad he flamed out like he did because he apparently did have a great deal of talent.

All I can say about this book is, "ohhhh, my good-nessssssssss...."

Not great, better than I expected
A friend once described me (as well as another friend, her husband) as a "child of the media". Not surprisingly, celebrity biographies are one of my literary junkfoods. Many of them are padded out magazine pieces or promise scandal, but deliver pablum, and many promise depth but never get beyond some "Cliff Notes" version of Freud. "Center Square" is relatively short and published in a small format, with fairly large print--it won't take long to read, but there's more here than than just an oversized magazine piece. The biggest drawback to the book is that it appears to have very little first hand information, although many longtime friends and colleagues of Lynde's were still alive when it was written. The book doesn't have much about Lynde's early life and some of the reason becomes evident near the end (he was not close to his surviving brother and his surviing sister denied his homosexuality and, otherwise, seemed a bit eccentric). Still, Lynde frequently retuned to his home town and stayed in touch with people more than one would expect from a guy who couldn't wait to leave. There are various quotes from Robert Osborne, Cloris Leachman, Kaye Ballard, and other who knew Paul for many years, but none of these people is acknowledged among the sources, which are largely from print archives. The relationship of some people who are quoted can be vague--it's unclear how a person so concerned with his own fame developed relationships with struggling actors and we are told that some characters like Dan Dittman and Paul Baressi were somewhat shady without much explanation (Baressi is probably the most easily documented--a porn director and star, who was part of an "outing" of a major movie star later to recant his relationship to the star; he has a new book in development). One guess is that Lynde met some of the minor characters as hustlers or hangers-on.

Perhaps because the book lacks first hand contacts with people who knew Lynde, some aspects of his character don't really come together. He had a horrible temper when drunk and alientated many colleagues, yet Lynde seemed to remain friends with many people over the course of several decades. He sounds like someone who would have been difficult to work with, yet he had a successful tv career over a relatively long period of time. Many other popular guest stars from 1960s variety shows and sitcoms had vanished by the late 70s, yet Lynde remained in demand. He never fully accepted his place as a supporting player with limited range. Hollywood is full of people who happily and lucratively play the same character over and overa again, yet Lynde wanted more. What he wanted, though, really isn't clear from the book. On the dinner theatre cicuit, Lynde played the leading man and there isn't a really good explanation what that didn't translate to other media. The simplest explanation may be that a little Lynde went a long way and a single performance every summer in light comedy isn't the same as a regular sitcom or a feature film.

It's clear that Lynde was a deeply unhappy and lonely man, who only seemed to be getting some aspects of his life together near the end. The authors place him as a transitional character in the evolution of gays on television, which seems right. He fit an era where one could wink about sexuality and telegraph alot to those "in the know" without offending people who would be put off by anyone truly playing gay. Doing this meant playing sexually ambiguous or asexual supporting characters who provided comic relief. It's evident that he slowly and sometimes subtley moved away from the pretext of heterosexuality and probably could have adapted to a more open era, although probably as a the gay uncle rather than the bachelor uncle, and not as a major star. Lynde comes across as a socially and politically rather conservative man and one wonders what he would have made of the era of AIDS and gay rights that came after his death. ... Read more

Product Description
Helps blow the cover off the gilded cage. It opens the closet door for a look at, and conversation with, ten gay men of the silver screen. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Let's be real
I think some reviewers here are having a tough time coming to terms with alternative sexual orientations.I bought this book for my son and he loved it.While he questioned the credibility of the author at times, he still enjoyed reading the background on some of Hollywood's notorious flamers.

Laughable, but not in a good way.
WOW. This guy should be ashamed to present this as even being remotely journalistic. No sources, no tapes and such outlandish, unbelievable dialogue that you are embarrassed for the writer. Cary Grant at 80 came on to this guy? Its so ridiculous its funny. Just one of the many obvious personal sexual fantasies the author shares with the reader. I'm sure many of these people he supposedly interviewed were gay or bi-sexual, but it's not proven in this book. If anything it's disproven by the mere fact that the author has such little to back him up that he has to resort to faking interviews and offering anonymous sources.

The most obvious example is the Cary Grant interview, but the rest are just as blatant. There is no way a private person like Grant would speak to a known liar like Boze, let alone discuss his homoosexuality with him, when he had sued Chevy Chase around the time of the interview for calling him a fag.

The book is a waste of money and time. There are great biographies out there that contain substantiated facts rather than gossip and lies.

More garbage from Boze
As a journalist myself, I can testify that Cary Grant never gave interviews, even for articles about him.When he HAD to give an interview, he managed never to say anything. So you can write off the Grant interview right away.No conceivable way would he EVER EVER have spoken to Boze Hadleigh.In fact, I can't see how anyone would.

Someone mentioned their curiosity as to why Hadleigh's interview subjects are always dead.Uh, libel laws.He doesn't want to be sued.As he surely would have been - just look at what Cary Grant did when Chevy Chase called him "queer."And here's Cary, talking to good old Boze and coming onto him.Right.

Boze joins Hector Arce and Charles Higham in that wonderful world of - hey, they're dead, let's say anything we want - even fake an interview.And don't ever forget their liberal use of anonymous sources.

We know in many cases that the men allegedly spoken to by Hadleigh were indeed gay.Some we suspected.Now, did these people speak to Hadleigh - knowing full well what he's about?Perhaps some did and just as perhaps, some didn't.

Why we can't love and admire these people for what they brought to us with their work, I don't know.Instead, people like Boze try desperately to out actors like Tyrone Power (I bring this up because Hadleigh works Romero mercilessly on the subject) and manage to overlook first person accounts of affairs with him, such as Mai Zetterling's "All Those Tomorrows," Lana Turner's "The Lady, The Legend, the Truth," Linda Christian's "Linda: My Own Story," and Gene Tierney's autobiography. But why listen to those liars when we have BOZE??? Before Boze, there was Whisper magazine, a Confidential ripoff, and they outed Ty -as fooling around with Anita Ekberg while he was married to Linda Christian.Strange, isn't it - Confidential would have outed Rock Hudson if his studio hadn't traded another story.Odd they never felt compelled to do that to Ty...hmm...Again, Power may have been bisexual, and I do think in Hollywood, there was a lot of that going around.But why tell Boze about it.

Consistently entertaining and revealing
The lengths people will go to to "defend" their favorite deceased stars from accusations about their private lives is laughable. All of the men profiled and interviewed in this book were long rumored or known to be gay -- it was the Hollywood studios, with their desire to keep their stars bankable, that cringed and worried the most about the truth getting out...along with the actors themselves wanting to maintain their livelihoods, of course.

How accurately Mr. Hadleigh was able to recreate/reconstruct the actual interviews (especially since notes and recordings were not always permitted, understandably) is open to debate.... but one CAN "hear" the subjects' voices speaking.They do NOT all sound the same, as one previous overheated reviewer stated. As for whether or not Cary Grant hit on the author, who's to say what type of man Mr. Grant was attracted to, especially at the age of 80?Anything is possible in this world!

I recommend this book as a great piece of entertainment, and a glimpse into the private thoughts of some openly gay and closeted icons.

Who knows?
I agree that it is hard to know whether to trust this book's veracity (I found the moment when Cary Grant hits on the author particularly hard to take).

But I'm more bothered by all the vitriol in these reviews, as though saying someone is gay is the worst thing in the world!There is a lot of evidence outside of this book that these actors were gay or bisexual, so it's not absurd to think they were.And certainly not an insult.

The book is a fun read, whether it's based on actual interviews or not."Hollywood Lesbians" seemed somewhat more believable. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Publisher: New York : Carleton; Publication date: 1862; ... Read more

Product Description
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: Carleton in 1862 in 238 pages; Subjects: Literary Criticism / Poetry; Poetry / General; Poetry / Anthologies; Poetry / American / General; ... Read more

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Chapters: Stephen Fry, Rosie O'donnell, Graham Chapman, Paul Reubens, Margaret Cho, Frankie Howerd, Lea Delaria, Paul Lynde, Lily Tomlin, Sandra Bernhard, Graham Norton, Chris Crocker, Kenny Everett, Ellen Degeneres, Charles Hawtrey, Michael Barrymore, Andy Dick, Paul O'grady, Jane Lynch, Charles Nelson Reilly, Wanda Sykes, Megan Mullally, Rick Mercer, Jonny Mcgovern, Sandi Toksvig, Hape Kerkeling, Julian Clary, Tom Ammiano, Matt Lucas, Alan Carr, Sue Perkins, Simon Amstell, Larry Grayson, Carol Leifer, Stephen K. Amos, John Sessions, Bethany Black, Jimmy Edwards, David Hoyle, Peaches Christ, Rip Taylor, Scott Capurro, André Van Duin, Paul de Leeuw, Scott Thompson, Ant, Alec Mapa, Jim David, Josh Thomas, Maggie Cassella, Jade Esteban Estrada, Rhona Cameron, Dirk Bach, Richard Bluestein, Fu, Mario Cantone, Topp Twins, Bruce Vilanch, Fausto Fernós, Kate Clinton, Amy Lamé, Suzanne Westenhoefer, John Lapus, Donna Sachet, Jason Wood, Judy Gold, Shawn Hollenbach, Amanda Ireton, Terry Sweeney, Tommy Sexton, Marga Gomez, Leslie Jordan, Hella Von Sinnen, Greg Malone, Julie Goldman, Guy Branum, Jen Brister, Sturla Berg-Johansen, Trevor Boris, Wanda Wisdom, Frank Decaro, Trey Anthony, Elvira Kurt, Miss Coco Peru, Mark Trevorrow, Kevin Allison, Dave Rubin, Gavin Crawford, Karen Dunbar, Lynn Lavner, Diane Flacks, Kate Mckinnon, Sean Hetherington, Hedda Lettuce, Donna Mcphail, Danny Leary, Sue-Ann Post, Bob Smith, Kevin Meaney, Jermaine Taylor, Ate Glow. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 528. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, singer, author and media personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=44205 ... Read more

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Chapters: Halle Berry, Doris Day, Scatman Crothers, Clark Gable, Martin Sheen, Paul Newman, Majel Barrett, Paul Lynde, Nancy Cartwright, Jamie Farr, Dean Martin, Gates Mcfadden, Bow Wow, Macy Gray, Warner Baxter, Katie Holmes, Tyrone Power, Drew Carey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Roy Rogers, Rob Lowe, Traci Lords, Maggie Grace, Jean Peters, Jim Cummings, Margaret Hamilton, Dorothy Dandridge, Burgess Meredith, Anne Heche, Teri Garr, Allison Janney, Chris Alcaide, Hal Holbrook, Joel Grey, Lillian Gish, Debra Winger, Libby Holman, Fred Willard, Amy Yasbeck, Jesse White, Tim Conway, Ed O'neill, James Pickens, Jr., Molly Shannon, Dorothy Gish, John Cromwell, Cliff Arquette, Patricia Heaton, Alyson Stoner, Clancy Brown, Louise Beavers, Chad Donovan, Quinton Flynn, Hal Sparks, Ray Combs, Brian Donlevy, Steve Burton, David Canary, Alaina Reed Hall, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Mel Stewart, Robert Knepper, Alice Ripley, Perry King, David Wain, Gordon Jump, Paula Jai Parker, Bob Golic, Alan Safier, Monica Potter, Alan Ruck, Matt Lanter, Beverly D'angelo, John Newland, Drew Lachey, Katt Williams, Jason Dohring, Jazsmin Lewis, Alana de La Garza, Joe Estevez, Diana Hyland, Jim Backus, Tom Aldredge, Andrea Bowen, Bumper Robinson, Richard Basehart, Ray Wise, Corey Allen, Joel Crothers, Danielle Nicolet, Josh Radnor, Chad Lowe, Peggy Ann Garner, Stephen Geoffreys, Dorothy Hart, Elizabeth Franz, William Boyd, Stephen Nichols, Mitch Longley, Angie Everhart, Marcia Lewis, Elsie Janis, Lola Albright, Ralph Byrd, Greg Morris, David Graf, Alice Calhoun, Clyde Beatty, Rachael Harris, Gigi Rice, Damian Chapa, June Vincent, Justin Chambers, Michael Pataki, Ernest Cline, Zach Roerig, Adrianne Palicki, Ralph Graves, Gertrude Astor, Pat Mccormick, Brian Stepanek, Jonathan Freeman, Max Perlich, Jack Baker, Debra Monk, Kaye Ballard, Walter Miller, Robert Dudley, Oscar Apfel, Bill Kennedy, Majel Coleman, Imani Hakim, Brother Blue, Pat Stanley, Grace Keagy, Dick Warl...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=3991193 ... Read more

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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Paul Lynde, George W. Morgan, Dan Emmett, Lansford Hastings, Columbus Delano, Ralph Washington Sockman, Ollie Cline, William J. Hosey, Jesse B. Thomas, Jim Stillwagon, Delano Ames, Benton Jay Hall, Frank H. Hurd, Charles F. West, Cookie Cunningham, George W. Geddes, William C. Cooper, Joe Ardner, Charles D. Martin, John K. Miller, Vaughn Wiester. Excerpt:Benton Jay "Ben" Hall (January 13, 1835 - January 5, 1894) was a one-term Democratic U.S. Representative from Iowa's 1st congressional district in southeastern Iowa. Born in Mount Vernon, Ohio , Hall moved in December 1840 with his parents (future Iowa Supreme Court justice J.C. Hall and his wife) to Burlington in Iowa Territory . He attended Knox College , Galesburg, Illinois , and graduated from Miami University , Oxford, Ohio , in 1855. He studied law with his father, was admitted to the bar in 1857 and practiced in Burlington. He was a member of the Iowa House of Representatives in 1872 and 1873. In 1873 he was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the Iowa Supreme Court. He was elected to a four-year term in the Iowa Senate in 1881. The following year (1882) Hall won the democratic nomination for election to represent Iowa's 1st congressional district in the U.S. House, but was defeated by the incumbent Republican, Moses A. McCoid . However, in 1884, Hall ran again for the 1st district seat and prevailed, the first Democrat to take that seat since the outbreak of the Civil War . He served in the Forty-ninth Congress . However, in 1886 he was defeated in the general election by former Iowa Governor (and future U.S. Senator) John H. Gear . Hall served in Congress from March 4, 1885 to March 3, 1887. Soon after his defeat, he was appointed Commissioner of Patents by President Cleveland and served from April 12, 1887, to ... ... Read more

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When the contest doors opened writers everywhere were challenged to write epic flash fiction stories.But we threw in a twist: each story had to tell the tale ofa creature which haunted the night; lurked in the shadows; or hid in dark places.Writers from all over the USA, UK and Canada met the challenge and from the submissions received fourteen authors were selected; some with already established writing careers, others now breaking out for the first time.Within, you will find an eclectic collection of flash fiction stories covering everything from the horrific to the humorous. There are real gems here-all waiting to scare you, thrill you, and make you laugh. Perhaps they'll even make you wonder about what's really going on out there while you're asleep.There is more here than you've bargained for-and you'll think twice before extinguishing your lights tonight. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Congrats authors.
I am impressed with each author listed here.Not only did they write an entertaining story, they managed to complete it in such a short order.I would think that flash fiction would be one of the more difficult ways to write.I can't wait to read more.

While all were good I will point out that I especially enjoyed Foxhunt, Eternal Moonless Night, and Weapons of Mass Destruction.

A Great Collection of Horror
This is a mixed collection of well written horror stories, some with hints of gore, some a smattering of science fiction, and still others contain bits of humor. What's truly fun about this collection is that not all of the authors have been published before, so it's giving new writers a chance showcase their works in an otherwise "hard to break in", horror market. Who knows, the next Stephen King may be lurking amongst these creepy pages. ... Read more

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Also Authored By George W. Wickersham, Gilbert H. Montague, George S. Coleman, And William D. Guthrie. ... Read more

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Also Authored By George W. Wickersham, Gilbert H. Montague, George S. Coleman, And William D. Guthrie. ... Read more