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"Joi
Lansing: A Body to Die For colorfully chronicles personal and intimate
details of the last four years of the talented ‘50’s “blonde bombshell”
star’s fascinating life. After three decades of successful TV and movie
appearances and Vegas singing stardom, Ms. Lansing died far too young at
just 43. Though her funeral was attended by luminaries of the day
(Frank Sinatra sent a huge floral display), her light went out
relatively unceremoniously. Always just on the verge of “making it big,”
Joi packed them in with standing room only in Vegas, but when the
curtain came down and the audience was gone, who was she? Sadly, the one
relationship where she was loved for the sweet, gentle woman she really
was, the friendship that might have given her the strength to finally
cross the finish line for that one moment of glory for which she had run
since she began in show business as a little girl of 14, was ended at
her death from breast Cancer in the arms of her dear friend, “Rachel.”
"Author
Alexis Hunter (“friend/baby sister”) was the only person who really
knew Joi and knew how she struggled with a suicide-obsessed self-image
and deadly drug problem after being a child star at MGM where “uppers”
were a common way to keep the kids working 20 hour days.
“Stunning
black and white photos of Lansing by Maurice Seymour, the era’s
Superstar Photographer, make this book a collectors dream.”
—Kate Porter-Avery
"Joi Lansing: A Body to Die For colorfully chronicles personal and intimate details of the last four years of the talented ‘50’s “blonde bombshell” star’s fascinating life. After three decades of...
"Joi
Lansing: A Body to Die For colorfully chronicles personal and intimate
details of the last four years of the talented ‘50’s “blonde bombshell”
star’s fascinating life. After three decades of successful TV and movie
appearances and Vegas singing stardom, Ms. Lansing died far too young at
just 43. Though her funeral was attended by luminaries of the day
(Frank Sinatra sent a huge floral display), her light went out
relatively unceremoniously. Always just on the verge of “making it big,”
Joi packed them in with standing room only in Vegas, but when the
curtain came down and the audience was gone, who was she? Sadly, the one
relationship where she was loved for the sweet, gentle woman she really
was, the friendship that might have given her the strength to finally
cross the finish line for that one moment of glory for which she had run
since she began in show business as a little girl of 14, was ended at
her death from breast Cancer in the arms of her dear friend, “Rachel.”
"Author
Alexis Hunter (“friend/baby sister”) was the only person who really
knew Joi and knew how she struggled with a suicide-obsessed self-image
and deadly drug problem after being a child star at MGM where “uppers”
were a common way to keep the kids working 20 hour days.
“Stunning
black and white photos of Lansing by Maurice Seymour, the era’s
Superstar Photographer, make this book a collectors dream.”
There are plenty of actresses famous for their looks who, despite having decent careers, are quickly forgotten. This is the partial biography of one of them, as told by her last lover and self-proclaimed love of her life.
As someone who’s read a lot on TV shows of the 60s and 70s, I can name plenty of actresses who had moderate success while trying to be the next Marilyn, but Joi Lansing was never one of those names. Looking her up on the internet, one can see why this book is given that subtitle. Though wary because this was written by someone who wants to make her look good, it seems she was one of those genuinely nice people in Hollywood who, while making some friends and contacts, was swallowed up by the movie-making machine that could turn saints into assholes. If this book is to be believed, she was not one of them, keeping her upbeat demeanor and vivacity to the end. And it’s that very end that is the center of this book, making it a tough read at times. By the last chapter I was glad it was over, both her suffering and the reading.
Even though it’s a biography, this can also serve as a cautionary tale of the kind of shit rich powerful men pull on gorgeous young ladies trying to get by in the business of making movies. One can only hope the situation has gotten better, though from some of the stuff described here it’s hard to believe it can get worse.
Was this review helpful?
Featured Reviews
Paul F, Reviewer
There are plenty of actresses famous for their looks who, despite having decent careers, are quickly forgotten. This is the partial biography of one of them, as told by her last lover and self-proclaimed love of her life.
As someone who’s read a lot on TV shows of the 60s and 70s, I can name plenty of actresses who had moderate success while trying to be the next Marilyn, but Joi Lansing was never one of those names. Looking her up on the internet, one can see why this book is given that subtitle. Though wary because this was written by someone who wants to make her look good, it seems she was one of those genuinely nice people in Hollywood who, while making some friends and contacts, was swallowed up by the movie-making machine that could turn saints into assholes. If this book is to be believed, she was not one of them, keeping her upbeat demeanor and vivacity to the end. And it’s that very end that is the center of this book, making it a tough read at times. By the last chapter I was glad it was over, both her suffering and the reading.
Even though it’s a biography, this can also serve as a cautionary tale of the kind of shit rich powerful men pull on gorgeous young ladies trying to get by in the business of making movies. One can only hope the situation has gotten better, though from some of the stuff described here it’s hard to believe it can get worse.
The Perfect Game
Henk B. Rogers
Biographies & Memoirs, Entertainment & Pop Culture, History
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