
Close-Up on Sunset Boulevard
Billy Wilder, Norma Desmond, and the Dark Hollywood Dream
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Narrated by:
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Donald Corren
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By:
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Sam Staggs
About this listen
Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard, a classic film noir and also a damning dissection of the Hollywood dream factory, evokes the glamour and ruin of the stars who subsist on that dream. It’s also one long in-joke about the movie industry and those who made it great - and who were, in turn, destroyed by it. One of the most critically admired films of the 20th century, Sunset Boulevard is also famous as silent-star Gloria Swanson’s comeback picture.
Sam Staggs’s Close-Up on Sunset Boulevard tells the story of this extravagant work, from the writing, casting, and filming to the disastrous previews that made Paramount consider shelving it. It’s about the writing team of Billy Wilder and Charles Bracket - sardonically called “the happiest couple in Hollywood” - and their raucous professional relationship. It’s about the art direction and the sets, the costumes, the props, the lights and cameras, and the personalities who used those tools to create a cinematic work of art.
Staggs goes behind the scenes to reveal: William Holden, endlessly attacked by his bitter wife and drinking too much; Nancy Olson, the cheerful ingenue who had never heard of the great Gloria Swanson; the dark genius Erich von Stroheim; the once famous but long-forgotten “Waxworks”; and of course Swanson herself, who - just like Norma Desmond - had once been “the greatest star of them all”.
But the story of Sunset Boulevard doesn’t end with the movie’s success and acclaim at its release in 1950. There’s much more, and Staggs layers this stylish book with fascinating detail, following the actors and Wilder into their post-Sunset careers and revealing Gloria Swanson’s never-ending struggle to free herself from the clutches of Norma Desmond.
Close-Up on Sunset Boulevard also chronicles the making of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical production of Sunset Boulevard and the explosive diva controversies that dogged it. The book ends with a shocking example of Hollywood life imitating Hollywood art. By the last word of this rich narrative, listeners will conclude: We are those “wonderful people out there in the dark”.
©2002 Sam Staggs (P)2021 Blackstone PublishingListeners also enjoyed...
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Herman J. (1897-1953) and Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1909-1993) wrote, produced, and directed over 150 pictures. With Orson Welles, Herman wrote the screenplay for Citizen Kane and shared the picture's only Academy Award. Joe earned the second pair of his four Oscars for writing and directing All About Eve, which also won Best Picture.
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Golden age Hollywood comes alive.
- By Morton on 04-02-20
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Possessed
- The Life of Joan Crawford
- By: Donald Spoto
- Narrated by: Christina Delaine
- Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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New York Times best-selling author Donald Spoto has brilliantly explored the lives and careers of numerous Hollywood stars and entertainment icons. In Possessed, his subject is the inimitable Joan Crawford, one of the most electrifying divas of the Golden Age of American film. A more thorough, revealing, and sympathetic portrait of the often maligned movie star - most notably lambasted, perhaps, in the scandalous best seller, Mommie Dearest - Possessed is a fascinating study of the real Joan Crawford, a remarkable actress, businesswoman, mother, and lover.
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Waste of money
- By bkw74 on 07-19-21
By: Donald Spoto
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Oscar Wars
- A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears
- By: Michael Schulman
- Narrated by: Charlie Thurston
- Length: 21 hrs
- Unabridged
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In Oscar Wars, Michael Schulman chronicles the remarkable, sprawling history of the Academy Awards and the personal dramas—some iconic, others never-before-revealed—that have played out on the stage and off camera. Unlike other books on the subject, each chapter takes a deep dive into a particular year, conflict, or even category that tells a larger story of cultural change, from Louis B. Mayer to Moonlight. Schulman examines how the red carpet runs through contested turf, and the victors aren't always as clear as the names drawn from envelopes.
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Fascinating and FUN
- By Peter Riley on 06-11-23
By: Michael Schulman
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The Dark Side of Genius
- The Life of Alfred Hitchcock
- By: Donald Spoto
- Narrated by: Jeff Riggenbach
- Length: 23 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Acclaimed biographer Donald Spoto explores the roots of Hitchcock’s obsessions - with food, murder, and idealized love, among others - and traces the origins of his incomparable, bizarre genius, from his childhood and education to the golden years of his career. Based on interviews with his writers, actors, and longtime associates, and on exhaustive research, The Dark Side of Genius is the definitive biography of Alfred Hitchcock.
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The Last Word
- By Erik on 09-22-13
By: Donald Spoto
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Dolly Parton, Songteller
- My Life in Lyrics
- By: Dolly Parton
- Narrated by: Dolly Parton
- Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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A Recorded Books Audio Original production of songs and stories performed by Dolly herself, Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics goes beyond the glitz, glamour, and rhinestones to the warmth, heart, and soul of a treasured pop-culture icon.
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Interview without questions
- By Jen loves travel on 11-19-20
By: Dolly Parton
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Vanderbilt
- The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty
- By: Anderson Cooper, Katherine Howe
- Narrated by: Anderson Cooper
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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New York Times best-selling author and journalist Anderson Cooper teams with New York Times best-selling historian and novelist Katherine Howe to chronicle the rise and fall of a legendary American dynasty - his mother’s family, the Vanderbilts.
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Interesting Approach to a Well Known History
- By HistoryNerd on 09-24-21
By: Anderson Cooper, and others
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My Name Is Barbra
- By: Barbra Streisand
- Narrated by: Barbra Streisand
- Length: 48 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Barbra Streisand is by any account a living legend, a woman who in a career spanning six decades has excelled in every area of entertainment. She is among the handful of EGOT winners (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) and has one of the greatest and most recognizable voices in the history of popular music. She has been nominated for a Grammy 46 times, and with Yentl she became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major motion picture. In My Name Is Barbra, she tells her own story about her life and extraordinary career.
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BARBRA IS LIKE BUTTAH!
- By JoeGato57 on 11-08-23
By: Barbra Streisand
What listeners say about Close-Up on Sunset Boulevard
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- chmwood
- 01-17-24
Starts As A Solid Book, But Then...
This started as a solid (if scattershot) book about the making of a classic film, but then... the characters and works influenced by Sunset Boulevard and Billy Wilder's later filmography are mostly lambasted in the cattiest, low-end prose that becomes tedious after a while. I'd still suggest the book, but maybe duck out about 3 hours before the ending.
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- Fred Armstrong
- 02-29-24
An entertaining & informative book!
I really enjoyed this deep dive into the backstory of Hollywood Boulevard. Maybe too much about the play for some, but overall a great book. Very informative & right up my alley! 👍👍
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- MNN
- 11-26-24
Well Researched, But…
If you love the movie—you’ll mostly enjoy this book. It undoes itself with weird editorializing along the way. It’s unsure what it wants to be. Come for the research, you’ll mostly enjoy it.
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- PHILIP
- 10-09-23
I Really Enjoyed This Book
Great Drive and Listen!!! Informative and Fun!!!!
Lighten Up and Enjoy the Ride . A Fly on the Wall Experience!
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- John G.
- 01-16-25
Mostly Solid and Interesting
I enjoyed the author’s informative and interesting detailing of the making of this film and the major players involved. However, the latter part of the book devolves into repeated and somewhat odd attacks against Jack Lemmon. Furthermore, the author mistakenly views works from decades ago through the lens of today’s sensibilities. That is a mistake. Worth listening to most of the book but I might skip the last few parts.
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- RueRue
- 12-12-21
More about the movie, please
I should have been forewarned. This author also wrote about another classic film, All About Eve, which was short on actual information on the actual making of the film. The same with this book. I really wanted more about the movie itself, not so much about the aftermath and the countless spin-offs. Good narrator.
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5 people found this helpful
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- A. Soergel
- 03-22-22
Meandering But Good
As many others have said, with a little bit of editing, there is a great book in here somewhere. But to finish with the production and release of Sunset Boulevard and only be about halfway through your book? It's excessive, and not necessary. Kudos to the level of devotion and detail on the part of the author, and the narrator does a fine job, but this finely-researched, finely-written book needs an editor badly.
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1 person found this helpful
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- TrevorTrujillo
- 03-23-23
A kiss to the film from a fan
A fan's in-depth history into Sunset Boulevard, one of the greatest films about film ever put on...film. With an obvious admiration for Billy Wilder, almost to the point of a literary tongue-kiss, Sam Staggs guides the reader on the story of Sunset Boulevard from conception to release, and then explores the life after the film, the several attempts at a Broadway musical, the Broadway drama surrounding Andrew Lloyd Webber's eventual version, and the many films that owe their DNA to this piece of Hollywood cinema.
A well researched history with original interviews, the book does cater to Sunset Boulevard superfans and may not be for the layman.
Staggs, himself a superfan, also flexes his critic chops in the back half of the book, sometimes coming off a bit too b*tchy, as he dismisses many of the follow ups, homages, and ripoffs of the original masterpiece.
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- The Louligan
- 01-18-22
ABRIDGED VERSION BADLY NEEDED!
I should have heeded the reviews. This book is just too long. The subject matter is interesting and the story is well researched. But the author has added way too much minutia and trivia. Staggs covers all of the major players in “Sunset Boulevard” - cast, crew, writers, composers and studio executives. The problem starts when he veers off course, adding irrelevant info. For example, if the chapter is about the lighting director, we have hear his entire biography. That’s not so bad but he goes into a deep dive about his WIFE, his PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHER, her HUSBAND, his ancestors and the DOG. He names every play or film that opened around the time of the film in 1950. Then there’s all the subsequent versions of the classic film. Stagg gives us insight into “SunSex Boulevard”, a gay porn version. And one in French that Stagg forces us to sit through a clip for 2 minutes. Let me not forget mentions of every EVERYTHING that used the line “Ready for my close up”! From porn flicks to ads for digital cameras! I love a super-long book, so I could have dealt with SOME of the extra stuff. However, Stagg’s side stories lack continuity and editing.
Overall, this COULD be a great book. It made me watch the film again to catch the kazillion things I missed in my first 10+ viewings. But, as an inveterate reader, I can safely say that this is work best served ABRIDGED! By 50%! It is reminiscent of the 38 hour labor with my son. I knew there was something great inside but the ordeal getting there was excruciating! 😩
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11 people found this helpful
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- Susan Long
- 06-29-22
A little too technical for me
I have seen Sunset Boulevard 2x on television -must say it’s one of my favorite old movies. I didn’t know anything about the actors in the film and this book definitely fills in a lot of background-but at times it was too technical or philosophical for me. I guess I was thinking it would be more gossipy style like Dominick Dunn. I listened to the entire book even though it was just ok. But it does make me want to view the film again and look for things I didn’t pick up on before.
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1 person found this helpful