Nancie Clare
Author of The Battle for Beverly Hills: A City's Independence and the Birth of Celebrity Politics
2 Works 11 Members 3 Reviews
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lauriebrown54 | 1 other review | Dec 11, 2017 | I received a galley of this book via Netgalley; it won't be released until March 2018.
I have been reading a lot about Hollywood in the 1920s of late, much of that revolving around Mary Pickford, in both fiction and nonfiction. Clare's focus is on one particular battle in the 1920s: that of Beverly Hills to maintain its independence from Los Angeles. At heart, the issue was about water. Los Angeles had it in abundance, thanks to its aqueduct, which Beverly Hills could only access if it permitted annexation. But that would have come at a cost: LA was much stricter--and more corrupt--in its policing during the Prohibition. The unusual beauty of Beverly Hills, with its curvy, tree-lined streets, would have likely been forfeit, along with the abundant overuse of waterfalls, fountains, and non-native plants on many of the palatial grounds of the newly-rich stars.
About half of the book is about background material: the growing popularity of "flickers," the affair and marriage of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, and the incredible sway that had when they combined forces with Charlie Chaplin for a World War I war bonds tour. That same sway was important in maintaining independence for their city, in a contentious debate that included a newspaper office receiving a bomb.
Clare makes a case that Pickford's might established how politicians have wielded incredible political clout over the years, citing people from Sonny Bono to Arnold Schwarzenegger to Donald Trump. The latter example feels like a leap to me, but she does raise an interesting point. If Pickford had lost face, if Los Angeles had developed in a different way, how would that have changed the perception of celebrities engaging in politics?
I recommend this book to anyone interested in early Hollywood and Los Angeles, or the study of celebrity culture. It's curious to me that several books are coming out right now about Mary Pickford, a century after the "Girl with the Curls" became the world's first star, and I am enjoying the trend. She's a fascinating woman, who lived in a fascinating time.… (more)
I have been reading a lot about Hollywood in the 1920s of late, much of that revolving around Mary Pickford, in both fiction and nonfiction. Clare's focus is on one particular battle in the 1920s: that of Beverly Hills to maintain its independence from Los Angeles. At heart, the issue was about water. Los Angeles had it in abundance, thanks to its aqueduct, which Beverly Hills could only access if it permitted annexation. But that would have come at a cost: LA was much stricter--and more corrupt--in its policing during the Prohibition. The unusual beauty of Beverly Hills, with its curvy, tree-lined streets, would have likely been forfeit, along with the abundant overuse of waterfalls, fountains, and non-native plants on many of the palatial grounds of the newly-rich stars.
About half of the book is about background material: the growing popularity of "flickers," the affair and marriage of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, and the incredible sway that had when they combined forces with Charlie Chaplin for a World War I war bonds tour. That same sway was important in maintaining independence for their city, in a contentious debate that included a newspaper office receiving a bomb.
Clare makes a case that Pickford's might established how politicians have wielded incredible political clout over the years, citing people from Sonny Bono to Arnold Schwarzenegger to Donald Trump. The latter example feels like a leap to me, but she does raise an interesting point. If Pickford had lost face, if Los Angeles had developed in a different way, how would that have changed the perception of celebrities engaging in politics?
I recommend this book to anyone interested in early Hollywood and Los Angeles, or the study of celebrity culture. It's curious to me that several books are coming out right now about Mary Pickford, a century after the "Girl with the Curls" became the world's first star, and I am enjoying the trend. She's a fascinating woman, who lived in a fascinating time.… (more)
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ladycato | 1 other review | Nov 28, 2017 | A book full of beautiful photographs of Beverly Hills (and some of its residents) over the years. There is some text providing the beginning of the most famous town in the world. I would have liked more photos of the inside of some of the homes. And the photo of the jacaranda trees does not do its' beauty justice. Some of the captions for the photos were difficult to read due to the color of the type on the color of the page. Overall, though I really enjoyed looking at the photographs.
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knahs | Jun 22, 2014 | Statistics
- Works
- 2
- Members
- 11
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- #857,862
- Rating
- 4.0
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- 3
Not all Beverly Hills denizens wanted or needed these perks, and developers were dying to put in more housing but needed a good water source to do so. So it was put up to a vote. This was when the first instance of celebrity campaigning took place. Mary Pickford (and others, but she was the main one) took to speaking for remaining a separate city heavily. And it worked. This started the habit of Hollywood stars speaking out for politicians and issues.
The book is fairly short, and if you are into early century southern California history, it is fun. The celebrities, the horribly corrupt LA police force, the development of what Beverly Hills was going to look like; it all made its mark on the area. Well written. Four out of five stars.… (more)