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Hellraisers: The Life and Inebriated Times of Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole, and Oliver Reed

by Robert Sellers

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19817137,909 (3.39)11
"Hellraisers is the story of four of the greatest boozers of all time: Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole and Oliver Reed. Robert Sellers and JAKe cleverly weave the four biographies seamlessly into one fast-paced adventure of drunken binges, orgies, parties and fun. Told through the eyes of Martin, a wannabe Hellraiser, the story begins in a typical London pub at Christmas time. One by one, each of the four Hellraisers take this disillusioned soul of a personal tour of their childhoods, rise to stardom and chaotic personal lives"--Provided by publisher.… (more)
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» See also 11 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 17 (next | show all)
great anecdotes, not so great writing / story-telling ( )
1 vote mortalfool | Jul 10, 2021 |
The author clearly loves the subjects of this book, but though I enjoyed it, I started to wonder if their allure would hold in this day and age. The book covers four hellraisers, Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole and Oliver Reed. All of them were talented actors who lost years of their lives to booze, seemingly without regret. While I agree with the author they were great actors, I think part of the reason for the nostalgia is that, in our digital age where everyone has a camera, all that was available to describe their exploits were words. They created great stories for people to tell. That made it easier to add a dash of fun and glamour to the whole business. Enjoy the stories, because we just won't get to have stars like this anymore withTMZ and US magazine. Sometimes, telling is better than showing. ( )
  Colleen5096 | Oct 29, 2020 |
Oliver Reed one of my favourite actors. ( )
  Karen74Leigh | Sep 14, 2019 |
This graphic biography tells the exploits of the Irish & British actors Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Oliver Reed, and Peter O'Toole. I've long admired the work of Harris and O'Toole, and familiar with Burton by reputation, but Reed was new to me. What they have in common is that they were part of new class of post World War II actors who were gritty and real, and lived a wild and hardscabble life off the screen and stage. The book focuses on the legendary exploits of the quartet's drinking and partying but also their feelings of inadequacy and failed relationships. It's common to romanticize their wild lives, but the book does not shy away from the harm they caused, the violence, the sexual harrasment, and general arrogance. Cleverly, the author ties their stories together by having the Burton, Harris, Reed, and O'Toole appear as ghosts to a character named Martin who is drinking his life away. The four hellraiser actors are able to help Martin to focus on his life and family. ( )
  Othemts | May 25, 2019 |
It is just fluffy wonderful fun! Not the most well-written book, and many tales are a bit apocryphal but it doesn't matter. I enjoyed every bit of it, and have more affection for four actors I already loved. ( )
  koharteh | Sep 19, 2018 |
Showing 1-5 of 17 (next | show all)
“Hellraisers” wants only to be a rowdy collection of greatest hits, and it lives up to that fun-loving ambition. It reels off riotous tales about Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Peter O’Toole and Oliver Reed without giving a moment’s thought to what those tales might mean.
 
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Epigraph
Dedication
To the hellraisers of the world, who have swapped vodka shots for cocoa, whores for a nice cuddly pair of slippers and a night in the cells for a book at bedtime.
First words
They are the four most extraordinary and controversial film stars Britain ever produced, men who at their peak had the whole world at their feet and lived through some of the wildest exploits Hollywood has ever seen. But all that fame had a price.
Quotations
"God put me on this earth to raise sheer hell." Richard Burton
"I don't have a drink problem. But if that was the case and doctors told me I had to stop I'd like to think that I would be brave enough to drink myself into the grave." Oliver Reed
"I was a sinner. I slugged some people. I hurt many people. And it's true, I never looked back to see the casualties." Richard Harris
"Booze is the most outrageous of drugs, which is why I chose it." Peter O'Toole
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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"Hellraisers is the story of four of the greatest boozers of all time: Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole and Oliver Reed. Robert Sellers and JAKe cleverly weave the four biographies seamlessly into one fast-paced adventure of drunken binges, orgies, parties and fun. Told through the eyes of Martin, a wannabe Hellraiser, the story begins in a typical London pub at Christmas time. One by one, each of the four Hellraisers take this disillusioned soul of a personal tour of their childhoods, rise to stardom and chaotic personal lives"--Provided by publisher.

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