Lana Turner

Lana the Lady the Legend the Truth
$10.00
I think Lana Turner wrote a wonderful autobiography.
Her life was very complicated, interesting and glamorous.
She covers everything in this book.
She starts with her childhood, and talks about how she really was discovered. She talks about her career in movies, her co-stars, her relationships with men, her daughter, everything.
She does go into all the rumors about her life. She openly discusses the scandals and questions people have about events in her life.
She also goes into the difference between her real self and "Lana Turner" the movie star.
I think this is an in-depth, interesting autobiography by a beautiful, smart and talented movie star that is absolutley worth reading.

The Private Diary of My Life With Lana
$19.95
As a fan of Lana Turner's, I bought the book used. The book is well written and keeps you entertained. However, the inconsentecies, make a person realize that there is no documentation to support Mr. Root's story. For example, Lana Turner died on June 29th, 1995. Mr. Root's writes Lana died on June 27th 1995. Also, Mr. Root's writes Lucille Ball hasn't spoke to Ginger Rogers since RKO days. However, anyone can buy a dvd of Here's Lucy and see Ginger Rogers as a guest star on Lucille Ball's program. I think the real story is unfortunately at rest with Lana. In the book, Mr. Root seems to have portrayed Cheryl Crane as Christina Crawford in Mommie Dearest. The line of Cheryl beating her mother is unforgivable. All we have is his word, no proof in his book, except Lana's testimony who is deceased at this time. The rare photos make this book but I would never buy this book alone for it. If Mr. Root was a best friend of Lana Turner's, I think he betrayed this friendship by writing this book. In the book, the flimsy explanation of a son telling lies to Lana on him is ridiculous, which ended their friendship, in my opinion. Also, the story that Cheryl and Josh claimed that Lana near dying stated she was a lesbian is ridiculous too. All Cheryl ever does is tell how much Lana loved men. Shame on you for writing this book. Your story is more of a reflection of one of Lana's great movies "The Bad and the Beautiful." In my opinion, this is a great story but belongs in the fictional section. If you are a true Lana fan, don't buy this book.

The Bad and the Beautiful
$19.98
This is a film that falls a little short of the greatness it's title suggests. The writing is superb. The acting is excellent notably Lana Turner as an alcoholic daughter of a famed actor and Oscar winning Gloria Grahame as a sultry Southern housewife. I think the film goes wrong in the flat-footed direction of Vincente Minnelli. Minnelli was a journeyman director at best and he doesn't seem to have a handle on the material he's given here. One can't help but wonder what a more artful director like Douglas Sirk, Mark Robson, or "Sunset Boulevard" era Billy Wilder could have done with this film.

Portrait In Black / Madame X (Double Feature)
$14.98
When it comes to glossy 1960s melodrama, there's only one leading lady who consistently delivered the goods - Lana Turner. Slip into a glittery cocktail dress, prepare the drinks and settle back with two unforgettable movies starring "La Turner"!

In PORTRAIT IN BLACK (based on a 1947 play by Ivan Goff), Turner plays Sheila, the second wife of ruthless, embittered shipping tycoon Matthew Cabot (Lloyd Nolan). Matt is dying, and the death can't come soon enough for Sheila, who has grown weary of Matt's blazing temper and suspicious mind. Unbeknownst to the rest of the household, Sheila is carrying on an affair with Dr. David Rivera (Anthony Quinn) - who'se also eager for the old codger to fall off the twig - so he administers a lethal concoction in lieu of Matt's daily injection... The deed goes off without a hitch, until a few days later when Sheila receives a hand-printed letter, congratulating the widow on the "success of her murder". Sheila and David's lovelife slowly unravels as the pair attempts to track a mysterious blackmailer whilst the body-count rises...

With a slight nod to Lana Turner's film noir masterpiece "The Postman Always Rings Twice", PORTRAIT IN BLACK is a gorgeously-filmed mystery thriller which had me riveted right to the end. Sandra Dee co-stars as Sheila's stepdaughter Cathy, with John Saxon as her boyfriend. Richard Basehart, Ray Walston and Anna May Wong (making a brief return to movies after a ten-year absence) are marvelous. Ross Hunter favourite Virginia Grey has a small but very well-written role as Cabot's secretary.

In MADAME X. (1966), Lana Turner is Holly, the vivacious young wife of up-and-coming diplomat Clay Anderson (John Forsythe). Holly has it all, but Clay's globe-trotting lifestyle unfortunately allows Holly to fall prey to the advances of notorious ladies' man Phil Benton (Ricardo Montalban). During a bitter fight where Holly tries to leave Phil once and for all, he accidentally falls down the stairs. Faced with going to trial for his "murder", Holly's icy mother-in-law (Constance Bennett) forces the bewildered Holly to stage her death, and stay out of Clay's life forever. Many years pass before Holly, now a drunken, broken old woman, emerges in New York, once again accused of murder. But this time the past is more than a memory away...

With the character of Holly in MADAME X., Lana Turner proves (sadly really for the final time) just how wonderful she could be when the material was first-class. Holly was reportedly one of her favourite roles, and I'm sure she held the experience in fond memory (especially as she later waded through such dreck as 1969's "The Big Cube" and 1980's "Witches' Brew"). Constance Bennett is splendid as the witchy mother-in-law (she sadly passed away shortly before the movie was released); Burgess Meredith is appropriately slimy as the blackmailer trying to ride Holly's coat-tails. Keir Dullea co-stars as Holly's adult son.

A bargain for the price. Recommended.