#Donald Spoto

[rosepompadour]

She preferred to read fairy tales and books about ballet; indeed, her favorite dolls were fashioned like tiny ballerinas, complete with pointe shoes and delicate tutus. After she became a princess, she stuffed palace closets with her doll collection. - Donald Spoto, High Society: The Life of Grace Kelly

[bitter69uk]

“Continuing her publicity tour for the film (Rancho Notorious (1952)) in Los Angeles, Dietrich learned that the actor Kirk Douglas was ill with pneumonia after the dangerous river scenes of his recent film The Big Sky (1952). Although she had met him only once (through their mutual friend Billy Wilder), Dietrich at once swept down on Douglas, offering (as he later said), “soup [and] affectionate sex. But that was less than the mothering, the closeness. Marlene is an unusual person. She seemed to love you much more if you were not well. When you became strong and healthy, she loved you less.” The liaison was as brief as Douglas’ illness, which kept him bedridden only a few weeks that spring; their later meetings were infrequent, cordial and much less intimate.”

/ From the 1992 biography Dietrich by Donald Spoto /

Fun couple! Marlene Dietrich visits Kirk Douglas during production of his Vincent Van Gogh biopic Lust for Life (1956). Doesn’t Douglas look au courant with that rugged beard? And Dietrich could give a masterclass how to beautifully arrange your legs for maximum advantage.

[ovaruling]

that Vanity Fair article going around calling Cary Grant and Randolph Scott the q-slur—the article centering on them in the 1930s-1960s—made me so mad that i just spent 30 min calling on various phone trees trying to get in touch with anyone who would hear my complaint (Conde Nast publications makes it absurdly hard to figure out where to file a complaint) and i finally got through to someone who “took it down as a note” and said he would escalate it

it’s so fucking inappropriate but it’s a massive massive article that is getting so much traction so i doubt my complaint will do anything

and it was written by a man so i’m sure they won’t value the input of a woman whatever

im so pissed

i’ve been a student of old hollywood culture since i was 15 and to see this language used so casually about historical figures is absolutely sickening

the article even cites an incident where Chevy Chase derogatorily called Cary a “homo” on television and Cary sued, and i don’t see how it’s any different for Vanity Fair to call Cary a “queer” in an article today

also they cite a really really sketchy and unreliable tabloid-esque biographer named Donald Spoto who has never gotten a single fact right in his life—they cite him as a sober source of info.

brain worms.

i’m so angry i’m seeing red lol

[lesbiancolumbo]

i swear i'll stop talking about him soon but if that cary + randolph article tugged at your feelings and you want to approach the topic of grant without giving grifters like scotty bowers and donald spoto a platform (like, guys, it's 2024, we need to stop putting stock into what they write) david thomson has an essay in his book sleeping with strangers about cary grant, his persona, the conversations around his sexuality, etc. and it's a lot more nuanced and a pretty fascinating read

[infinitemarilynmonroe]

are there any biographies of marilyn that you recommend? I want to know more about her but for the info to be accurate

“Icon” (both volume 1 and volume 2) by Gary Vitacco-Robles are great!

Also “Marilyn Monroe: The Biography” by Donald Spoto.

[suraemoon]

what are your favorite/must read books on marilyn? i’d love to learn more about her but i have no idea where to start

Thank you for the question, I haven’t read every book on Marilyn but I’ve read a few and here are my recommendations based on what I know. <3

My favorite books on Marilyn are those that are her own words.

“My Story” is Marilyn’s unfinished autobiography written with Ben Hecht. It sadly only goes up to 1954 but is great if you want Marilyn’s life coming from the woman herself and her coauthor.

“Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters” is a collection of poems, intimate notes, and letters all written by Marilyn. It has scans of her actual writing. I recommend this one if you really want to get into her head and explore her mind because she expressed herself so beautifully.

If you want full biographies I recommend “Marilyn Monroe, The Biography” by Donald Spoto. It is widely regarded as one of the most researched and well-written.

“Marilyn Monroe: Private and Confidential” by Michelle Morgan is another well researched biography. It’s revised and expanded version is called “Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed”.

I recommend that you do not read “Blonde” by Joyce Carol Oates. It’s fictional, not a biography.

Happy reading!

[nitrateglow]

Currently doing research for that Wait Until Dark audio commentary I’ve been wanting to do for a while now (that’s hoping I can get recording equipment together, among other things-- like a sound proof space to record), and it’s amazing how inconsistent one point is-- the issue of Hepburn’s wearing contact lens to simulate blindness.

For a long time, I assumed she was wearing lenses based on certain close-ups, but when comparing notes from all the different accounts of the filming I have read and listened to, there’s a bizarre disagreement regarding not just how often she wore them, but whether she wore any at all. About the only point that remains consistent is that Hepburn herself did not want to wear them.

In the “Look in the Dark” featurette on the DVD and Bluray releases, Mel Ferrer (the film’s producer) claims Hepburn never wore any lens and just looked “starey-eyed.”

Bob Thomas’ biography of Jack Warner-- which covers the filming of Wait Until Dark-- claims Warner wanted Hepburn to wear the lens, but she refused and that Warner “acquiesced,” allowing her to have her way.

Donald Spoto claims Ferrer insisted on Hepburn’s wearing the lens, then forced the unwilling Hepburn to wear them by getting “Jack Warner and a few colleagues” on his side.

Barry Paris claims the production chief Walter MacEwen wanted Hepburn to wear the contacts and that she agreed to do so, but only “in certain close-ups when she could not avoid reacting with her eyes.”

Charles Higham’s book gives the same background as Paris’ (MacEwen insisting on the lens), but this time makes it sound as though Hepburn had to wear the contacts all throughout the shoot, close-up or not. Also, here Mel Ferrer is on Team Audrey, not wanting her to wear the contacts.

Warren G. Harris’ book adds cinematographer Charles Lang into the pro-contacts camp and also makes it sound like she wore them in every scene.

It’s fascinating... and confusing.

[neverthecigarette]

The Dark Side of Genius; The Life of Alfred Hitchcock - Donald Spoto

[naturecoaster]

Moffitt, Saint Leo University Collaborate to Provide Career, Education Opportunities

Community Expo Highlights New Pasco County Medical Research Center and Job Opportunities for Students, Alumni, and Area Residents Moffitt, Saint Leo University Collaborate to Provide Career, Education Opportunities With an eye to the future, Saint Leo University hosted the first Moffitt & Saint Leo University Community Expo today (Friday, April 14) to showcase career and educational opportunities. The Moffitt & Saint Leo University Community Expo was open to the public and offered resume reviews; a career fair; wellness and mindfulness activities; a networking lunch; and informational sessions including discussion of Saint Leo’s nursing, medical humanities, biology and natural sciences, and social work programs as well as career opportunities at Moffitt. Participants had the opportunity to engage in discussions about partnership opportunities with Pasco County and Saint Leo and learn about the exciting cancer research being conducted by Saint Leo students and faculty and by Moffitt personnel and students. Both institutions are committed to developing and supporting people as a whole in body, mind,and spirit, noted Dr. Ed Dadez, university president, during the kickoff celebration marking thecollaboration between Moffitt and Saint Leo. “Saint Leo’s motto is ‘Courage to be More,’ and that is a common thread,” Dadez said about thetwo institutions, with both offering opportunities for people to make the world a better place.“Our vision very much aligns with the university,” said Dr. Kelley Gonzalvo, vice president ofPatient Care Services and chief nursing officer of Moffitt Cancer Center. Moffitt was establishedin 1986 by the Florida Legislature and now has more than 8,000 team members, she said.Moffitt also is expanding into Pasco County, which is home to Saint Leo, with its 775-acreSperos FL, a global center for research, health care, and innovation. Donald Futrell, vice president of Planning, Design and Construction for Moffitt, along with MikeBishop, director of Stakeholder Engagement for the Pasco Economic Development Council, andDr. Mark Gesner, vice president of Community Engagement & Communications for Saint Leo,discussed partnership opportunities for the county, university, and the new Moffitt development. Futrell noted that Speros FL will be larger than downtown Tampa. “We’re building a city,” he said. Approximately 500 of the 775 acres will be developed leaving 35 percent of the land for environmental conservation. “It will blend with the natural environment and be sustainable,” Futrell said. World-class architects also will capture the essence of the environment and provide space that helps with the healing process. A recurring theme for the Moffitt & Saint Leo University Community Expo was that “opportunitiesare limitless,” and those attending the conference were excited about the collaborative possibilities, including internships, jobs for graduates and alumni, training and research collaborations, and much more.For example, the massive new development will provide many opportunities in areas such as artificial intelligence, patient care, general biotech, research, patient care, medical tourism, pharma, radiology, lodging and hotels, cell therapies, and more. When the Speros FL project is completed, Moffitt anticipates its members will number 14,000. By the end of 2027, Moffitt projects it will have 2,400 employees on the Pasco County campus. Not only are scientists, researchers, nurses, and other medical professionals needed, but there also will be jobs in cybersecurity, business operations, social work, information technology, and other fields. Saint Leo Vice President of Academic Affairs Mary Spoto, as well as faculty members Dr. Kathy Van Eerden, dean of the College of Health Professions; Dr. Ebony Perez, chair of undergraduate social work; and Dr. Laura Altfeld, chair of natural and physical sciences, presented many of the educational opportunities that Saint Leo offers for degree-seeking individuals. Moffitt representatives also discussed the needs in their areas. Representing Moffitt were Sean Powell, senior director of care management and social work; Courtney Ullrich, pharmacy manager, and digital health representative; Marc Perkins-Carillo, chief nursing informatics officer; and Sissy Schilling, chief applications systems officer. Ullrich told a student who is majoring in biology with minors in chemistry and education, that the pharmacy area of Moffitt could be a great fit. From medication education to advising people, it all is teaching. “One of the reasons I went into pharmacy is because I love teaching,” she said. A Research Showcase put the spotlight on cancer research at Saint Leo University and Moffitt. Dr. Sergiy Borysov, Saint Leo assistant professor of biology at Saint Leo University; and Moffitt representatives Dr. Aleksandra Karolak, faculty, machine learning; and Moffitt lab students Ishwarya Maganti and Aarya Preetam Satardekah, shared insight into their research. Borysov, who also studied and worked at Moffitt, noted that Saint Leo and the cancer center have practical approaches to problems. “We are providing practical, relevant education at Saint Leo,” he said. “We try to engage our students in so much practical experience.” And those students translate that hands-on learning and research into careers in many fields. “I am so excited about our future,” said Bill Cronin, Pasco Economic Development Council president/CEO, in a statement. Cronin was in the United Kingdom talking to businesses about partnering with Moffitt’s Speros FL.“Saint Leo University and Moffitt Cancer Center are both well-known centers of excellence. Having the two institutions work together to enhance our talent pipeline will benefit Pasco County and the Tampa Bay region for generations to come. These are the kind of partnerships that bolster a strong infrastructure support system and attracts life science companies and venture capitalists. Congratulations to Pasco EDC Policy Council members, Saint LeoUniversity, and Moffitt Cancer Center.” About Saint Leo University Saint Leo University is one of the largest Catholic universities in the nation, offering more than 100 undergraduate and graduate-level degree programs and specializations to more than 15,300 students each year. Founded in 1889 in the Benedictine tradition, the private, nonprofit university is known for providing an education to learners of all backgrounds and ages. Saint Leo is regionally accredited and offers a residential campus in the Tampa Bay region of Florida, at education centers, and through an online program for students anywhere. The university is home to more than 103,000 alumni. Learn more at saintleo.edu. About Moffitt Cancer Center Moffitt is dedicated to one lifesaving mission: to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer. The Tampa-based facility is one of only 53 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitt’s scientific excellence, multidisciplinary research, and robust training and education. Moffitt’s expert nursing staff is recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center with Magnet® status, its highest distinction. With more than 7,800 team members, Moffitt has an economic impact in the state of $2.4 billion. For more information, call 1-888-MOFFITT (1-888-663-3488), visit MOFFITT.org. Read the full article

[scvpubliclib]

He wrote more than two dozen books, including richly detailed biographies of Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Laurence Olivier and Jesus.

[lesbianpaulnewman]

2 & 15 for the reading ask game <33

2. what are 2-5 nonfiction books you want to read in 2023?

donald spoto's biography about elizabeth taylor bc his one abt james dean was SO FUNNY . like usually ppl who write biographies talk too much and go on about extravagant shit idk about. but he was good. from reverence to rape: the treatment of women in the movies, & then my sister got me a book abt douglas sirk for christmas im really excited for ! 

15. any other reading you'll do in 2023 that you want to recommend? newspapers, substack, favorite blog, etc?

i really like willow catelyn maclay's patreon she's my favorite film critic who's not famous, love her essays abt twin peaks/horror , and then i like stitchmediamix's blog posts she goes at more the fandom angle and they're really interesting

[bitter69uk]

“As a glamorous and sophisticated Parisian jewel thief who makes the American naif Gary Cooper her unwitting accomplice in the heisting of a pearl necklace, Dietrich was at last allowed a chance to do more than pose statuesquely. “Permitted to walk, breathe, smile and shrug as a human being instead of a canvas for the Louvre,” ran a typical review, “[she] recaptures some of the freshness of The Blue Angel … Miss Dietrich is not dependent upon stylized photography and direction but has a proper talent of her own.” Her half-smiles hint at wily subterfuge, she sings [Frederick] Hollander’s “Awake in a Dream” with wry self-mockery and thus Dietrich effectively created a modern, credible character from an array of charmingly improbable situations.”

/ From Dietrich by Donald Spoto, 1992 /

Yes! Join us on Thursday 15 February when the FREE monthly Lobotomy Room cinema club whisk you away to The Spanish Riviera for frothy romantic screwball comedy Desire (1936) in the appropriately Art Deco surroundings of Fontaine’s in Dalston! Starring Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper! Email bookings@fontaines.bar to reserve a seat! Full deets here.

[thepiercedone20]

Don’t spend the time.

[thegeekx]

I Won’t Know If I’m Coming or Going: Rodrigo García on Nine Lives and His Latest Film, Raymond & Ray | Interviews

I Won’t Know If I’m Coming or Going: Rodrigo García on Nine Lives and His Latest Film, Raymond & Ray | Interviews

For decades, “Rope” had been deemed a misfire not only by critics and colleagues, but by Hitchcock himself, who referred to it as a nonsensical “stunt.” Even Donald Spoto, one of the most vital Hitchcock historians, claimed that the long takes in “Rope” contradicted “the basic nature of film itself,” though in The Art of Alfred Hitchcock, he goes on to indirectly illuminate the film’s genius. He…

[sareideas]

I Won’t Know If I’m Coming or Going: Rodrigo García on Nine Lives and His Latest Film, Raymond & Ray | Interviews

I Won’t Know If I’m Coming or Going: Rodrigo García on Nine Lives and His Latest Film, Raymond & Ray | Interviews

For decades, “Rope” had been deemed a misfire not only by critics and colleagues, but by Hitchcock himself, who referred to it as a nonsensical “stunt.” Even Donald Spoto, one of the most vital Hitchcock historians, claimed that the long takes in “Rope” contradicted “the basic nature of film itself,” though in The Art of Alfred Hitchcockhe goes on to indirectly illuminate the film’s genius. He…

[suraemoon]

Ohhh, I didn't know, thank you for telling me! :)

Also, who do you think was Marilyn's best husband? (Just something I'm curious about!)

I totally understand, I'm the same with Rita Hayworth!

I think in marriage, James Doughtery was the best as a husband. Joe Dimaggio was an awful husband during their marriage but went out of his way to help her during those last years of her life, him being the only husband who cared enough to do so. Arthur Miller found her interesting and pitied her more than he wanted to be a husband and help her through her problems. None were her soulmate, none were her true love.

That’s my TLDR answer. If you are interested in learning a lot more about her husbands click the read more! I highlighted my main points in case it’s too long.

I’m not claiming to be a professional in any of this stuff!! My sources are Marilyn’s unfinished autobiography “My Story”, “Marilyn Monroe The Biography” by Donald Spoto, and some articles that I found. :)

Marilyn (then Norma Jeane) married James Doughtery in 1942 at the age of 16. The only reason that they wed was to prevent Norma Jeane from being placed in another foster home. When they met she was 15 years old and lived with Grace Goddard, her mother’s friend and the Doughtery’s neighbor.

In a 1990 interview James said, “They wanted to move back to [West] Virginia, and they couldn’t take Norma Jean, She would have gone back to an orphanage or another foster home, so her foster mother suggested I marry her.”

This is a heartbreaking, sad situation. She was a child who had to marry out of necessity. Marilyn said over the years that even though she was grateful for James, she wasn’t in love. “I married Jim Doughtery. It was like being retired to a zoo.” One thing I’ve noticed is that James’ perspective on the marriage is different and way more positive than Marilyn’s. He said they were madly in love and that Marilyn loved being a housewife. (because every 16 year old wants to be a housewife right?) She divorced him in 1946 because she wanted to pursue Hollywood.

Years after their divorce James wrote two books about her, did numerous interviews, and appeared in documentaries about her.

Jim Doughtery is the husband who I have the least opinions on. I’ve never read his books so I don’t know what he says about Marilyn in them. I only know a few quotes. I’ve seen some Marilyn fans talk about how he used his connection to her for attention but thats the same for everyone who has ever even been in the same room as an icon. (If you for some reason have happened to read his books pls let me know the deets, I have zero desire to buy them)

He obviously cared about her but I only trust Marilyn’s own words on what she felt like when in this marriage, not what he thinks she felt like because they differ. I don’t think they were in love.

Marilyn married Joe DiMaggio in 1954, the year after Marilyn had two of her biggest pictures and rose to stardom. If I had to use one word to describe Joe in this relationship it would be: Jealous.

Joe did not like attention, crowds, show business, or the press. He married the biggest new actress in Hollywood at the time and resented her for the attention she brought. Joe was uncomfortable and insecure with his wife being perceived as a sex symbol. He resented the fact that she would not retire from her acting career to become a housewife. Dimaggio was jealous of the attention that Marilyn got from men specifically and they made an agreement for her to wear less revealing stuff in order to not embarrass him in front of the public. The jealousy made him act cold and indifferent toward her.

He was also abusive. After Marilyn filmed the most iconic scene of her career, her white dress over the subway grate, Joe was angry and appalled at the crowds cheering her on. "Next morning, she and Gladys Whitten, Marilyn's hairdresser on the picture, confronted an appalling sight. 'Joe was very, very mad with her,' Gladys recalled, 'and he beat her up a little bit. There were bruises on her shoulders but we covered them up with makeup.'" Marilyn filed for divorce two weeks later on the grounds of mental cruelty.

I think another part of what makes Marilyn and Joe's relationships so complex is the fact that they remained great friends after the divorce and there were times where Joe's actions showed how much he cared for her even after the split. In 1961, he secured her release from a psychiatric hospital that she was forcefully admitted to. Joe visited her everyday when she was in the Columbia-Presbyterian and she joined him in Florida for a few weeks of rest after her release. After she died, he was the one who claimed her body and directed her funeral. He sent flowers to her grave weekly for 20 years after her death.

I believe that they were better off as friends than lovers. Joe Dimaggio did some awful things while they were married. He was one of the only people who cared about her during those later years of her life.

Lastly, Marilyn married Arthur Miller in 1956. I think he is yet another example of someone who just saw Marilyn as her image and not the person she really was. He married her thinking of the icon and was shocked when she was a real person with real emotions and problems. Early on in their marriage, Marilyn found Arthur’s notebook open and she discovered some of her true feelings about her.

“There she read that her husband had second thoughts about their marriage, that he thought she was an unpredictable, forlorn child-woman he pitied, but that he feared his own creative life would be threatened by her relentless emotional demands” (Spoto).

Marilyn spent a lot of this marriage wanting to please Arthur. Arthur wanted control and didn’t like her Marilyn Monroe Productions (MMP) business partner Milton Greene, someone who Marilyn trusted and who put his own life aside to help her. His encouragement of her breaking everything off with Greene led to the demise of the company.

She also had three miscarriages during their marriage which put strains on their relationship. Marilyn wanted to become a mother and provide her husband with a child. She felt like a failed partner when she couldn’t.

As the relationship went on, Marilyn’s pill addition and health problems got worse. He didn’t do a lot to help her through this. Their marriage reached its breaking point with “The Misfits”, a 1961 movie that Arthur wrote the screenplay for and Marilyn starred in. Arthur promised Marilyn that he would write her a serious role, she wanted a role that differed from her stereotypical dumb blonde. However, when Misfits came to be Marilyn was not happy with the script. Her character Roslyn was a sad, hopeless version of the Marilyn Monroe character and Marilyn felt embarrassed and unhappy playing her. Arthur changed the script every night and she took higher doses of sleeping pills to accommodate. They got divorced in 1961.

————————————————————————

In conclusion I think that all of Marilyn’s husbands married an ideal of her, they married the image. They disappointed themselves when they were faced with the realization that they couldn’t change her into what they wanted her to be. She was a real woman and she wasn’t picture perfect, no one is.