Best biography book?
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Rock Hudson
bardotek69 — 15 years ago(May 30, 2010 12:28 PM)
I just read his autobiography last week. I liked the story very much, althought it was too scary and sad for me - at the same time.
That he was still young and had to died
Today I've seen 'Giant' (one of my faves movies of all the times), and now I love it even more. I hadn't not idea what Rock's life looked like.
Anyway, I do wonder why did he choose Sara Davidson to be the author of the interviews with him and his friends and - the author of the book at last.
He was gay and in the last years he was surrounded only by men - all those gay friends and Castle stuff was around him. No women almost. Why did he choose a woman? Does anybody know? What do you think?
Also, I would like to know if this is the best book about Rock released so far, or maybe there is some other title to read?
I've checked Amazon site and according to customer review:
Idol Rock Hudson: The True Story of an American Film Hero by Jerry Oppenheimer
this one would be the best.
Any thoughts?
Viva Bardot! -
anerbythesea — 14 years ago(October 05, 2011 08:10 AM)
She does mention it in there I just got it off the shelf to check. Page 209.
"Did you and Henry have an affair?"
"Yes. But it was nothing." He shrugged. "Henry sleeps with most of his clients."
I was too shocked to respond. Until that moment, something within me had tried desperately to discount all the evidence that Rock had been involved in homosexual affairs. Now I had heard it directly from Rock himself.
She touches on it throughout the chapter. I had read somewhere that she was secretly a Lesbian so hell knows lol. -
metalman091 — 9 years ago(October 14, 2016 05:37 PM)
I haven't read it in a long time but Sara Davidson's biography was great. It didn't cover too much of Hudson's career, but it did attempt to sort many myths and rumors of Hudson's life. Hudson comes across as a complex man; childish, private, rude, funny, loyal, and caring.
Avoid David Bret's piece of garbage, and Phyllis did contradict herself a bit in interviews about what she wrote in her book. -
Iamnotarobot — 6 years ago(December 30, 2019 02:17 AM)
The best biography on Rock Hudson is 'All That Heaven Allows' by Mark Griffin.
It's a well researched book on this great movie star. Hudson comes across as a complex man. He was a loner, secretive and yet outgoing, unhappy and yet possessed a great sense of humor and was often found telling jokes and laughing. He was also very generous.
I find a lot of biographies these days are dispassionate about their subjects. Griffin's book is a good example of this. He doesn't whitewash Hudson's flaws, but doesn't trash him for them either. Instead, he presents a cleareyed and honest portrait of a complicated and contradictory human being who lived in an era where he was not able to be honest about his true nature. No one ever really knew the man totally. They only knew bits and pieces of what he needed them to know.
Sara Davidson's book had good parts, but it was incomplete. There are also stories of her not spending enough time with Hudson in getting his story. I also heard that the book was rushed to meet a deadline or to beat someone else who was also writing a book.