Cut!: Hollywood Murders, Accidents, and Other Tragedies

by Andrew Brettell, Noel King, Bruce Elder, et al.

Book Overview

"Rebel Without a Cause " was one of the most talked-about movies of the 1950s. It might also have been the most jinxed. Among its stars, James Dean was soon killed in a car crash, Sal Mineo died several years later, murdered by an unknown assailant, and the beautiful Natalie Wood died mysteriously when she fell from a docked pleasure boat and drowned. This heavily illustrated book recounts these and many other tragic events that have haunted the Hollywood...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0764158589
• ISBN13: 9780764158582
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: B.E.S. Publishing
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 3.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 7.9" x 10.3"

Customer Reviews

You'll get hours of great reading out of this book!

I've been a movie buff since the early 70's, and by now, I thought I pretty much knew it all. This book offers readable, accurate and oftentime surprising biographies of so many people. Reading it, I was blown away by how much (of what I thought to be) obscure information was packed into each page. This book is worth every penny.

Totally addictive

Think of it as "Hollywood Babylon" but with more style and credibility. This book about Hollywood celebrities who met untimely deaths is filled with great photos, a nice layout and fascinating lore. The major section of the book is called "The Big Sleep" and is an A-Z profile of film stars who died young from various causes. A chapter titled "Predator" profiles those whose causes of death remain questionable to this day (Marilyn Monroe, William Desmond Taylor, Natalie Wood, etc.) "Dial M For Murder" profiles murder victims such as Sal Mineo, Phil Hartman, Elizabeth Short and Sharon Tate. "Drugstore Cowboy" profiles drug-related deaths (Dorothy Dandridge, Judy Garland, Chris Farley, Elvis Presley, etc.) "Dangerous Liaisons" covers great Hollywood scandals like the Fatty Arbuckle trial, as well as suicides (Charles Boyer, Richard Farnsworth, Capucine). "The Accidental Tourist" includes celebrities who died by accidents (i.e. car wrecks and house fires) and Aaliyah, Linda Darnell, Grace Kelly and Butterfly McQueen. "Lights Camera Death" includes a section of films that are somewhat connected with bizarre death incidents ("The Conquerer," "The Crow," "Our Gang," etc.) The profiles vary from the classic era (Jean Harlow, Roman Navarro, Judy Holliday) to the present (Robert Pastorelli, Divine, John Ritter). One odd sidenote about the book is that there doesn't seem to be spaces between sentences but somehow it doesn't detract from reading.

I really enjoyed reading this book!

This large and photo-filled book is about life and, even more so, death in Hollywood. The book is organized into seven chapters. The first simply covers many actors' lives and careers, and then their deaths from natural causes. The second chapter goes through a group of actors whose deaths were mysterious, giving rise to speculation that they were murdered. Chapter three focuses on actors who were definitely murdered, covering such well-known ones as Sharon Tate, and more forgotten one, such as Ramon Novarro. Chapter four covers actors who died from drugs, and there were a lot of them, while chapter five covers scandalous Hollywood deaths. The sixth chapter covers actors who died in tragic automobile, plane and whatnot accidents. And finally, chapter seven covers the death of actors while movies were actually being filmed. Along the way, the reader is treated to many wonderful photos. Overall, I found this to be an absolutely fascinating book. I was fascinated by all of the information on actors both recent and long-ago. Now, as you might expect with a book that covers so very many actors, not too much information is devoted to any one actor. So, if you want in-depth information, you will be disappointed. But, if you want a book that talks about a lot of actors, who they were, how the lived, and how they died, then this is the book for you. I really enjoyed reading it, and think that you will as well. I highly recommend this book!

A Must-Read

Well-crafted, with deftly-turned phrases and clever chapter titles, Cut! is a must-read for seasoned film buffs, students, and ordinary fans. In this massive silver-screen bible, B-grade bit players, venerable character actors, and relative newcomers are given equal biographical billing with the legends, icons, and veterans. Subjects of the "Drugstore Cowboy" chapter, in particular, are treated with careful respect and compassion. Suggestion: set this book aside for a snow day, and if it doesn't snow where you live, then call in sick to savor it.

Fascinating Information

It is interesting to read and re-read Cut!. The details of the deaths of Hollywood's famous (and sometimes not-so-famous) persons made each member of the family call out to the others and ask "Did you see this?" The writing style is direct and informative and each page provides great photos of the subject. My only complaint about the book is that the typeface is a little small. It is understandable given the vast amount of information covered, but unfortunately, the small font highlights my middle-aged need for bi-focals. What I remember most from reading Cut, is not the lurid tabloid deaths of Hollywood. Rather, Cut highlighted or reminded me of so many actors that I've seen and enjoyed who have died at a relatively young age. Life, alas, is a terminal disease.