Zsa Zsa, Eva and Magda Gabor transferred their glittery dreams and gold-digging ambitions from the twilight of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to Hollywood. There, these 'Bombshells from Budapest' broke hearts, amassed fortunes, and amused millions of voyeurs through the medium of television, movies and the social registers. This title demonstrates that wit, charm, ruthlessness and beauty can indeed go a long way toward the realisation of the American Dream.
For decades, the Gabor dynasty was the epitome of glamour and fairy tale success. But as biographer, film historian, and Gabor family friend Sam Staggs reveals, behind the headlines is a true story more dramatic, fabulous, and surprising than their self-styled legend would have you believe . . . In 1945, after barely escaping Hitler’s invasion of Hungary followed by “liberation” of the country by the Red Army, three members of the Gabor family—Jolie, her ex-husband Vilmos, and their daughter Magda—arrived in New York City. In Hollywood, their other daughters, Zsa Zsa and Eva, had worked feverishly throughout the war years to secure their rescue from the Nazis’ plan to exterminate the Jews. Stepping off the boat, Jolie, the iron-willed matriarch, already had a golden future mapped out for her sharp-witted, cosmopolitan beauties. Over the next six decades, with twenty-three husbands between them (suave All About Eve star George Sanders would wed both Zsa Zsa and Magda), scores of lovers, and roller-coaster rides in film, television, theater, and business, the elegant yet gloriously bawdy, addictively watchable Gabors carved a niche in the entertainment industry that made them world-famous pop-culture icons. But beneath the artifice of Dior and diamonds was another side to the story they never revealed: the whole truth. This first verifiable history of the Gabors casts a startling new light on these extraordinary women. Finding Zsa Zsa reveals the tumultuous and often unforgiven battles between mother and daughter, sister and sister, wife and husband; Eva’s “bearded” romance with Merv Griffin that allowed them both to seek same-sex lovers; Zsa Zsa's involuntary confinement in a mental hospital; her life-long struggle with bipolar disorder; and her last—unconsummated—marriage to the manipulating faux prince Frederic von Anhalt. Here too is the untold story of Zsa Zsa’s daughter, Francesca Hilton, a gifted photographer who eschewed the Gabor lifestyle and paid a sad price for her independence. The story of family patriarch Vilmos Gabor, who returned to Hungary only to be trapped behind the Iron Curtain, reads like a Cold War spy thriller. Culled from new interviews with family, colleagues, and confidantes, and the unpublished memoirs of the author's friend Francesca Hilton, Finding Zsa Zsa finally introduces fans to the Gabor family they never knew, including many never-before-seen photos. It’s a riveting, outrageously funny, bittersweet, and affectionately honest read of four women who were vulnerable, tough, charitable, endlessly fascinating, and always glamorous to a fault.
A wry and sumptuous look into the world of celebrity . . . For Gaboraholics everywhere, here is the story of Jolie, Zsa Zsa, Magda, and Eva, complemented by a glorious collection of personal photos, movie posters, press clippings, and other never-before-published Gaborabilia. The Gabors! Could they be the most famous sisters in the world? Why, of course, dahlink. And now, in worshipful words and fabulous pictures, here they are in all their glory. The Gabors! From their beginnings in Hungary, where Mama Jolie molded her daughters Zsa Zsa, Eva, and Magda to glow in the spotlight, conquer kings and millionaires, amass fortunes, break hearts, and become world famous in the process. The Gabors! Their arrival on Broadway and in Hollywood, their twenty-three (!) combined husbands, their royal progression through movies, radio, nightclubs, television talk shows, and every possible avenue to fame and glamour. The Gabors! Their names, long ago, became part of our descriptive lexicon. Their voices, as distinguishable as any since the invention of recorded sound. Their faces, recognizable as any captured on film. Revered and oft ridiculed, they evolved from parodies of glamour and luxury to ultimately become icons of endurance and style. The Gabors! As extolled and exalted in a one-of-a-kind book based on the personal memorabilia collection of Anthony Turtu, arguably the world's biggest fan of the Budapest Bombshells. Along with creative director Donald F. Reuter, he has given us a once-in-a-lifetime, exquisitely produced treat, a lavish collection of Gaborabilia that secures the Gabors' rightful place at the top of the pop-culture registry.
The famous Hungarian beauty recalls her experiences with Hollywood's rich and famous, describing her childhood in Hungary, a kiss from Garbo, her romances with Sean Connery, Sinatra, and Richard Burton, and her friendships. Reprint.
Creating Glamorous Jewelry with Swarovski Elements presents a collection of modern reproductions of classic Hollywood glitz, worn by the dazzling starlets of the big screen, including Marlene Dietrich, Katherine Hepburn, and Marilyn Monroe. All 20 sparkling jewelry pieces are made with the internationally popular Swarovski products, including the newest items in their line of crystal beads and stones. Detailed instructions and illustrations take you step-by-step through the creation of each piece. Whether dressed up or dressed down, these statement pieces will be fun to wear and become stunning, heirloom-quality additions to your jewelry collection.
A new series set in the golden age of glam . . . “Wit, pluck, darkness, pitch perfect period details, juicy twists, and big heart. This book is one to savor.”--Anna Godbersen, New York Times bestselling author of the Luxe and Bright Young Things series Every week they arrive in Los Angeles--beautiful and talented young hopefuls who dream of becoming stars. It's all Margaret Frobisher has ever wanted—and when she's discovered by a powerful agent, she can barely believe her luck. She's more than ready to escape her snobby private school and conservative Pasadena family for a chance to light up the silver screen. The competition is fierce at Olympus Studios and Margaret—now Margo—is chasing her Hollywood dreams alongside girls like Gabby Preston, who at 16 is already a grizzled show-biz veteran caught between the studio and the ravenous ambition of her ruthless mother, and sultry Amanda Farraday, who seems to have it all--ambition, glamour . . . and dirty secrets. Missing from the pack is Diana Chesterfield, the beautiful actress who mysteriously disappeared, and there are whispers that Diana's boyfriend—Margo's new co-star—may have had something to do with it. Margo quickly learns that fame comes with a price, and that nothing is what it seems. Set in Old Hollywood, Starstruck follows the lives of three teen girls as they live, love, and claw their way to the top in a world where being a star is all that matters. “Valley of the Dolls for a new generation.”—a TeenVogue.com ‘Read During Spring Break’ selection “If you're into T.V. dramas like Smash, or love the over-the-top fashion of The Great Gatsby, Starstruck will have you hooked!”—a Seventeen.com ‘What to Read This Summer’ selection
Inventing Elsa Maxwell, the first biography of this extraordinary woman, tells the witty story of a life lived out loud. With Inventing Elsa Maxwell, Sam Staggs has crafted a landmark biography. Elsa Maxwell (1881-1963) invented herself–not once, but repeatedly. Built like a bulldog, she ascended from the San Francisco middle class to the heights of society in New York, London, Paris, Venice, and Monte Carlo. Shunning boredom and predictability, Elsa established herself as party-giver extraordinaire in Europe with come-as-you-are parties, treasure hunts (e.g., retrieve a slipper from the foot of a singer at the Casino de Paris), and murder parties that drew the ire of the British parliament. She set New York a-twitter with her soirees at the Waldorf, her costume parties, and her headline-grabbing guest lists of the rich and royal, movie stars, society high and low, and those on the make all mixed together in let-'er-rip gaiety. All the while, Elsa dashed off newspaper columns, made films in Hollywood, wrote bestselling books, and turned up on TV talk shows. She hobnobbed with friends like Noel Coward and Cole Porter. Late in life, she fell in love with Maria Callas, who spurned her and broke Elsa's heart. Her feud with the Duchess of Windsor made headlines for three years in the 1950s. One of the twentieth century's most colorful characters is brought back to life in this biography by the author of All About All About Eve.
What might we dare to expect from an actor's autobiography, even one from a star as personable as George Sanders? In the case of Memoirs of a Professional Cad, we possibly get more than we deserve. George Sanders undoubtedly led a colourful, glamorous and even action-packed life, spanning the peak years of Hollywood's golden age. But the greatest joy of his memoirs is how funny they are, and how penetrating their author's wit. Endlessly quotable, every chapter shows that the sardonic charm and intelligence he lent to the silver screen were not merely implied. George's early childhood was spent in Tsarist Russia, before he was obliged to flee with his family to England on the eve of the Russian Revolution. He survived two English boarding schools before seeking adventure in Chile and Argentina where he sold cigarettes and kept a pet ostrich in his apartment. We can only be grateful that George was eventually asked to leave South America following a duel of honour (very nearly to the death), and was forced to take up acting for a living instead. Memoirs of A Professional Cad has much to say about Hollywood and the stars George Sanders worked with and befriended, not to mention the irrespressible Tsa Tsa Gabor who became his wife. But at heart it is less a conventional autobiography, and more a Machiavellian guide to life, and the art of living, from a man who knew a thing or two on the subject. So we are invited to share George's thought-provoking views on women, friendship, the pros and cons of therapy, ageing, possessions, and the necessity of contrasts ( Sanders' maxim: 'the more extreme the contrast, the fuller the life'). Previously out of print for many decades, Memoirs of A Professional Cad stands today as one of the classic Hollywood memoirs, from one of its most original, enduring and inimitable stars. This edition also features a new afterword by George Sanders' niece, Ulla Watson. 'Even when asking a hatcheck girl for his coat, he conveyed the impression of a malevolent cat fastidiously licking its chops over the prospect of a particularly toothsome mouse.' Salon
