Broadway star Ethel Mermans voice was a mesmerizing force and her vitality was legendary; yet the popular perception of La Merm as the irrepressible wonder falls far short of all that she was and all that she meant to Americans over so many decades. This marvelously detailed biography is the first to tell the full story of how the stenographer from Queens; New York; became the queen of the Broadway musical in its golden age. Mining official and unofficial sources; including interviews with Mermans family and her personal scrapbooks; Caryl Flinn unearths new details of Mermans life and finds that behind the high-octane personality was a remarkably pragmatic woman who never lost sight of her roots.Brass Diva takes us from Mermans working-class beginnings through the extraordinary career that was launched in 1930 when; playing a secondary role in a Gershwin Brothers show; she became an overnight sensation singing "I Got Rhythm." From there; we follow Mermans hits on Broadway; her uneven successes in Hollywood; and her afterlife as a beloved camp icon. This definitive work on the phenomenon that was Ethel Merman is also the first to thoroughly explore her robust influence on American popular culture.
#3266800 in eBooks 1998-10-01 1998-10-01File Name: B003BNZJ40
Review
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. too credulous but not badBy A CustomerI looked forward to reading this. and it starts well but then becomes bogged down in lionizing unskeptically such performance artists as Orlan. the woman who continues to have plastic surgery as her "transgressive" "art." and stories of the dated antics of Carolee Schneeman. Its nice that the author doesnt much care for Andrea Dworkin. but she goes head over heels for Bret Easton Ellis and Kathy Acker. whose literary accomplishments I think have been hit and miss at best. The best thing in the book is the attention paid to David Cronenberg and J.G. Ballard. including interviews with each.5 of 9 people found the following review helpful. An open-minded summary of a controversial topic.By A CustomerLinda Kauffmans book would shock an academic or one who reads for pleasurer during a quick browse. But upon closer examination. one finds that Kauffmans research presents a solid argument for the anti-censorship stance in the most reliable way possible--through undeniable facts. This books allows radical feminists to be seen in a different light. one that has been shadowed by hypocrisy for too many years.
