rayban Posted October 31, 2018 I was very impressed with the recent James Dean biography, "Tomorrow Never Comes". Both of these men know a great deal. Much of it is really startling. But what I object to is their "fly-on-the-wall" tactics, as if they were actually there, as it were, eyewitnesses. I did learn a great deal, too. The story behind the conception and realization of "Rebel Without A Cause" is mesmerizing. A farm boy with no connections, but with a willingness to "put out", became a Hollywood star. He was not a very nice young man. Essentially a self-destructive personality. He was poison to himself. And everyone else. (The original nude photos that he made for his first male lover, Rogers Brackett, which were inadvertently lost, are now considered a priceless treasure trove.) 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rayban Posted November 2, 2018 On 10/31/2018 at 6:34 PM, rayban said: I was very impressed with the recent James Dean biography, "Tomorrow Never Comes". Both of these men know a great deal. Much of it is really startling. But what I object to is their "fly-on-the-wall" tactics, as if they were actually there, as it were, eyewitnesses. I did learn a great deal, too. The story behind the conception and realization of "Rebel Without A Cause" is mesmerizing. A farm boy with no connections, but with a willingness to "put out", became a Hollywood star. He was not a very nice young man. Essentially a self-destructive personality. He was poison to himself. And everyone else. (The original nude photos that he made for his first male lover, Rogers Brackett, which were inadvertently lost, are now considered a priceless treasure trove.) Later on, in an effort to make money as a struggling actor, he made nude photos for private collectors. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rayban Posted November 14, 2018 So, James Dean would've had a child. When she was only sixteen, he impregnated Susan Strasberg. But due to her mother's outrage and Vincente Minnelli's help, with whom she was working at the time on "The Cobweb", she managed to abort the child. It was the biggest regret of her life. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rayban Posted November 25, 2018 According to this book, Nick Adams, who was known as a "starfucker", might've been murdered by Col. Tom Parker when he threatened to tell all about his love affair with Elvis Presley. Nick Adams' death was made to look like a suicide. According to Robert Conrad, who was his best friend, Nick Adams would not have killed himself. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DougieB Posted December 7, 2018 Is there ever any direct attribution to actual sources or is the reader supposed to accept it all on faith? You mentioned that there are extended verbatim conversations which he couldn't have been a party to, so is it more like fan fiction? I'm asking now because when I went to order the new Rock Hudson bio, I saw another by Porter which came out a few years ago. If Porter is someone who can be trusted, I'd be interested in that one too, but I honestly can't tell what this guy is all about, not having actually read anything by him. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TopBilled Posted December 7, 2018 5 minutes ago, DougieB said: Is there ever any direct attribution to actual sources or is the reader supposed to accept it all on faith? You mentioned that there are extended verbatim conversations which he couldn't have been a party to, so is it more like fan fiction? I'm asking now because when I went to order the new Rock Hudson bio, I saw another by Porter which came out a few years ago. If Porter is someone who can be trusted, I'd be interested in that one too, but I honestly can't tell what this guy is all about, not having actually read anything by him. You might want to read different user reviews for Porter's books on Amazon. Get the gist of what they're saying, then make your decision. And of course take Ray's advice, too. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rayban Posted December 7, 2018 He knows a lot, but invents a lot, too. He was "willed" a great deal of insider info from a well-placed industy associate. He talks about it in his bio at the end of the James Dean bio. It isn't enough to know all of this insider info. He often seems to have been there, too. He inflates "the insider dope" to a "fly-on-the wall" account. In that sense, it is a bit like fan fiction that is absolutely based on FACT. One of his rare depatures from his "fanzine style" is his informed account of the "murder" of Nick Adams, who was Elvis Presley's male lover. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jaragon Posted December 7, 2018 Nick Adams and Elvis sounds plausible - Elvis was secretly gay this might explain the Colonels' control over his career 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rayban Posted December 8, 2018 Elvis Presley didn't like intercourse - instead, he liked what Nick Adams became very proficient at - manual manipulation and oral sex. Nick Adams, unable to let it go, even wrote a cleaned-up account of their time together. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
