This is the story of Kim Novak, a "manufactured" star who was signed to a contract because of her looks and then had to learn how to act on the run, so to speak. However, with the right roles and sympathetic directors, Novak was able to give good and sometimes very good performances in such films as Vertigo, Picnic, Middle of the Night, and others. On some occasions, such as in the wretched biopic Jeanne Eagels, she sunk to the level of the material. Novak had several boyfriends -- including the very married Ramfis "Ram" Trujillo, son of the Dominican president -- and got engaged more than once, but seemed to have commitment-phobia until she married British actor Richard Johnson [Deadlier Than the Male] for a union that lasted less than a year; the two remained friends. However, her later marriage to Dr. Robert Malloy has lasted over forty years. Novak apparently never wanted an acting career or movie stardom -- at least she didn't thirst for it as others did -- and when her glory days were over she didn't spend much energy on trying to make it back to the top, preferring wedded bliss and comparative anonymity over "Hollywood." The book has some behind-the-scenes stuff such as a report on William Holden's embarrassment over doing a sexy dance with Kim and her bad relationship with Laurence Harvey while doing the remake of Of Human Bondage, and some selections of her poetry indicate that she was a better actress than poet. This is a readable, entertaining, if comparatively superficial, bio of the star. Did she or did she not have a real affair with Sammy Davis Jr.? -- the book won't give you a conclusive answer, although Novak has always maintained the two were just warm friends who admired one another.
Verdict: Not a great, exhaustive book on Novak, but interesting and absorbing. ***.
Have not read this one...seems like it’s worth a look. I appreciate Novak’s unique performances more and more over the years. To this day, she does still deny that she and Davis were anything g more than friends, but I have a feeling that it is just too painful of a memory for her to relive. I read somewhere that Sammy Davis Jr lost his eye for being Novak’s lover and fiancé; both their lives were threatened by some mysterious powers that be that did not want her screen image linked with an interracial marriage.
ReplyDeleteBesides Vertigo, my favorite Novak performance is as the reluctant witch in Bell, Book and Candle...so very well played!
- Chris
I generally like Novak in anything except maybe "Lylah Clare" and "Jeanne Engels." I think Davis would have loved people to think he and Novak were lovers, assuming they really were, but Novak had other ideas. Maybe they were just friends, as they make a somewhat odd pairing, but who knows?
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