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Notes on a Cowardly Lion, by John Lahr
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Dust jacket notes: "Notes on a cowardly Lion is the chronicle, public and private, of the life of Bert Lahr, the last of the great clowns. Its author is Bert Lahr's son, the drama critic John Lahr. Drawing on his father's recollections ad on the memories of those who worked with him, the younger Lahr brilliantly re-creates the actor's life: the first imitative Kid Acts; burlesque, where he introduced the hilarious, 'What's the idea?'; two-a-day in vaudeville; backstage life, with its intimacies and rivalries, babes and booze, practical jokes; the triumphant years on Broadway with the great Ziegfeld and the notorious George White, with Beatrice Lillie and Ethel Merman, with Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, and E. Y. Harburg; the disappointments in Hollywood surrounding the glorious months as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz; and the last years in serious drama, when Lahr burst forth in Waiting for Godot and The Beauty Part. And always, in the wings, is his sometimes tangled, sometimes buffoonish private life: an aimless, misunderstood boyhood; a tragic marriage to a woman (his partner in burlesque) who collapsed into schizophrenia; a headline-making scandal before his second marriage; a brooding insecurity that underlined Lahr's entire career, a career of greater duration and diversity than that of any other American comic star. Notes on a Cowardly Lion is a search -- by the critic for the kernel of an actor's immense and gaudy talent, by the son for the reality of his father's life. It is a superb work of theater history and biography."
- Sales Rank: #1448612 in Books
- Published on: 1969
- Binding: Hardcover
Most helpful customer reviews
66 of 70 people found the following review helpful.
Good biography, hard life for Lahr
By Marilyn Armstrong
It's been more than a week since I finished reading the Bert Lahr biography, "Notes on a Cowardly Lion", written by his son, John. I am still emotionally involved. Why?
Why does a book written more than 40 years ago about a show business figure who peaked more than 70 years ago still sit front and center in my mind? I'm a retired TV and radio news reporter with more than 40 years in "the business". The "news biz" is journalism, but it's also performance, even for those of us who strive for objectivity.
Part of the job is celebrity too. When you appear on television five or six days a week for more than four decades, you become a household face. People ask for your autograph. You receive special treatment in stores and restaurants. Twelve years into retirement, folks still recognize me, tell how they grew up watching me on TV and ask for autographs. Mine is a regional celebrity although I've encountered fans almost everywhere I've travelled in the United States and overseas. I've always enjoyed and appreciated my celebrity. Yes, I miss it a bit when I'm not recognized but I don't get depressed if I go unnoticed. I needed to share a little of my life because it puts my feelings about the story of Bert Lahr's life into perspective. I really understood in a very personal way where the man was coming from.
I enjoyed the biographical side of the book. It speaks to history, the history of vaudeville and burlesque, show business venues that are frequently misrepresented. As a self-proclaimed trivia maven, I received a little education. Case in point: Clifton Webb, long perceived as a middle-aged effete, film actor actually was a well-received song and dance man in vaudeville. I learned the difference between vaudeville and burlesque. I came to appreciate the art form of what I used to perceive as Bert Lahr's overly broad slapstick comedy. I understood how Lahr's art form suffered at the hands of Hollywood film directors who tried to minimize his well honed craft and squeeze it into their movie concept of musical comedy.
Lahr's comic genius never really had a chance to shine in Hollywood. "The Wizard of Oz" was the exception. But that success also spelled disaster in Tinseltown because Lahr never again received a film role like the Cowardly Lion. Years later, he would find similar frustration with television which tried to restrict his comedic moves in variety shows. Lahr didn't think much of TV comic legends like Milton Berle and Sid Caesar. Ironically, both Berle and Caesar spoke highly of Lahr in lengthy interviews with me -- even as they lamented the fading of their celebrity. But that's another story. Back to Bert Lahr. Born into poverty, Lahr was always very conscious about being financially secure.
Even when he returned to Broadway where he found his greatest success over the years, Lahr never felt financially secure even though he was earning top star salaries. In later years, as a TV pitchman for Potato Chips, Lahr earned more money for a thirty-second commercial than he ever did for starring in a play, movie or TV special. He still didn't feel financially secure.
Bert Lahr did find some unexpected late professional success with surprising turns in work like "Waiting For Godot" co-starring with the likes of E.G. Marshall. Lahr savored critical acclaim, but was never satisfied even when he received it. For all of his professional and financial success, he was an unhappy man. He was insecure as an aspiring comedian/actor seeking stardom. He was insecure as a star thinking others were always trying to undermine him. He was insecure as an aging, respected legend believing people had forgotten him even though he was recognized everywhere he went. Lahr was miserable as a husband and father -- demanding but not giving. Lahr desperately needed the audience -- the laughter, the applause -- throughout his life. Sadly, he never appreciated the love and admiration he got from his family.
As the curtain closed on his life -- with his loved ones gathered around him -- Lahr still longed for his audience and their laughter and applause. He couldn't let it go and move on, nor appreciate the good things life offered him. Lahr's loneliness haunted me. The deeper I got into the book, the more painful I found reading his biography. I know first-hand how intoxicating and addictive celebrity is, especially when you fail to appreciate real life. Bert Lahr was never able to see the joys and sorrows of family and friends as "the real thing" that makes it all worthwhile. It's the celebrity that is unreal and ephemeral.
It's the people who love you who will sustain you after the curtain closes and the audience departs the theatre. That Lahr was never able to recognize what he had and accept the love that was there for him was his personal tragedy.
It's a fine biography, but not a joyful reading experience. It is in many ways a cautionary tale, a reminder of how important it is to keep ones perspective and ones feet on the ground.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
I LOVED BERT LAHR BUT NOT THIS BOOK
By K.A.Glovak
I started out very interested, trying to understand the complex man behind the public persona, but this book is much too long and desperately needs editing to highlight the meat of the matter. I wonder if anyone has ever stuck with it to the end. It seems like a day by day account of his entire career instead of a compelling biography. I read for days and today threw in the towel.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Everybody loves Bert Lahr & The Cowardly Lion
By Charles Simmons
A well written insight to the life of a beloved comic genius. The Wizard Of Oz was the first movie I can remember. I've seen it many times over the years & never grow tired of it. Bert's portrayal of the lion is unmatched. This book takes us behind the scenes of a troubled but strong willed
Genius.
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