#Michael G. Ankerich

[mellos-book-lair-blog]

Dangerous Curves atop Hollywood Heels by Michael G. Ankerich

Did I like it?: It wasn’t bad. The book and topic were really interesting, the writing was good enough to keep me hooked and the inclusion of pictures and other references really made the book what it is. Silent films are not a topic I have much knowledge about, so learning about all these details was fun. Every single of the stories had their charm and while I found each of them interesting in their own way, I feel like the book couldn’t be better even if it tried to. It was okay, in my opinion.

What was it about?: I think the sub-title says it all. The Lives, Careers, and Misfortunes of 14 Hard-Luck Girls of the Silent Screen. Every story is lovingly told, with a great respect for every protagonist and compassion for their misadventures, and I think that it really helps to make the reader feel comfortable reading about them. The prose is good, nothing too flashy nor lacking, very appropiate for the topic at hand.

Read only if: I think this book is very accessible, very easy to read. The fact that it’s divided in small chapters, one per each story, makes it a great book to read in small bits. Especially good if you’re on a reading slump and you’re trying to get out of it.

How would I rate it?: Okay. It was good for what it was and I’m looking forward to read more nonfiction soon.

[silversheets]

Conversations with Loretta

By Michael G. Ankerich Loretta Lynn’s death on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, stunned me, caught me off guard. I was working at home when my phone beeped. I looked down at the text message from The Washington Post. “Loretta Lynn dead at 90.” I got up from my desk, walked into the den and told Charlie the news. “Loretta’s dead,” I said. I didn’t shed tear. Instead, a cold chill went from the top of…

[opinionsofsaturn]

Mae Murray: The Girl With the Bee-Stung Lips - Book Review

AUTHOR: Michael G. Ankerich ISBN: 987-0-8131-3690-5 PUBLISHER: University Press of Kentucky FORMAT: Hardcover

BRIEF BLURB: “Mae Murray (1885--1965), popularly known as "the girl with the bee-stung lips," was a fiery presence in silent-era Hollywood. Renowned for her classic beauty and charismatic presence, she rocketed to stardom… However, Murray's moment in the spotlight was fleeting. The introduction of talkies, a string of failed marriages, a serious career blunder, and a number of bitter legal battles left the former star in a state of poverty and mental instability that she would never overcome. […] Featuring exclusive interviews with Murray's only son, Daniel, and with actor George Hamilton, whom the actress closely befriended at the end of her life, Ankerich restores this important figure in early film to the limelight.” --Mae Murray: The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips, inner cover flap

REVIEW: Mae Murray is the prototypical tragic Hollywood superstar of the Jazz Age. She began as one of the earliest Ziegfeld girls to become a sensation on screen, but then Murray proceeded to run her personal life into the ground. The decadence of the movie business lent itself well to scandal and scams, and the glamourous actress became a beacon for both. Mae broke contracts and sued anyone that threatened her image, oblivious to the fact that the only danger to Mae’s image was Mae Murray herself. Once her appeal as a gorgeous ingénue wore off, and her behavior burned too many bridges at major studios to justify hiring her, she fell into abject poverty. Obscurity and insanity followed.

THE GIRL WITH THE BEE-STUNG LIPS reads as a summary of the movies, shows, and law suits Murray worked on interlaced with her noted social life. Ankerich isn’t the type of author to delve into scandals or gossip, but the book is impeccably researched nonetheless. He draws from many sources, ranging from memoirs of her and her contemporaries to reviews of her pictures, and even includes accounts from her previously silent surviving relatives. While many of Mae Murray’s movies have been lost to the ages, the book contains numerous film stills and publicity photos of Murray throughout the highs and lows of her career. It is no exaggeration to say that painting a vivid picture of her life would have been a Herculean task for most researchers, but Ankerich accomplished it with ease.

However, the book didn’t—and perhaps couldn’t—give Mae Murray herself a personality distinct from the impression she left on long-gone critics and fans. Ankerich seems afraid to analyze the actress’ habitual lying, and constantly glosses over iconic moments in Murray’s life. He prefers to provide interpretations of her behavior as recounted by those involved with her antics, including Murray herself. Everything is presented as possible fact, which leaves Murray feeling wildly inconsistent as a person. Sometimes she’s a darling, sometimes she’s a bitch, and sometimes she’s a darling bitch. The reader is left to draw their own conclusions, and the work suffers for it.  

If BEE-STUNG LIPS had been about any other well-known actress, it would be a mediocre read at best. With Mae Murray, however, Ankerich sheds new light on a figure that even die-hard film fans may have never heard of before. Make no mistake—this book is probably the best Murray biography that could be written in this day and age. She lived a fascinating life, and it deserves to be better known. Definitely worth a look for early Hollywood enthusiasts.

[michaelgankerich-blog]

My interview with Southern Views Magazine.

[sydneyflapper]

Mae Murray - The Girl with the Bee Stung Lips.

Very much looking forward to the new bio of her by Michael G. Ankerich that's due out in December.

[silversheets]

Hairpins and Dead Ends: A review by Diane MacIntyre

Hairpins and Dead Ends: A review by Diane MacIntyre

Hairpins and Dead Ends: The Perilous Journeys of 25 Actresses Through Early Hollywood By Michael G. Ankerich

Reviewed by Diane MacIntyre. This is companion book to his Dangerous Curves ‘a top Hollywood Heels– The Lives and Careers and Misfortunes of 14 Hard-Luck Girls of the Silent Screen. It’s not hard to imagine Hollywood as a treacherous goldfields that stretch beyond the horizon. The miners…

[silversheets]

Hairpins and Dead Ends: The Girl on the Cover

Hairpins and Dead Ends: The Girl on the Cover

By Michael G. Ankerich

After the title Hairpins and Dead Ends came to me, there was only one photo destined to be the cover. Edwina Booth with her hair in pins.  Well, maybe they aren’t supposed to be hairpins, but you get the picture.

Edwina survived a mysterious illness she contracted while on location in Africa for Trader Horn(1931). The beautiful blonde was never the same. She soon vanished…

[silversheets]

Michael G. Ankerich: The SVM Interview

Michael G. Ankerich: The SVM Interview

I was delighted to be interviewed for the February/March issue of Southern Views Magazine (SVM). For those of you who may not have access to the publication, I am providing some of what we discussed in this blog.

  You have been writing books about American silent film and early twentieth century actors and actresses for the last couple of decades now. What made you decide to write about this…

[michaelgankerich-blog]

Lucille Ricksen: Sacrificed to Hollywood

Of all the actresses I researched and wrote about in Dangerous Curves atop Hollywood Heels, none have stuck with me more than Lucille Ricksen. In fact, her story still haunts me. 

Here is a candid shot from Lucille’s photo album. It’s the way I prefer to remember her, enjoying her new-found fame, before Hollywood worked her to death.

A link to my blog entry about Lucille is shown below. 

https://michaelgankerich.wordpress.com/2012/07/13/lucille-ricksen-sacrificed-to-hollywood/

[michaelgankerich-blog]

Marjorie Daw to be Featured in Hairpins and Dead Ends

I have just completed the chapter on Marjorie Daw for Hairpins and Dead Ends, my new book. Marjorie’s niece provided insight into her life and her marriages to Eddie Sutherland and Myron Selznick. Not a fairytale life.

[michaelgankerich-blog]

Mona Lisa of the Silent Screen

Did you know there was a Mona Lisa of the silent screen?  You will learn about her bizarre life when you read my new book, Hairpins and Dead Ends: The Perilous Journeys of 20 Actresses Through Early Hollywood. Due out in 2017.

[michaelgankerich-blog]

Riding in Hollywood Style

Nick and (Sue Carol) Stuart ... Screen sweethearts, real-life husband and wife.

[michaelgankerich-blog]

Bob Harned Remembers His Mother, Actress Sally Phipps

If you ever wondered what became of silent film actress Sally Phipps, you’re in luck.  Bob Harned has written a thorough and revealing biography of one of the cutest flappers to ever grace the silent screen. Bob is not just any writer; he just happens to be her son!

https://michaelgankerich.wordpress.com/2016/02/06/bob-harned-remembers-his-mother-actress-sally-phipps/