Payton

Book Description

THE BEST FOOTBALL PLAYER EVER, PERIOD.
--Mike Ditka

Walter Payton played running back with a devastating combination of grace and ferocity. Though standing an inch and a half short of six feet and just a shade over two hundred pounds, he led the beleaguered Chicago Bears to a Super Bowl title, broke Jim Brown’s career rushing record and won the unconditional love of millions of NFL fans.

How did a small-town daydreamer in Mississippi end up taking the cellar-dwelling Bears from awful to awesome? Walter Payton simply worked harder and with more purpose than any football player in history. And he did it with a smile.

PAYTON captures the life of an on-field superstar who wanted most to be the consummate team player. He was a man who left everything on the field, always put family first and committed himself to giving back to the community. Sweetness indeed.

Includes a DVD with NFL Films' "Pure Payton," a collection of extraordinary highlights of Walter Payton's football career. This DVD--only available here--offers striking, never-before-seen footage of Payton both on and off the field, and completes any serious Bears fan's collection.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome Book about an AWESOME person!.......2007-09-08

I actually knew Walter Payton. He was my neighbor. This book is a great tribute to him, without any doubt!! He WAS as classy as you may think, too. Still hard to believe he's gone.

If you are a true fan, then this book is a MUST own for your home.

Even if you're not a football fan (I'm not), you'll like this one!.......2007-04-17

Our cable network recently added The NFL Channel, where I recently saw "Pure Payton" and had to have it on DVD. After searching, it appears the only way to get the DVD is to buy this book (apparently Pure Payton is out on VHS only).
I bought the book just to get the DVD, but after scanning/reading sections of the book (especially after watching the DVD), I can tell I'm going to enjoy reading it when time permits.

The sad thing about this book/DVD is that many who are not football fans will pass it by. I'm not really a football fan, but always enjoy watching masters ply their craft (Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Ken Stabler, etc). I'm assuming due to their less than stellar record early in Walter Payton's career, I rarely got a chance to see him on NFL games of the week.

Some of the best $20 I've spent, and as many here, I've watched the Pure Payton DVD many times! Great video, great music, and the DVD is a roller coaster of emotions!

Great!.......2007-03-19

This a great book that shows the love that the family and friends have for Walter Payton. It is a great book for any football fan.

Very well done!!!.......2007-02-14

If you are a Walter Payton fan. This purchase is a no brainer. Very well put together. I enjoy watching over and over.

SWEETNESS LIVES.......2007-01-04

DVD very inspirational, humorous and spellbinding to watch, again and again. Not done w/the book yet, but wonderful insight, history, and beautiful photos
A must have for any true Bear Fan!!

Average customer rating:

Staying Pure
Excellent Series for Teenagers
A Great Read...
Faith and Belief in Real Life Situations.
a Must READ

Staying Pure (Payton Skky Series, 1)
Stephanie Perry-Moore
Manufacturer: Lift Every Voice
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Real Deal: A Spiritual Guide for Black Teen Girls

ASIN: 0802442366

Book Description

Payton Skky is beautiful and popular and dating Dakari Graham, the most attractive and desirable guy in their Georgia high school. The problem? He wants to have sex with her while she wants to obey God and stay pure until marriage. With pressures coming from all sides, Payton begins to wonder if waiting is really worth it. When he breaks it off with her for a more willing girl, Payton's world crashes down on her. As she struggles to answer these questions and gets to know Tad Taylor, Payton realizes that following God is the real secret to staying pure.

Customer Reviews:

Staying Pure.......2007-10-05

Staying Pure#1 Very well done. Able to see clearly the lettering. Excellent stories, helpful for the elderly as well as the youth.

Excellent Series for Teenagers.......2007-05-31

Originally brought this book for my pre-teen daughter because she read all the books in the "Carmen Browne" pre-teen series. I read this book first and decided it was not for pre-teens. The story lines are too mature for her now. Because the stories are true to life and well written, I plan to save them for her to read later.

Mrs. Moore has an excellent way of addressing real life issues and demonstrating how young people can make God honoring choices in each situation. I read two of the series and plan to read the rest.

A Great Read..........2007-04-24

I bought this book and book II at my local library book sale. It was in the religion section, and I thought the book cover was interesting, especially after I saw it was written by an African-American writer. I didn't realize at the time that the book was directed towards teen girls, but I enjoyed the book tremendiously. Not only teen females have spiritual blocks...Anyway, I loved both books and even got my mother to read, she enjoyed them as well. I will be reading more books from this author and you should as well!

Faith and Belief in Real Life Situations. .......2007-03-06

In the story Staying Pure by Stephanie Perry Moore, this story talks of teenage relationships and decisions one might have to make in those relationships. The main characters in the story start out with Payton Skyy, a senior in school who is the cheerleading captain, president of the honour society, vice president of the Student Goverment Association, senior editor of our newspaper staff, and a debutante.

Dakari Graham, Payton's two-year boyfriend in the begining of the story, an honour student, and the star of thier school. In their relationship Dakari wants to have intimate relations with Payton, but because of Payton's Christian views and her belief's in them she declined to them.

She very much loved Dakari but knew that it was wrong to do so. Dakari, who wanted to have intimate relations with Payton had a one-night stand with a girl named Starr at a restaraunt, and left Payton for this girl. Payton was devistated and did many rash things to win him back even thoughit was the same reason she had retaliated, and even thent her efforts were meaningless.

It took her a long time to ease the pain of what Dakari had done to her and leave her. She stopped eating she was depressed, the usual thing that happens when a girl gets her heart broken. Then after she got passed it a little, she had even more problems with her friends, 1 had cheated on her and the other was tested positive for pregnancy, she helps them through this.

She then starts to get to know another boy of her acquiantance, Tad Taylor and they spend some time together. I think that Tad is a perfect match for Payton and a very good influence on her as well. This book helps young christian woman and men get a good godly view on things.

I think this book could have given a bit of a better ending but it was still a very good book to read. Also i would like to recommend this book for mature audiences only and at the very least 16+ if anything.

a Must READ.......2007-02-01

My daughter and a group of young high school girls read the book. The discussion was eye opening. I am proud to see so many young ladies with values that align with the book. It definately sparked conversation and I hope to introduce more young ladies to it early so that they have something to think about. It is all about choices.

Shiba Inus (Complete Pet Owner's Manual)

Average customer rating:

Good book, not exstensive though
Good for specifics on Shiba Care
good start!
Shiba Inu
A nice general overview, but that's all.

Shiba Inus (Complete Pet Owner's Manual)
Laura Payton
Manufacturer: Barron's Educational Series
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Shiba Inu (Kennel Club Dog Breed Series)
The Total Shiba
Japanese Shiba (Pet Love; Special Rare Breed Edition)
Shiba Inu Puppies 2008 Mini Wall Calendar
Japanese Dogs: Akita, Shiba, and Other Breeds

Accessories:

Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds
300 Questions About Dogs (Compass Guides)

ASIN: 0764123777

Product Description

This handsome, richly coated native of Japan is bold, courageous, and intensely loyal to its owner. It makes an excellent watchdog. Titles in the extensive Complete Pet Owner's Manuals series provide pet owners with basic information on keeping healthy, contented, well-cared-for animals. The series includes approximately 175 titles and covers pets of every kind: dogs, cats, and birds of many breeds, as well as fish, reptiles, rabbits, hamsters, and just about any other animal that people keep as a pet. Facts and advice cover all aspects of pet care, which include proper feeding, housing, health care, grooming, training, and much more. The text in each manual is supplemented with many vivid, full-color photos, and with instructive, anatomically accurate line art. Each manual has been individually written by a breeder, trainer, veterinarian, or experienced animal specialist. Paperback / 96 Pages / 6 1/2 x 7 7/8 / 2003

Customer Reviews:

Good book, not exstensive though.......2007-09-27

Good, book but short/small. If you really want to learn about Shiba's I would get something a little more extensive. But, it did the job.

Good for specifics on Shiba Care.......2007-07-22

This book was great for learning about specific care needs of the Shiba, personality traits of the Shiba, and breeding and showing your Shiba.

good start!.......2007-07-12

Concise but packed with breed-specific information. Very very helpful as I start educating myself more on this wonderful breed!

Shiba Inu.......2007-03-08

A basic book. Gives you a bottom line what the Dog is. A good help if you decide to get one and have no idea what they are like. This dog has alot of pluses. They are a great breed but not for everyone. What dog is?

A nice general overview, but that's all........2006-12-07

The Complete Pet Owner's Manual series, published by Barron, is a nice general reference for dog owners of any breed, and this book is no exception. It couples readable text with bright and attractive photographs, and it would make a good place to start researching if you are interested in owning a Shiba Inu of your own.

That said, though, do not expect this book to become your bible of Shiba Inu information. Like many books of this sort, this 'complete' manual focuses on the positives of Shiba Inus, without giving proper attention to the challenges inherent with the breed. For example, no mention is made anywhere of the breed's tendency to nip when excited even well past the puppy ages, or to do anything and everything (door-dashing, fence climbing, etc.) to escape and seek adventures beyond their yard. The book describes Shibas as a breed requiring 'moderate energy' and claims that a Shiba generally gets enough exercise playing in the house. Anyone who has owned a Shiba knows that this is not true; Shibas are easily bored when they are not exercised well, and when bored they will dig, chew, and otherwise destroy their environment.

All told, it's an okay book. It offers practical (if basic) advice on choosing a puppy, housetraining, introducing a Shiba to other pets and children. An overview of the breed history and standard is included, but most of what is found here could also be found in any book about any dog breed. The only leg up it has on other breed-specific books is that the pictures are very attractive and plentiful.

Never Die Easy: The Autobiography of Walter Payton

Average customer rating:

Great look into all aspects of Walter's life
Payton A Better Player in Life, Than He Was In Football
Wow
Great Book!!
Never Die Easy

Never Die Easy: The Autobiography of Walter Payton
Walter Payton , and Don Yaeger
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375758216
Release Date: 2001-09-11

Amazon.com

Walter Payton's premature passing forced a rethinking of his autobiography that completely sidesteps the self-importance that dominates sports memoirs in general. Never Die Easy isn't a traditional autobiography at all. It's an oral history disguised as autobiography that relates the saga of the most exquisite running back in NFL history through an interweaving of Payton's words and the words of those who knew him, with necessary transitions and narrative bridged by his collaborator. The result is an appealing hybrid that mirrors Payton's quiet modesty. "He had not just been a great football player," writes Yaeger, "he had been a role model in an age when role models were in short supply."

The Payton that emerges is a man of great skill, decency, passion, and charity: a man beloved. Naturally, there's lots of football in Never Die Easy--the title comes from a saying of Payton's college coach--with eyewitness testimony provided by the likes of Mike Ditka, Mike Singletary, Jim McMahon, Franco Harris, Matt Suhey, and even Jim Brown, whose career rushing record Payton leaped over. But there is also lots of family: the voices of his wife, children, brother, and sister are heard.

But mostly, there is Walter Payton. It's his own unmistakably high-pitched voice that resonates throughout; he sets down the melody and the others harmonize. Payton was certainly astute about the game and his abilities, forthcoming both in triumph and failure--his unsuccessful attempt at winning the NFL franchise in St. Louis was a terrible post-career blow--and utterly decent. How many other superstar athletes could say, convincingly, "Too many of us only take. We don't give." Payton gave to the end--a man who died for want of an organ was willing and eager to donate his own. It was the ultimate testimony of his refined, unforgettable Sweetness. Never Die Easy offers a fair, honest, appreciative taste. --Jeff Silverman

Book Description

"Never die easy. Why run out of bounds and die easy? Make that linebacker pay. It carries into all facets of your life. It's okay to lose, to die, but don't die without trying, without giving it your best."

His legacy is towering. Walter Payton—the man they called Sweetness, for the way he ran—remains the most prolific running back in the history of the National Football League, the star of the Chicago Bears' only Super Bowl Championship, eleven times voted the most popular sports figure in Chicago's history. Off the field, he was a devoted father whose charitable foundation benefited tens of thousands of children each year, and who—faced with terminal liver disease—refused to use his celebrity to gain a preferential position for organ donation. Walter Payton was not just a football hero; he was America's hero.
         Never Die Easy is Walter Payton's autobiography, told from the heart. Growing up poor in Mississippi, he took up football to get girls' attention, and went on to become a Black College All-American at tiny Jackson State (during which time he was also a finalist in a Soul Train dance contest). Drafted by the Bears in 1975, he predicted that he would last only five years but went on to play thirteen extraordinary seasons, a career earning him regular acknowledgment as one of the greatest players in the history of professional football. And when his playing days were over, he approached business and charity endeavors with the same determination and success he had brought to the football field, always putting first his devotion to friends and family. His ultimate battle with illness truly proved him the champion he always had been and prompted a staggering outpouring of love and support from hundreds of thousands of friends and admirers.
        Written with veteran journalist and author Don Yaeger in the last weeks of Walter Payton's life, Never Die Easy presents Walter's singular voice—warm, plainspoken, funny, self-aware—along with the voices of the friends, family, teammates, and business associates who knew him best at all stages of his life, including his wife, Connie, and their children, Brittney and Jarrett; his teammate and friend Matt Suhey; former Bears head coach Mike Ditka; and many, many others.
        Walter made Don Yaeger promise that his book would be "inspirational and leave people with some kind of lesson . . . and make sure you spell all the words right." Never Die Easy keeps all those promises.

Download Description

His legacy is towering. Walter Payton -- the man they called Sweetness, for the way he ran -- remains the most prolific running back in the history of the National Football League, the star of the Chicago Bears' only Super Bowl Championship, eleven times voted the most popular sports figure in Chicago's history. Off the field, he was a devoted father whose charitable foundation benefited tens of thousands of children each year, and who -- faced with terminal liver disease -- refused to use his celebrity to gain a preferential position for organ donation. Walter Payton was not just a football hero; he was America's hero. Never Die Easy is Walter Payton's autobiography, told from the heart. Growing up poor in Mississippi, he took up football to get girls' attention, and went on to become a Black College All-American at tiny Jackson State (during which time he was also a finalist in a Soul Train dance contest). Drafted by the Bears in 1975, he predicted that he would last only five years but went on to play thirteen extraordinary seasons, a career earning him regular acknowledgement as one of the greatest players in the history of professional football. And when his playing days were over, he approached business and charity endeavors with the same determination and success he had brought to the football field, always putting first his devotion to friends and family. His ultimate battle with illness truly proved him the champion he always had been and prompted a staggering outpouring of love and support from hundreds of thousands of friends and admirers.

Customer Reviews:

Great look into all aspects of Walter's life.......2007-06-28

I am a huge Bears and Walter Payton, and absolutely loved this book. It covers all the aspects of his life, from growing up in Mississippi, to college at Jackson State, on to the Bears, his many business endeavors after this retirement, and his untimely death. You get an in depth look into his life, as told not only by him, but from his friends and family. I would recommend this book not only to Bears and football fans, but anyone in general. There are many things you can learn from Walter, whether it be treating people the right way, or always giving 100%, even when things are bad.

And one last note. Be prepared before you read the last chapter of the book. It is very emotional, to say the least, but a great read.

Payton A Better Player in Life, Than He Was In Football.......2007-03-20

and he was no slouch in football, first ballot hall of famer over 16,000 yards rushing. 13 seasons, 9 All Pros and a Super Bowl Champion, yet all that is nothing compared to what kind of man Walter Payton was.
In this inspiring and uplifting book we get to meet the very private Payton and get a portrait of a man of faith, values, morals and integrity. We also get to learn from someone who is facing the biggest tackler in life ( impending death) in his own words.
I cam away awed and inspired by Walter Payton and hope that kids get ahold of this book, in a time where the above qualities are rare in sports heroes, we need more heroes and Walter definantly lives up to that title.

Wow.......2007-01-25

Wow! What a great book. I read ALOT, but I can honestly say that not very many books have touched me the way this one has. Walter was (and is) one of my heros growing up. Second to none on the football field as far as I'm concerned. And I was born and raised in the same town that Jim Brown is revered in. The man on the gridiron is only a small part of who Walter was. What he did off the field was an even greater measure of Walter as a man and I'm sure that's how he would want to be remembered.

If you're looking for an inspiring story - here's one that will make you look at life a little different. I wish the best to Connie, Brittany and Jarrett and it is so nice to know that they are continuing Walter's work through the Walter and Connie Payton Foundation.

Great Book!!.......2006-12-20

Never Die Easy is a very inspiring book that has a lot of interesting facts about the great Walter Payton's life. Even though people think that the famous people in life have had it easy and have been rich for their whole lives, this book shows that doesn't always happen. When Walter was a child growing up in a small town in Alabama, his family had absolutely nothing. They were very poor, but they were very hard working people. Walter had to work incredibly hard to get to the point in his career that he did. He never lifted weights, but yet was stronger than almost every other professional athlete. "How could you be so strong if you have never lifted?" his teammates would always ask. It showed me that everything doesn't come easy if you want to be an athlete. Even if you have some talent, it takes a lot more than just that to get to the professional level. This book showed me that Walter Payton was one of the greatest football players of all-time mainly because of his work ethnic. He would never quit and would always fight to get one more yard. A lot of people liked him because of his great leadership as well. He pretty much got younger players to turn into stars. I liked this about Walter. He was the greatest football player around and yet he was always trying to help somebody. He always put others in front of himself. He is a lot different from players today who only care about themselves and breaking records and stuff like that. There are few players who want to help others before themselves anymore. I think this book teaches you that there is more to life than getting into the record books or only doing what you can to make yourself better. It teaches you that you can be in the record books and still help other people's lives dramatically. This book had a lot of meaning to it and I think it is one of the better books I have read in my life. I recommend that if you like football or just sports in general, that you would most likely enjoy reading this great autobiography. It is a great book, but it also gets you thinking about how you could be a better person. I think that this book is trying to say that you can be very successful in life, but you can still be more successful in helping other people's lives.

Never Die Easy.......2006-11-05

Walter Payton was a heck of an athlete, but they way this book was written he seemed very bitter at the end of his career. Through the guidance of his agent and the owners of the other teams it looks like they led him down the yellow brick road only to kick him off once he had retired from football. He truly was Sweetness to everyone who knew him. I only had the privlidge of watching him play at one home game in Chicago but it was very memorable. Like he said he never went out of bounds to keep from taking a hit. All his yards were on the field, not like some of the new running backs who try to make it out of bounds to keep from taking a hit. Perhaps like Fran Tarkington said to John Elway one time "Maybe they need to be wearing skirts" to keep from being him by the defensive team! The book was easy to read and I still and will always have a lot of respect and admiration for Walter. He was a true athlete.

Average customer rating:

Interesting Stories, Bad Script
Trash
"Forever is just a weekend, more or less."
I AM ASHAMED...
Heavily Fabricated But Fascinating In A Prurient Sort of Way

I Am Not Ashamed
Barbara Payton
Manufacturer: Holloway House Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0870671081

Book Description

One of the great "lost" autobiographies of Hollywood Babylon history, I Am Not Ashamed is the memoir of Barbara Payton, the 1950s film noir star who acted alongside greats like Jimmy Cagney and Gregory Peck - only to be fired by the studios for her wild (and very public) love-life... and ultimately walk the streets of Hollywood as an alcoholic prostitute. But, as she says throughout, she is not ashamed of her life. She achieved rare success in the Hollywood system and went down in an archconservative era, when McCarthy threatened the country's free speech and Hollywood producers ran terrified of even a whiff of scandal. When Payton's boyfriend, actor Tom Neal, pounded a concussion into his effete romantic rival Franchot Tone, the whole incident went public and made Payton the Hollywood bad girl - too bad, as it turned out, for Warner Brothers to handle. Describing her downfall, Payton also talks about her relationships with Cagney, Sinatra, Peck and other big names.

Lost for decades after its original 1963 release, I Am Not Ashamed leapt back into the limelight when Jack Nicholson lent it to Jessica Lange to help her prepare for her part in The Postman Always Rings Twice. Now Holloway House Publications has finally released this classic Hollywood tell-all.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting Stories, Bad Script.......2006-10-14

There are a few surprises to be found in this lurid tell-all autobiography by B-movie starlet-cum-prostitute Barbara Payton. Originally published by Holloway House in 1963, the book tells the story of a plucky girl's rise to stardom in Hollywood's studio system--and her eventual downfall thanks to sundry forms of "deviltry."

Payton writes in an entertaining, anecdote-driven style, not unlike that of the glib, gossipy tabloids of Hollywood past and present. And there is some pleasure to be had in reading this "behind the scenes" account of Hollywood stardom during the Golden Age of the studio system. But the narrative itself leaves much to be desired, as Payton's self-reflective rambling often leaves readers confused between past events and an overbearingly presentist voice. More often than not we want Payton to flesh out the past in more detail and with more precision rather than comment on it from a position of ironic self-detachment. Beyond the preface, Payton even neglects to flesh out the supposedly climactic encounter between then-husband Franchot Tone and bad boy lover Tom Neal.

Still, this is a fine, quick read for its ribald humor and Hollywood insiderism--no doubt a pulpy gem from the legendary Holloway House. Look for the several pages of photographs in the middle of the book, which trace Payton's rise and fall in visual detail. Also, try to find the 2004 reprint of this book, which includes a helpful introduction by Holloway House editor Neal Colgrass.

Trash.......2005-09-13

This book is awful, and not even good trash. Instead, read John Gilmore's new book about LA Despair,. which has a more colorful account of the life and times of Payton

"Forever is just a weekend, more or less.".......2005-09-09

So it was for beautiful Barbara Payton, a lusty young starlet of the 1950's. This pulpy-tale rambles with the incoherent musings of a young woman who through her sexual arrogance wrecked a promising career. At one time she earned ten-thousand dollars a week in a time when the average per-capita income was considerly less. Yet her self-destuctive behavoir damned her to follow the tabloid scripting of a "bad girl". Her conspicous consumption took its inevitable toll and left her penniless, broken, forgotten, and without shame. In short, who cares. I grant one star for effort and one for comedic value; no more no less.

I AM ASHAMED..........2005-05-07

...for the time that I wasted in reading this book. Barbara Payton was a Hollywood bad girl during the very conservative nineteen fifties, who managed to derail her career in short order. As a starlet who streaked across the Hollywood skyline, she had her fifteen minutes of fame and then hit terra firma hard. She went from earning ten thousand dollars a week to turning five-dollar a night tricks in a relatively short period of time. By the time she "wrote" this book, she was little more than a wino whore, living in a rat and roach infested, flea bag apartment.

Repetitious and poorly written, this autobiography, first published in 1963, is limited in many ways. Barbara Payton spends a great deal of time talking about booze, men, and sex, and little else. Other that her affairs with and marriages to actors Franchot Tone and Tom Neal, no other names are mentioned. Innuendo and fake names are the rule for this supposed "tell all" book. Other than her actual film roles, it is difficult to ascertain just what is fact and what is fantasy in this book. Appealing solely to one's prurient interest, as it offers little insight into her life and its decline, this autobiography simply reads as if it were pulp fiction.

Heavily Fabricated But Fascinating In A Prurient Sort of Way.......2005-03-03

Born in 1927, Barbara Payton arrived in Hollywood in the late 1940s and copped a contract with Universal, where a small role in the 1949 film TRAPPED drew good press--but even so she proved extremely hard to handle, and Universal was not sorry when Warner Brothers beckoned. It proved a good move for Payton as well, who delivered a memorable performance as James Cagney's vicious babe in the 1950 film KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE. The film put Payton on the Film Noir map in a big way, and at the time many thought she was poised for major stardom.

They reckoned without the lady herself. Payton was an extremely unstable woman who proved considerably less interested in her career than in sex, booze, and drugs--and her shot at stardom came and went with amazing speed as she indulged in one unsavory escapade after another. Her last film was the 1955 MURDER IS MY BEAT, and she thereafter quickly drifted into prostitution. By the early 1960s her going rate was five dollars per trick.

In 1962 Payton was in the headlines again--this time because a knife wielding john had slashed her stomach open. It was just enough publicity to tempt the publishing industry, which paid Payton one thousand dollars to make tape recordings about her life. Heavily edited and significantly rewritten, the resulting "autobiography" I AM NOT ASHAMED was published in 1963. It was not a success, and Payton herself, now largely forgotten, died in 1967 of heart and liver failure.

These are the basic facts of Payton's short life and shorter career, but you won't find many of them in I AM NOT ASHAMED, which is both very spotty and very sloppy--and that's throwing roses at it. Although Payton was said to have had affairs with everyone from Bob Hope to Gary Cooper, you won't find a mention of such, nor will it tell you anything believable about the night her boyfriend Tom Neal beat the blazes out of her fiance Franchot Tone, an incident that pretty much finished Payton in Hollywood for once and all. This may be because Payton was too far gone by 1962 to give any realistic account of her life; at the same time, the possibility of lawsuit was very likely a factor. Whatever the case, the result is considerable innuendo and little more.

That said, however, the whole book is so completely prurient in an early 1960s-pulp way that it is actually quite interesting to read. It may not give you the facts, but it does seem to distill Payton to the page; you can't help being shocked and often disgusted by her various stories, no matter how vague the details often are. And ultimately, you cannot help but feel sorry for the pretty blonde girl who self-destructed in the garden of earthly delights all those years ago.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

The CBS Radio Mystery Theater: An Episode Guide and Handbook to Nine Years of Broadcasting, 1974-1982

Average customer rating:

radio drama at its best
A must for all CBS RMT fans!
Well researched, great reference tool for show collectors.

The CBS Radio Mystery Theater: An Episode Guide and Handbook to Nine Years of Broadcasting, 1974-1982
Gordon Payton , and Martin, Jr. Grams
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General Broadcasting | Radio | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0786418907

Book Description

Almost every evening for nine years during the late 1970s and early 1980s, the CBS Radio Mystery Theatre brought monsters, murderers and mayhem together for an hour. Created, produced and directed by Himan Brown, the series remains a landmark in radio drama. This book is a detailed history and episode guide to the show.

Descriptive information includes exact titles, airdates and rebroadcast dates, episode numbers, cast lists, writer and adapter credits, and a storyline synopsis. This material comes directly from CBS press releases in order to insure complete accuracy. Also included wherever possible are information about the actors and actresses, quotes from performers and writers (many from personal interviews), anecdotes about various scripts and sound effects, and other notes of interest.

Customer Reviews:

radio drama at its best.......1999-10-16

This is a good book for fans of the radio series, as it lists all the episodes and brief synopsis's of each one. It also has air dates, and a good index. It suffers only in two areas. It is overpriced for a book its size, and it does not go into the history behind the series in depth. No interviews with stars or photograghs were included,which would have enhanced it value. Still for fans, it is a must buy. Hopefully maybe the authors in a future printing will add the aforementioned information.

A must for all CBS RMT fans!.......1999-07-09

This is a must-have book. The index is thick and covers every name, actor, writer, director, etc. The plot descriptions are a god-send, and very well written. That I will swear on my mother's grave. I noticed the history is not as long as most of Martin Grams' books, but I also noticed that most of the information that would normally be found in the history, has been listed under the episode entries. Trivia and recollections. One person wrote that they found the history too short and not enough interviews. Not true. If you were to flip through and take all of the trivia and interviews from under all of the episode entries themselves, it would probably total more than fifty pages of history! For any old-time radio fan and CBS RMT fan, this is THE book on the program. And we have to thank both Gordon Payton and Martin Grams, (the latter is the best d--- researcher on Old-Timer Radio - "we love you Martin!") for putting together such a great book. Buy this one folks! Accept no imitations!

Well researched, great reference tool for show collectors........1999-06-03

CBS Radio Mystery Theater fans no longer have to wonder about titles and broadcast dates of their favorite RMT episodes, or how many episodes there actually are. "The CBS Radio Mystery Theater" is meticulously prepared and researched with a complete listing of all original Mystery Theater episodes.

The episodes listed here are in their original broadcast order. The strength of this book is definitely the episode listing. Each episode liner note contains the title, broadcast date, rebroadcast date (if applicable), cast, show synopsis and notes. It works excellent as a research tool for the Mystery Theater tape collector. The book also contains two appendixes. Appendix 1 is a chronological listing of the 1977 CBS/General Mills Radio Adventure Theater episodes. Appendix 2 is the complete broadcast log of the 1998 revival of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater. Curiously, missing from the book are the episodes that aired in 1988/89.

Although the episode portion of the book is outstanding, it is sadly lacking in the history department. I had expected more interviews and photos (there are no photos) describing the history of the show. Some anecdotes would have been nice too. The preface and show history total a mere eight pages! This is unfortunate, seeing that the show ran for more than eight years. It leaves this Mystery Theater buff with many unanswered questions about the show. The quality of the book cover, binding and paper are superb. This is basically a library edition which will last indefinitely in a private collection.

CBS RMT fans, if you are looking for a book with all of the episodes to use as a reference guide, this is the one for you. However, if you want for an in-depth book that details the history of the show with photographs and anecdotes, you may have to wait a while.

Hollywood Blondes: Golden Girls of the Silver Screen
Average customer rating:

Great news for the Marie McDonald fans

A True Winner

Michelle Vogel Hits Another Mark

Young Kid Who Appreciates Old Films

Hollywood Blondes Doesn't Deliver The Goods

Hollywood Blondes: Golden Girls of the Silver Screen
Michelle Vogel , and Liz Nocera
Manufacturer: Wasteland Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed

Marilyn Monroe: A Life in Pictures

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Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, The Barbara Payton Story

No Man of Her Own (Universal Cinema Classics)

ASIN: 1600470874

Book Description

Hollywood Blondes: Golden Girls of the Silver Screen examines the lives and careers of Tinseltown's most memorable blonde bombshells. Twenty-two classic actresses are profiled including Marilyn Monroe, Jean Harlow, Carole Landis, Betty Grable, Marie McDonald, Thelma Todd, Lana Turner, Jayne Mansfield, Barbara Payton, Veronica Lake, Grace Kelly, Alice Faye, Mae West, Carole Lombard, and Judy Holliday. Each chapter has a complete filmography. There are more than one hundred rare photographs featured throughout the book.

Customer Reviews:

Great news for the Marie McDonald fans.......2007-09-28

I was beyond thrilled when someone told me there was a chapter about Marie McDonald in this book. I have been a huge Marie fan ever since I saw her in Promises Promises but there is not a lot of information about her out there. Thank goodness for Hollywood Blondes! This has to be the most detailed and accurate look at Marie's turbulent life. I thought they picked some stunning photos of Marie too. I wasn't surprised when I learned the authors started MarieMcDonald.org

I also like the other chapters in Hollywood Blondes. It was a good mix of bombshells from the 30s, 40s, and 50s.

A True Winner.......2007-09-25

I didn't like this book - I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!! If you think the stars today live crazy lives you should see the messes these classic stars got themselves into. I like to consider myself a classic film expert and I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I learned. There is a lot of information packed into this book. There are tons of quotes sprinkled throughout the book which made you feel like you were hearing the actresses tell their own story. Adding a detailed filmography at the end of every chapter was a great idea too. Also most books like this give you one or two pictures of each actress but this one is filled with dozens of great photos (some were a little dark). The best part for me was discovering actresses like Carole Landis and Barbara Payton who I didn't think much about before.

You can tell the authors have a lot of respect for these actresses because they are all written about in a mostly positive way. I hate books that treat the stars like they were saints but Hollywood Blondes doesn't do that. It gives you all the real dirt about their bad marriages, their drug problems, and their sad endings. Fanatics probably won't like seeing their idols exposed but you have to face the fact that celebrities are human beings. These blondes may have been gorgeous and talented but they were also very flawed women. After reading it you really feel sorry for them yet you still want to run out and rent their films.

I did find some factual errors but that is true with every book. There are definitely not as many errors as some of these other reviewers claim. The Jayne Mansfield and Jean Harlow chapters were actually two of my favorites. I am looking forward to Michelle Vogel and Liz Nocera's next book!

Michelle Vogel Hits Another Mark.......2007-08-16

This book is sensational. From the gorgeous cover to the well written text. Vogel andher co-author, I do not know but am now a fan of, have really been great in their work. This book went into why Hollywood Blondes lived such tortured lives. Sure there are things in here, that some reviewers can and will disagree with. But it's unfair and tasteless to claim facts are wrong and you (the reviewer) knows more about a star like Jean Harlowe than the writer. Maybe the writer got information from someone other than you. Maybe if you are such a Jean Harlowe nut, you should write a book yourself. I found this book to be more than 99% accurate, sometimes writers have their own way of doing things and finding research and you shouldn't assume they didn't do their homework. These authors most certainly DID do their homework and the book is written brilliantly! I enjoyed the Lana Turner chapter most of all. The way Vogel writes it, gives you the feeling of almost being in the room as an observer in many dramatic and shattering scenes played out in this blonde beauty's life. Great job, Ms. Michelle Vogel. Looking forward to your next book.

Young Kid Who Appreciates Old Films.......2007-06-26

My mom and I have been reading one chapter of this book each night. Now that I'm on vacation from school we watch a movie from the actress we read about the night before the following day. My mom has always talked about these actresses and I've enjoyed knowing more about their personal lives. It gives me a better understanding of their acting when I know who they were in real life.

All the famous ones are covered in "Hollywood Blondes" - My favorites are Marilyn Monroe, Judy Holliday, Betty Grable and Jean Harlow. The detailed filmographies have helped us track down which movies we want to see too. It's a real bonus to have the filmographies of each actress after their chapter.

Not all of the movies are available anymore but old movies are being found and restored all the time so hopefully some of the lost films will become available in the future. If you're a fan of the blonde actresses from many years ago, whatever your age, this is a really fun and enjoyable book to read :) :)

If you think famous people of today like Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and Nicole Ritchie have their problems, after reading this book, it seems that old Hollywood celebs had the same pressures, addictions and problems. Many of the women in this book were addicted to drugs and alcohol. They had so many marriages and men in their lives, I found it hard to keep up and there were even some murders! I also found it interesting that as beautiful as they all were, their self esteem was very low. Probably the reason why they used drugs and alcohol to feel better about themselves.

Well, that's it. I just really liked this book and wanted to let you all know about it. Thanks!!!!!

Hollywood Blondes Doesn't Deliver The Goods.......2007-06-11

Hollywood Blondes is the title of a new but highly superficial and unoriginal book on the flaxen actresses of the silver screen by Michelle Vogel and Liz Nocera. Weaving the reader in from silly hair color commercial catchphrases, to the history of how blonde hair was revered throughout the ages, (throughout the centuries women have use horse dung, horse urine, and saffron to lighten their hair) to the introduction, these two self-proclaimed "film historians" do themselves in and let the reader know what they are in for....which certainly is NOT knowledge of famous blonde actresses.

From telling the readers about the psychological effects that blondes are supposed to be lovelier, and that only a few percentage of the world's population are naturally blonde, one gets the idea that they are over-wording just to use up more space in the book.

I will limit myself discuss the Jean Harlow chapter and add a couple of notes here on other actresses I am familiar with, so others can write their reviews on other stars they know more about.

While Jean Harlow's hair did become damage from over-bleaching, it wasn't true that, "She had no other choice but to wear a platinum blonde wig in her last seven films." In fact, Harlow was not a platinum blonde since 1935. She opted for a platinum colored wig in 1935's China Seas, as she was letting her own hair grow in. The only two films that she wore wigs after that were in Riffraff----the movie that introduced Harlow to the world as a "brownette"in 1936, and in Wife vs. Secretary. Harlow wore her own natural hair color of honey blonde hair in her other films from 1935 on, including Saratoga, her last film in 1937.
Here are some mistakes about Jean Harlow that were written on this book.

--Jean Harlow was not born in St. Louis, Missouri. It was Kansas City Missouri. Betty Grable was the one born in St. Louis.

--Harlow's mother was never referred to as "Mama Jean"; she was known as "Mother Jean."

--Jean's grandfather, Skip Harlow, was not an architect; he was a real estate broker.

--Clara Bow did not make a film called The Love Parade with Harlow. It was The Saturday Night Kid, in which Jean had a minor part.

--Charles McGrew did want Jean to have their child at the time she was pregnant.

--Howard Hughes was never "infatuated" with Jean; he was never interested and neither was she. There was no romance between the two.

--Canine star Rin Tin Tin did not die "cradled in her (Jean''s) arms." That is just a myth added to the Harlow legend.

--MGM Mogul Louis B. Mayer was not "obsessed" with Harlow; he never offered her a mink coat to have sex with her. That is a tall tale fabricated by novelist, Irving Shulman, who wrote an unaccountable, undocumented, un-researched, and false account on her life.

--Paul Bern, Jean Harlow's second husband, did not buy Jean "a mansion on Easton Dr, in Benedict Canyon." after they got married. That house was already his.

--Jean was never suspected of "being the killer" in Paul Bern's death; that is a plot from one of Jean''s movies.

--Jean did not "witnessed" Dorothy Millete killing Paul Bern. Jean was at her mother's house where she had spent the night.

--It was not "one of the biggest mistakes" for Jean to turn down King Kong, as we know it Fay Wray did nothing but scream and scream in it since the star of the picture was and will ever be: Kong!

--The character of Lola Burns in Bombshell is not patented after Jean Harlow, as the writers claim, but after Clara Bow. However, this was Jean's favorite role.

--While John Barrymore was in Dinner at Eight where Harlow was featured, Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford were not. The authors were thinking of Grand Hotel, in which Jean never appeared.

--Jean did not buy" a big mansion." She purchased the lot and her mother build it. It was called the ``White Palace," not "the big white house."

--MGM never tried to "destroy all copies" of Harlow's novel Today is Tonight. Mother Jean sold MGM the book after Jean''s death. MGM bought it help out Mother Jean economically.

--Reckless was not "loosely based on Jean and Paul Bern's real story." It was a script patented after Broadway star Libby Holman, whose husband, Zachary Smith Reynolds, had killed himself the same year that Bern did.

--Jean and her mother did not move in "a modest bungalow on North Palm Drive." It was a beautiful, Spanish styled, two-storied large home in Beverly Hills.

--Jean did not "collapsed into his (Clark Gable''s) arms" on May 24. The time was May 29 and the actor was Walter Pidgeon.

--Gable did not call "William Powell who took Jean home." She was driven in a limo back to her house by herself.

--William Powell died in 1984 not "1980."

--Mary Dees was not Jean's "long-time stand-in." Dees was hired to complete Saratoga. She never met Jean Harlow.

--Mother Jean did not die in "the same room at Good Samaritan Hospital," and she did not die on June 7th either; Mother Jean died of a massive heart attack on June 11, 1958.

As for Marilyn Monroe, the authors inform us that, "Without a doubt, Marilyn Monroe's persona was a creation of men, for men." That's part of the Monroe legend but it isn't true. By taking on Harlow's favorite color of white dresses to Lana Turner's hair styles, and Betty Grable's make up, Monroe presented her own version of the dumb blonde in the 1950's.

The misquote attributed to director Billy Wilder, where Marilyn said she was the only blonde in the films, didn't happen in Some Like It Hot (1959). The incident to what the writers are recalling was from Something's Got To Give (1962), Monroe's last and uncompleted film, and the director was George Cukor. If people watch Some Like It Hot, they can see that Monroe was in an all-blonde-girls-band. Another misquote attributed to Colombia Pictures' mogul Harry Cohn; he never said "Get me another blonde!," when he heard that Monroe had died in 1962. Monroe made only one film at Columbia when she was a starlet in 1948. She was never a contract player at Columbia; they had their own bombshell in Kim Novak. Any Monroe fan knows that she attained stardom at 20th Century Fox Films with the release Niagara in 1953, and had been that studio's contract player from 1951 till 1962.

According to the authors, Jayne Mansfield was "the poor man's Marilyn Monroe." In all my years of researching the library's microchips newspapers on Mansfield I never read that she was referred to that way. Mansfield was a Broadway star, given a highly-paid contract by Fox. Mansfield was that studio's premiere blonde star of the late 1950's. The only two films Monroe made at Fox, after her departure, were Bus Stop in 1956, and her last, Something''s Got To Give. Jayne''s market value at 20th Century Fox was twenty million dollars in late 1950's and early 60's money, which is about one hundred million in today''s money.

In a grave error the authors state that Lana Turner's Cheryl Crane "...shot and killed her (Turner's) gangster boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato..." and then telling us that "Cheryl stabbed him with the knife" in the Lana Turner chapter. At this rate one wonders, who did this book's editing? I found most of the chapters that I read to be careless, rehashed stuff from similar and equally badly written books. The authors use unverified websites as reference, quote sensationalist books, and worse, misquote a lot and resort to tabloid-trash writing. I would advise any reader to skip this book at all costs, not even for the photographs, which are studio-standard photos that any fan is probably familiar with. The writers just didn't care or know about reporting fresh, insightful, and true accounts of these stars' lives.

Surrendered Heart (Payton Skky Series, 5)

Average customer rating:

Worst in the Series
I love Payton Skky

Surrendered Heart (Payton Skky Series, 5)
Stephanie Perry-Moore
Manufacturer: Lift Every Voice
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0802442404

Book Description

It's Payton's second semester at college. The death of her grandfather, and deepening relationship with Tad teach her the value of living for God. As Payton surrenders her heart to God and shares her faith, she finds out that all she has ever desired is wrapped up in Him. Her relationship with Christ allows her to be complete and to handle the growing pains of life.

Customer Reviews:

Worst in the Series.......2004-05-17

Of all the books in the series, this was the only one that I bought (rather than borrow), and it was the most disappointing. To me, it was a bit unrealistic and I don't think it sent the right message. Don't get me wrong, I like Moore's writing, but this one i didn't agree with- for instance, the way Payton tried to start preaching to that guy after his brother died (i don't want to ruin it for those who haven't read it.) I don't believe we should be preaching to people like that especially when they are upset. Don't ge me wrong, we should share our faith, but not like that- that get's on people's nerves. The best way to witness to people is by our actions- not preaching to them all the time. So in conclusion I say if you want to know what happens to Payton to end the series, read it. If you want to be entertained- this may not be the best buy.

I love Payton Skky.......2003-01-10

I absolutely love the entire Payton Skky Series. I am 17 years old and I attend a residential high school for the academically gifted in LA, and I live with 200 females in a dorm so I could relate to Payton. Out of all of the books, Surrendered Heart definitly has to be my favorite. I was so excited when I found that Tad had forgiven Payton at the end, I felt as if I was right there with her. I have recommended the entire series to friends and family all over the country and they too have read the series and loved it. I pray that Surrendered Heart is not the end of Payton's journey, but if it is, it was a great way to end the series. Keep up the good work!

Average customer rating:

Good series
a satisfying, thought-provoking read
i love all of the payton skky books

Sweetest Gift (Payton Skky Series)
Stephanie Perry-Moore
Manufacturer: Lift Every Voice
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0802442390

Book Description

Payton Skky has finally arrived at college. In no time she's facing the same pressures and stresses most college students face. She's still conflicted about boyfriends and studies are difficult. But when she is faced with her suitemate's suicide attempt, Payton is jolted back to the basics of her faith. No matter what the pressures of life, she has great worth and value in the eyes of the Lord.

Customer Reviews:

Good series.......2007-10-18

Stephanie Perry Moore has done a great job with the Payton Skky series. I am an adult and even though the focus is a teenager's life, I enjoyed reading this series. I would highly recommend it for teenage girls whom I'm sure can relate to Payton's life.

a satisfying, thought-provoking read.......2006-06-01

Payton Skky's college life is off to a rocky start in SWEETEST GIFT, the fourth book in Stephanie Perry Moore's series. As Payton begins her first semester at the University of Georgia, she often feels lonely and isolated. She's not alone for long, though, as her two ever-present ex-boyfriends, Dakari Graham and Tad Taylor, are also attending college with her. They're unable to avoid one another, with both Dakari and Tad being members of the enormously popular football team. Once again, Payton finds herself conflicted by feelings for the two.

At the same time, she struggles to fit in, feeling as though she isn't accepted by either whites or blacks. The white community doesn't want to associate with her because she's black, while the black community is small and seemingly preoccupied with the superficial. This tension, along with the ongoing conflict with her exes, sends Payton into a state of depression. She finds herself failing classes, unable to keep up with fast-paced collegiate academics.

Her life is further complicated thanks to her roommate. Laurel Shadrach, a strong Christian like Payton, had the potential to be a great friend, but the two find they are not as compatible as they had once thought. Laurel likes to listen to (gasp!) country music and spends much of her time pledging for a predominately white sorority that makes Payton feel uncomfortable.

While Payton sulks alone, embittered with loneliness, jealously and resentment, an unexpected event sends her life spiraling out of control. However, it finally allows Payton to reassess her life and goals, and realize that she had been going to all the wrong places to seek comfort. In the midst of her struggles, she had forgotten the most important thing in her life --- her relationship with God.

SWEETEST GIFT is the longest, and perhaps most complex, book in the Payton Skky series. It is refreshing to finally see Payton in a new setting. Moore presents a very real portrait of a girl who once had it all and is now struggling to fit in a new place. Still, certain elements of the novel seem to be recycled from previous titles in the series. Most notably, Payton's conflict involving her ex-boyfriends has gone on far too long. She's made the important realization that Dakari is definitely the wrong guy for her at least four times thus far, yet she still continues to mess up other relationships because of her feelings for him. At this point, it would be nice to see her finally move on.

The devotion to one ever-present problem in previous books often led them to be slightly over the top and unbelievable. In this installment, though, Moore deals with a wide variety of issues --- including loneliness, depression, drinking, sex, relationships, school and racism --- on smaller levels. SWEETEST GIFT is a satisfying, thought-provoking read.

--- Reviewed by Jennifer Crosby

i love all of the payton skky books.......2005-07-27

i love all the payton skky books they are so good i think ms.stephanie perry-moore should make more payton books they are so good especially book 5 when payton and tad got together and dakari got save. SO please ms. stephanie can u please make more payton skky books

Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, The Barbara Payton Story

Average customer rating:

Barbara Payton Little Girl Lost
Kiss tomorrow Goodbye
One of the best biographies I have ever read!
She Burned Her Candle At Both Ends...
Deeply moving and heart-breaking portrait

Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, The Barbara Payton Story
John O'Dowd
Manufacturer: BearManor Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1593930631

Product Description

Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye: The Barbara Payton Story is the heartbreaking saga of the wild and free-spirited actress who hit Hollywood in the late 1940s, equipped with little more than a suitcase full of dreams, a ravenous hunger for fame and a devastating beauty---only to see each one of her dreams destroyed by a disastrous private life that led her straight through the gates of Hell. Gutsy, vulnerable--and doomed--Barbara Payton blazed across the motion picture stratosphere in record-time, only to collapse in a catastrophic free-fall from which she would never recover.

Customer Reviews:

Barbara Payton Little Girl Lost.......2007-10-13

WOW, wow and wow. I will be the umteenth person to say this is "unputdownable". I, like others, have been waiting for this bio and it was worth the wait! Thank you for letting the readers devise thier own opinions on Barbara Payton, whether it be on a good or bad front. God bless you Barbara Payton and may you rest in peace. The respect and admiration she sought to seek among fans, although years too late, has been cemented through this riviting, sincere and haunting look into her life.

Kiss tomorrow Goodbye.......2007-10-08

As another reader said unputdownable, I recieved the book in Fridays mail, and throughout the weekend I read it. The story is truly a tragic one. Mr. O'Dowd has put a lot of work into it and it shows.

I remember seeing Ms. Payton in some of the films and I will now look for the others. Her story is one that needed to be told, todays stars need to heed the past or they might repeat it.

I feel for her son, losing his mother at such a young age. Hollywood can be a cruel enviroment, and fame is fleeting. I could not put it down, I will re-read it again this week. I will recommend it to my co-workers and those others i talk to.

I am very glad that I orderd it, and I hope that others read it it is good book and deserves to be read.

One of the best biographies I have ever read!.......2007-09-04

Prior to reading John O'Dowd's brilliant biography of Barbara Payton, my knowledge of Barbara was peripheral at best. I knew she was once a famous actress who descended into alcoholism and died tragically. On the surface the story seems simple, but the complete story of Barbara Payton's life is much more complex and much more compelling. With the aid of Barbara's family (including her son who had never spoken publicly about his mother before), friends, and co workers, O'Dowd gives a clear, fair view of Barbara and manages to create a tone that is neither overly sympathetic nor overly judgmental. All in all this is a fine, fascinating biography of a subject whose story I now realize has been overly simplified previously. There is no doubt that Barbara Payton led a lifestyle that would be considered salacious to most, but, John O'Dowd's biography dims the lights on some of the sensationalism and restored the some respect to the name Barbara Payton. This book is HIGHLY recommended!!!!!

She Burned Her Candle At Both Ends..........2007-07-07

Everyone's life is filled with triumphs and failures. We all experience the pain and glory in different degrees. However, few who have grasped the golden ring, then briefly basking in its shimmering light, let it slip from their clutches and plunge into the depths of ultimate despair so resoundingly. This is, essentially, what happened to the beautiful, talented, but hopelessly misguided, Barbara Payton. She lost her way, largely because she had no meaningful direction in the first place, just hazy dreams of what the trappings of "Stardom" would grant her. She lived for the day with no thought of tomorrow. When her dreams were realized, but revealed to be insignificant and valueless she found nowhere to turn for solace. Indulging in her addictions was, seemingly, the only way to quell an intense feeling of emptiness. John O'Dowd painstakingly recounts the exhilarating ups and horrific downs that Payton underwent, with a deft hand. His excellent research pays off in relating a realistic outlook based upon facts and not supposition. His creative ability to turn a phrase keeps the reader enthralled throughout. Bravo, Mr. O'Dowd, for a job extremely well done.

Deeply moving and heart-breaking portrait.......2007-06-25

I've been waiting for this book for five years, when I first learned of John O'Dowd's tireless research and devotion to the project. Since that time, I have been spellbound by Barbara Payton's story, and have read as much about her I could find and communicated with the author frequently. His writing style is remarkable, full of highly visual descriptions and really helped me to almost see and hear Barbara Payton as she lived her life, the happy parts through the excrutiatingly sad ones. She was really unique with beauty and talent, but her mental/emotional illness caused her to blindside her own life in so many aspects. It seems her loss of hope sent her into a darkness in which I only hope she found some sporadic comfort. I believe that her story can help other young girls and women out there. I admire her talents outside the acting; artistic creativity and quick witted nature which all comes to life in this superb book! I just wish her life could have turned out differently. I am certain that her son, John Lee Payton, is relieved that such a splendid and genuine author has done justice to his mother's memory. This is one of the most compelling and well-written biographies you will ever read!

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