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yetilibrary's review
4.0
Dick Moore recently passed away, and I discovered that this book existed only when I read his obituary. It's a tough book to track down: I suspect it only went through one printing, and I wound up having to join a new library consortium to check it out. (The cheapest copies on Amazon are $90. NINETY DOLLARS!) That's really too bad, as the material Moore collected for Twinkle Twinkle is priceless and, as far as I know, unparalleled in its access and scope.
Moore's interviews with the children who grew up in and survived the "Hollywood system" of the first half of the 20th Century are illuminating and, in the end, almost always sad: these famous children were used by the studios and their parents, then left to fend for themselves. Few of them actually had any of the millions they made by the time they were adults--their parents, guardians, and assorted agents usually spent it all--and their psychological development was stunted (to put it mildly) since everyone around them insisted that they remain An Adorable Child for as long as possible. When they weren't Cute Children anymore, most were cast aside, with no money, no skills beyond acting (which they were told they couldn't do any more), and no understanding of how to function as an adult. Moore's interviews expose the tragedies of each child's life--including his own.
The book is not without its problems: it is organized into thematic chapters, but the narrative within each chapter tends to wander. The final chapter contains scattered thoughts from former child stars on Child Stars Today and television as a medium, and the meditations vary from the merely snobbish to the demonstrably false (in fairness: perhaps they weren't in the 1980s, when the book was written). The book could've done without a These Kids Today! and a This TV Stuff Today! section. (Don't Andy Rooney your book on purpose, folks.)
Overall, I learned a lot from this book, and gained some insight into the old Hollywood System and how child stars were (and still are) treated. If the movie business and its history interests you, this book is a must-read.
Moore's interviews with the children who grew up in and survived the "Hollywood system" of the first half of the 20th Century are illuminating and, in the end, almost always sad: these famous children were used by the studios and their parents, then left to fend for themselves. Few of them actually had any of the millions they made by the time they were adults--their parents, guardians, and assorted agents usually spent it all--and their psychological development was stunted (to put it mildly) since everyone around them insisted that they remain An Adorable Child for as long as possible. When they weren't Cute Children anymore, most were cast aside, with no money, no skills beyond acting (which they were told they couldn't do any more), and no understanding of how to function as an adult. Moore's interviews expose the tragedies of each child's life--including his own.
The book is not without its problems: it is organized into thematic chapters, but the narrative within each chapter tends to wander. The final chapter contains scattered thoughts from former child stars on Child Stars Today and television as a medium, and the meditations vary from the merely snobbish to the demonstrably false (in fairness: perhaps they weren't in the 1980s, when the book was written). The book could've done without a These Kids Today! and a This TV Stuff Today! section. (Don't Andy Rooney your book on purpose, folks.)
Overall, I learned a lot from this book, and gained some insight into the old Hollywood System and how child stars were (and still are) treated. If the movie business and its history interests you, this book is a must-read.
rachelcoconut's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Great peek at the child stars of the 1920-40s. Chilling stories of stage parents, lots of honest details about finances and the movie industry.
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