Rita Hayworth dancing by candlelight; Elizabeth Taylor tenderly wrapping him in her Pashmina scarf; streaking for Sir Laurence Olivier in a drafty English castle; terrifying a dozing Jackie Onassis; carrying an unconscious Montgomery Clift to safety on a dark New York street…Captured forever in a unique memoir, Frank Langella’s myriad encounters with some of the past century’s most famous human … famous human beings are profoundly affecting, funny, wicked, sometimes shocking, and utterly irresistible. With sharp wit and a perceptive eye, Mr. Langella takes us with him into the private worlds and privileged lives of movie stars, presidents, royalty, literary lions, the social elite, and the greats of the Broadway stage. We learn something, too, of Mr. Langella’s personal journey from the age of fifteen to the present day. Dropped Names is, like its subjects, riveting and unforgettable.
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So different from what I expected. Each chapter is about a different person in Mr. Langella’s life. Found this book to be funny and insightful.
Really enjoyed reading this book.
Langella is a good writer and this makes his descriptions of these notable people we knew about so very interesting — along with the fact that his descriptions are based only on his experience with them. I enjoyed reading it very much.
For movie and theatre fans, a great read. He deftly handles his interactions with the famous and near famous over 5 decades – he was one busy fellow.
If you want to hold onto any of your illusions about famous movie stars, don’t read this book.
From Rita Hayworth to Rex Harrison, from Elizabeth Taylor to Laurence Olivier — Frank Langella paints them all as self-absorbed, ego-driven, insecure humans who really only live to be on stage or the center of attention. It’s actually quite sad how …
I’m ashamed to reveal that I enjoyed this exercise in actors’ vanity excesses. I don’t know how much I believe. By Mr. Langella’s account he was everywhere, adored by everybody, had sex with everybody, was trusted by everybody—even Bunny Mellon. In fact, he was, although invited, a toxic presence, eager to betray.
I saw Frank Langella perform Dracula on Broadway in 1977. My adoration of him continues to this day, and I absolutely loved this book. full of great stories and humor.
Fun read
Langella certainly got to know and spend time with some fascinating characters in the entertainment and social world. Sometimes funny, often sad but mostly interesting insights into these characters — and Langella’s.
I have a lot of respect for someone that can teach me new things about acting and the world of theater and cinema but who also does it without being trashy or boring. Langella dishes but isn’t nasty or vindictive. Tells a heckuva story/
Langella has definitely dropped a few names. It’s amusing light reading.
Frank Langella writes a very informative and entertaining book about the famous people he has met over his many years in show business. It is well written and chock full of insider facts about the rich and famous. The section about President Kennedy shows a human side of the President that we normally would not see. It is a page-turner, for sure.
Candid views of a wide variety of show business – and other – folks. Langella is honest, sometimes surprising – and is friends with people you might not expect.
Frank, you really got around didn’t you! Thanks for the stories.
It was interesting to read about all of the famous people Mr. Langella met, but at times he seemed quite arrogant. Nonetheless, I’d recommend the book. My husband read it also and liked it.
Frank does a lot of name dropping and gives insight into the lives of some of the stars he knew in Hollywood. It was a quick read and quite interesting but I did find that I don’t care for Mr. Langella much as a person.
Very good book. I was sorry when it ended. Very personal experiences with many actors, actresses and famous people during his long career.
It’s title was accurate. He sure had a wide variety of friends. I especially enjoyed the stories when he spent time with Jackie Kennedy and her rich friends.
This book is interesting and entertaining until you get sick and tired of reading about how wonderful Langella thinks he is
A good read, especially if you’re familiar with the theatre world of the late 20th c. It get’s a little aggravating by end and made me wondering how much I’d really like to spend time with Langella… more or less than before.
I didn’t,t read all the chapters but found the ones I did read to be very entertaining. It is well written but in the end I got bored with the subject which was celebrity gossip. Just not my cup of tea.