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Re: All About Ava Gardner with Kendra Bean & Anthony Uzarowski on 7/29 & 7/30
Posted: July 30th, 2017, 4:44 pm
by stuart.uk
Hi Kendra and Anthony, nice to have you here.
I was wondering if Ava sang, though I presume she did with her own vocals in other films like the Hucksters. I thought it was a disgrace that her voice was dubbed in Showboat, considering she did such a great job with the recordings.
One of the highlights of Mogambo was Ava's great beauty. One film of hers that interested me was The Snows of Kilimanjaro. While I felt her character was the love of Gregory Peck's life, I also felt, despite the verbal fighting that Susan Hayward's character was a more suitable wife as she was more able to share his interests
Re: All About Ava Gardner with Kendra Bean & Anthony Uzarowski on 7/29 & 7/30
Posted: July 30th, 2017, 9:30 pm
by moira finnie
I think that our generous guests intend to visit tomorrow, so if questions are posted they may be able to answer them eventually.
I would like to take a moment to thank them for visiting and wish them every success. Please let us know when your next book is published (yes, there will be more!).
Re: All About Ava Gardner with Kendra Bean & Anthony Uzarowski on 7/29 & 7/30
Posted: July 31st, 2017, 1:21 pm
by kendrajbean
moira finnie wrote:Thanks for your reply.
Did Gardner's marriages help her or hurt?
Reading about the way that things unfolded during her marital adventures, she seems to have had no idea how to build a relationship. Was that Hollywood's doing or did she simply feel too restless? Rooney and she don't appear to have been a good bet from the beginning, given their youth and the many distractions of career and studio life.
Was Shaw, described as intellectually condescending to Ava, a boon to her intellectual life thanks to the impetus he gave her to study and read widely?
BTW, I once read a memoir by Dirk Bogarde, who, while filming The Angel Wore Red (1960) with her, found her quite vulnerable, longing for the kind of stable relationship her parents had and still wondering if she should have had children. Did friendships with men such as Bogarde as well as her liaisons help her to cope as she grew older?
Was Sinatra ultimately a supportive person for her? How did you approach the Sinatra family while writing this book? Was their reaction to your questions surprising to you?
Ava Gardner with Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra.
Also, your book revealed a few of Ava's suitors who were unexpected. Fred MacMurray--the rascal--and Howard Duff, who seems to have dated every beauty in his day. Was there any name among her fellas that came up that surprised you?
I think it's safe to say that Ava's taste in men wasn't the best. But her marriages certainly gave her valuable life experience, even if they didn't lead to lasting happiness.
We approached Tina Sinatra through another contact of ours and she was very kind and helpful, and quite happy to talk about Ava. I found it surprising that she had such positive memories, considering her dad left her, her siblings, and her mom for Ava. Tina said Ava could be maternal and that she made a real effort to connect with Tina and her siblings.
Frank was ultimately supportive, yes. They stayed in touch for the rest of Ava's life, often talking on the phone, and Frank also helped Ava out financially. I believe he payed for her funeral in 1990.
I think I was a bit surprised to learn that she and Farley Granger had had a brief fling. But then again, it's not really surprising. Ava was such an alluring knockout, she could have had anyone.
Re: All About Ava Gardner with Kendra Bean & Anthony Uzarowski on 7/29 & 7/30
Posted: July 31st, 2017, 2:17 pm
by Sue Sue Applegate
Thank you both, Kendra and Anthony, for such wonderful comments and responses to our questions.
I know the book will be well received!