Shawn Levy is the film critic of The Oregonian and the author of the critically acclaimed cultural histories Rat Pack Confidential and Ready, Steady, Go!; and King of Comedy, a biography of Jerry Lewis. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
"Fascinating . . . A compulsive read. Shawn Levy is one of our best popular culture journalist-historians." -- Lewis MacAdams, author of Birth of the Cool: Beat, Bebop and the American Avant Garde"Levy goes beyond the glitz to see Rubirosa as a product of a particular time and place...a perfect tribute." -- Publishers Weekly"A terrific story about a fascinating character." -- John Malkovich"Shawn Levy has written more than a good book--this is an irresistible read. Hollywood will soon come knocking." -- Douglas Brinkley, Professor of History and Director of the Roosevelt Center at Rulane University"A compelling piece of social history...written in a breezy style perfectly suitable for conjuring Rubirosa's seductive personality." -- Booklist"As Shawn Levy amply documents in his bubbly, breathless and appropriately inconsequential biography, Rubirosa worked hard at having fun." -- New York Times"A fitting elegy for a forgotten boldfaced name and a thoughtful study of mid-20th-century Pan-American politics." -- Entertainment Weekly
Even readers who find the idea of a "playboy" somewhat questionable won't be able to put down Levy's biography of Porfirio Rubirosa (1909-1965). For one thing, there's delicious gossip: the women he courted (Eartha Kitt, Zsa Zsa Gabor), the men he prowled with (Prince Aly Khan, Sinatra, the Kennedys) and the fabulously wealthy women he married (Barbara Hutton, Doris Duke). There's also the story of his infamous penis-Doris Duke described it as "six inches in circumference... much like the last foot of a Louisville Slugger baseball bat with the consistency of a not completely inflated volleyball." Plus, there's sports-car racing, polo ponies and nonstop nightclubbing. But Levy, film critic for the Portland Oregonian, goes beyond the glitz to see Rubirosa as a product of a particular time and place: dictator Trujillo's Dominican Republic. Like many Trujillo intimates, Rubirosa was well paid for his loyalty, not his labor. By the 1960s, when Rubirosa crashed his Ferrari in Paris's Bois de Boulogne, he was an anachronism-at that point, even wealthy men were trying to have careers of some sort. All Rubi knew was how to enjoy himself, so this bubbly bio is a perfect tribute. Photos. Agent, Inkwell Management. (Sept.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
"Fascinating . . . A compulsive read. Shawn Levy is one of our best popular culture journalist-historians." -- Lewis MacAdams, author of Birth of the Cool: Beat, Bebop and the American Avant Garde"Levy goes beyond the glitz to see Rubirosa as a product of a particular time and place...a perfect tribute." -- Publishers Weekly"A terrific story about a fascinating character." -- John Malkovich"Shawn Levy has written more than a good book--this is an irresistible read. Hollywood will soon come knocking." -- Douglas Brinkley, Professor of History and Director of the Roosevelt Center at Rulane University"A compelling piece of social history...written in a breezy style perfectly suitable for conjuring Rubirosa's seductive personality." -- Booklist"As Shawn Levy amply documents in his bubbly, breathless and appropriately inconsequential biography, Rubirosa worked hard at having fun." -- New York Times"A fitting elegy for a forgotten boldfaced name and a thoughtful study of mid-20th-century Pan-American politics." -- Entertainment Weekly
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