About the Author

Gerald Clarke is the author of Capote, the much acclaimed, bestselling biography of Truman Capote. He has also written for many magazines, including Esquire, Architectural Digest, and Time, where for many years he was a senior writer. A native of Los Angeles and a graduate of Yale, he now lives in Bridgehampton, in eastern Long Island, New York.

Reviews

"One of the most comprehensive biographies of entertainment icon Judy garland to date ... Clarke's skills as a storyteller make Garland's tale read like a heartbreaking novel."
-- US Weekly

"A compelling read ... in a big, gutsy biography,Gerald Clarke brings insight and fresh detail to Judy Garland's story."
-- Entertainment Weekly

"The last, best, and only essential account."
-- The Philadelphia Inquirer

Judy Garland's on-screen longing for a land where "sorrows melt like lemon drops away above the chimney tops" was answered with a life plagued by emotional agony, dependency on drugs and alcohol, exploitative relationships, suicide attempts and physical violence. This exhaustively researched and illuminating biography by Clarke, whose bestselling 1988 life of Truman Capote won critical praise, is as compassionate as it is wrenching. It follows the basic themes established by the best of the more than 20 biographies and memoirs of Garland that have appeared since her 1969 death (in particular, Gerald Frank's 1975 bio, authorized by her family). But while most portray Garland as tormented by inexorable and sometimes inexplicable inner demons, Clarke brings to his work a far harsher evaluation of how the singer was treated by her employers, family and lovers: her mother gave her amphetamines at the age of four; producers at MGM sexually harassed her as a young teen; husband Vincente Minnelli cheated on her with men soon after their marriage; husband Sid Luft stole millions from her; fourth husband Mark Herron had an affair with Garland's son-in-law, Peter Allen (then married to Liza Minnelli). Many of Clarke's revelations are of a sexual nature--he mentions affairs with Sinatra, Glenn Ford, Yul Brynner and Tyrone Power as well as with women. Other revelations, such as of Garland attacking her young son, Joey, with a butcher's knife, are simply shocking. Yet Clarke never exploits this volatile material as cheap gossip; instead, he deftly weaves it into a detailed, respectful and haunting portrait. (Apr.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

"One of the most comprehensive biographies of entertainment icon Judy garland to date ... Clarke's skills as a storyteller make Garland's tale read like a heartbreaking novel."
-- US Weekly

"A compelling read ... in a big, gutsy biography,Gerald Clarke brings insight and fresh detail to Judy Garland's story."
-- Entertainment Weekly

"The last, best, and only essential account."
-- The Philadelphia Inquirer