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| cielodrive.com |
Considered by many to be the most beautiful woman of her generation, Sharon Tate remains a fascinating pop icon and a poster child for the 1960s. What most struck those who knew Sharon was her gentle nature and the sheer perfection of her face, but she was far more than just a beauty. The few films she made during her brief career, including Valley of the Dolls, Eye of the Devil, and The Fearless Vampire Killers, have taken on a cult status. Over forty years since her last film, Sharons spirit and charisma lives strong in the memories of those who knew her best, and her style continues to inspire the worlds of fashion, beauty, art, and film.This is the description of the book I'll supposedly get:
Sharon Tate: Recollection is a one-of-a-kind celebration of Sharons life and career, her influence as a fashion icon throughout the world, and in effect presents a sociological portrait of the 1960s - its youth culture, the sexual revolution, Hollywood's changing studio system, and the rise of independent cinema. In this dazzling photo book, Sharon Tates story emerges through quotes and short essays -recollections- by her sister, Debra Tate, as well as by those who knew and who have been influenced by her. An all-star cast contributing memories and thoughts on Sharon includes Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, Robert Evans, Mia Farrow, Raquel Welch, Hugh Hefner, Michelle Phillips, Patty Duke, Barbara Parkins, Jane Fonda, Drew Barrymore, and Kelly Osbourne. The book is filled with hundreds of rare and unpublished photos of Sharon Tate taken by the likes of Milton Greene, David Bailey, Terry ONeill, Richard Avedon, Bert Stern, Norman Parkinson, Philippe Halsman, John Engstead, and more.
What emerges from these pages is a stunning tribute to an unforgettable life.
Considered by many to be the most beautiful woman of her generation, Sharon Tate remains a fascinating pop icon and a poster child for the 1960s. What struck most about Sharon was her gentle nature and the sheer perfection of her face, but she was far more than just a beauty. The few films she made during her brief career, including Valley of the Dolls, Eye of the Devil, and The Fearless Vampire Killers, have secured her position as a Hollywood legend. Over forty years since her last film, Sharon’s spirit and charisma lives strong in the memories of those who knew her best, and her style continues to inspire the worlds of fashion, beauty, art, and film.Also, two of these has-been actors are people who hurt Sharon - one in life, Michelle Phillips by boinking her husband, and one after death by publishing false rumors about her (Elke Sommer who along with her husband Joe Hyams trashed Sharon's character in the media with all kinds of crazy stories).
Sharon Tate: Recollection is a one-of-a-kind celebration of Sharon’s life and career, her influence as a fashion icon throughout the world, and in effect presents a sociological portrait of the 1960s—its youth culture, the sexual revolution, the rise of independent cinema, and Hollywood's changing studio system. In this impressive photo book, Sharon Tate’s story emerges through quotes and short essays—recollections—by her sister, Debra Tate, as well as by those who knew and have been influenced by her.
What emerges from these pages is a stunning tribute to an unforgettable life.
Highlights include:
A foreword note by Sharon's husband Roman Polanski.
An introduction and remembrances by Sharon's sister Debra Tate.
Previously unseen childhood photos from the Tate family album.
Original quotes and recollection essays written specially for this book by Jane Fonda, Kelly Osbourne, Bert Stern, Michelle Phillips, Patty Duke, Lee Grant, Elke Sommer, Joan Collins, Viva, Tony Scotti and Trina Turk.
Retrospective quotes by Truman Capote, Diana Vreeland, Richard Avedon, Dominick Dunne, Warren Beatty, Mia Farrow, Orson Welles, Barbara Parkins, George Harrison, David Niven, Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner and Kirk Douglas.
Rare and classic photographs by David Bailey, Milton Greene, Philippe Halsman, Shahrokh Hatami, Terry O'Neill, Peter Basch, John Engstead, Peter Brüchmann, Neal Barr and Jean Jacques Bugat.
Never-before-seen or published images of Sharon in the classic film Valley of the Dolls, digitally reproduced from their original negatives and transparencies specially for this book by the 20th Century Fox archive.
At this point I feel a little ripped off. I was told a photo book with 100's of rare and unpublished photos with an all-star cast of recollections. Now I feel like I'm getting a bunch of re-ashed, easily found on the internet photos and quotes from Beatty, Farrow, Parkins, and Dominick Dunne etc, new recollections only from has-been actors looking to cash in, and, wait, what? Kelly Osbourne commenting on what fashion is? Is this a joke?
Mia Farrow didn't even attend Sharon's funeral, even though she claimed to be a good friend of hers. Michelle Phillips, who had a mattress permanently attached to her back should be holding her head down in shame. To screw someone else's husband (or wife) is showing you to be a low-down, dirty scum bag, in my book.
ReplyDeleteFirst Roman and the Tate family kept Sharon's and baby Richards funeral extremely low key one certain people were invited most of the press did respect the wishes of her loved ones. Sharon knew that Roman was not faithful to her and she knew this before they wed. So Michelle Phillips isn't the only one who had sexual relations with married men or a married man.
DeleteOnce Patty pre-ordered a copy of a book about the Bouviers of Grey Gardens fame. She plunked down $75 and the book never saw the light of day. That was disappointing. Patty wont pre-order any more.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Matt - Michelle Phillips and Elke Sommer contributing is a joke. Roman is a disgrace, too, considering how he cheated on Sharon; but he was her husband so I guess his contribution cannot be excluded. Once again, Joanna Pettet shows true class - being considerate of her friend's memory by keeping quiet.
ReplyDeleteYes, Carol. We are in agreement. If Sharon were my sister there are certain participants I'd have issues with. But as a book buyer I have more of an issue with the photographers bailing after I pre-bought the book. I'm guessing the publisher is equally frustrated that they got involved in this mess!
ReplyDeleteI don't blame you for being angry, Matt. Why do you think so many people bailed?
ReplyDeleteIf anyone pre-orders this book or any others from amazon you can cancel it.
ReplyDeleteI don't know Carol but a rational guess would be that in the end they couldn't come to royalty terms agreeable to the photographers.
ReplyDeleteOr, since DT is Sharon's sister the publisher took her at her word that she could produce the photographs, but in the end couldn't?
ReplyDeleteNow I'm really confused, I thought a BOOK was all about WORDS, but Matt seems to be disappointed cause he won't SEE some pictures in a BOOK. Kind'a sounds like the Mansonites! Some were disappointed when the group turned from a "Family" to "Gang." Maybe it's all about "images" and how they are able to project on the "screen" in the human brain?
ReplyDeleteFirst, Robert:
ReplyDeleteFor me, your response belittles Matt's intelligence and, of course misses the point.
Debra's book is not marketed as "all about the WORDS", rather the publisher writes in their description: "in this impressive photo book". Therefore, Matt is justified in his frustration that it is not the book he ordered because they failed in their promise to deliver "hundreds of rare and unpublished photos."
Second, Suze: If I were a betting person, I'd bet that you are probably right on the money. My hackles immediately went up when I saw 100's of unpublished photos by so many famous photographers. Obtaining the rights alone would seemingly be astronomical and prohibitively expensive. Example: the Chappell family when they found their father's previously unpublished photos of Sharon. If I recall, the originals went for as much as $40,000 a piece.
And, one really, really has to wonder why Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, Robert Evans, Mia Farrow, Barbara Parkins, Joanna Pettet, Barbara Lewis, and a host of others who were indeed close to Polanski and Sharon, said no to participating with their original "recollections"? And, seemingly, some even refused permission on already published thoughts.
I'm betting that Debra promised the publisher much more than she was able to deliver. Whether it was an outright deception on her part or an assumption that friends of Sharon's would want to participate but didn't will probably always be a mystery.
As with so many, the mere fact that Debra is Sharon's sister seems to get her (IMHO) an often undeserved trust and respectability, as well as a free get-out-of jail card on her many transgressions.
ReplyDeleteA perfect example: I just saw on another blog that someone excused Debra not getting the facts straight on Sharon's murder, i.e., Debra said Sharon's throat was slashed during the commission of the crimes. The defenders excused it due to the fact that Debra had never read the details of Sharon's murder because it was just too painful. On this, I call Bullshit.
A) This sounds to me like Debra emulating Doris and Patricia Tate's very words.
B) It blows as an excuse. Why? Because Doris freely admitted during interviews that it was too painful for her to read the details on Sharon's murder, but she also never presented herself as an authority on the subject. She simply admitted she didn't know and why. And with Patricia, she admitted that before her first parole hearing she too had never read the details, but as a witness at the parole hearings she felt the duty to learn the details so that she could effectively and accurately make her impact statement.
Even the Amazon "About the Author" description seems deceptive to me: Debra Tate has devoted much of her life to advocacy for victims’ rights causes and counseling victims of violent crimes. As her mother, Doris, and sister Patti did during their lifetimes, Debra works to bring change in human rights legislation...In previous careers Debra was a model, teacher, and Hollywood makeup artist. Debra Tate lives in California.
A) It's nauseating that Debra aggrandizes her attending parole hearings, doing TV interviews, and following a cadaver-sniffing dog to being equal to the amazing and giving work in victims rights that Doris and Patricia accomplished.
I'm curious, has Debra ever attended the victims' rights march at the capital like Patti and Doris did? Has she ever testified at congress? Has she ever worked for an advocacy group? I know she associated herself with the now defunct Doris Tate Crime Victims' Bureau, but was she ever a board member, speaker, or fundraiser for them? Has she ever "counseled" a victim beyond the Manson Family case? I'm guessing no, but please, anyone with better knowledge, come forth, correct me, and I will humbly apologize. Until then, I ask, what qualifies her as such?
B) One credit on a 1980 film does not qualify a career as a "Hollywood Makeup Artist". http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1395088/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
C) I again call bullshit and say the only sentence not blown out of proportion in this author description is that Debra lives in Cali.
This photo book to me just reeks of another one of Debra's deceptions only now she's involved a publisher that has probably invested too much money in the photo releases to turn back and is salvaging whatever they can to publish.
I hope this means you'll take down his ad at the top of blog's main page.
ReplyDeleteThank you Cindy, but no need to defend me from RH. I know him too well. He wasn't belittling me at all. He's just pointing out perceptions and change don't always sit well with the human brain. A worthwhile point.
ReplyDeleteI must admit Mr H that I spend more time thinking about your posts than anyone else's. It takes me several re-reads to grasp what you mean, then even longer to process it. I wind up agreeing with you at least most of the time. Seriously though, for a man who lived the 60's without doing drugs you really are quite a psychedelic thinker! LOL.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I hope you post more stories. The Red Headed Guy was great!
ReplyDeleteWell folks, I've proven myself wrong; I did find an interview of Debra Tate working as a victims' advocate. Only it was for the fugitive, Roman Polanski, in his rape case. Here’s an excerpt from her Today Show interview with Matt Lauer:
ReplyDeleteLauer: What do you say to people who say that it doesn't matter that he's a brilliant director, he deserves to serve time for that crime?
Tate: ...There's rape and then there's rape. It was determined that Roman did not forcibly have sex with this young woman. It was a consensual matter. I am a victims' advocate and I know the difference.
Lauer: Yes, I know there is a difference, but a lot of men in this country have served time in jail or in prison for committing the kind of rape that Roman Polanski committed. The statutory rape and so, how do you respond to that?
Tate: I think our system is extremely broken, uh, on multi-levels. I think that at the moment there is a lot of tax payer dollars being spent to pursue cases that, that, do not need to be pursued, especially in the state of California.
So, let me get this straight, Debra Tate who "has devoted much of her life to advocacy for victims’ rights causes and counseling victims of violent crimes," rallies to a sex offender's defense while downplaying the (what I consider a violent crime) molestation and ruination of a child and her childhood?
A) In what court preceding was this rape proven consensual?
B) In what world does a victims’ advocate ever use the words "There's rape and there's rape"? The definition of rape is as follows: The unlawful compelling of a person through physical force or duress to have sexual intercourse. Sounds to me that this is exactly what Polanski did to this child.
C) What is Doris Tate (who, in her life as a board member of Believe The Children, fought valiantly for the court system to believe the children of sexual abuse) thinking as she watches her daughter, the "victims’ advocate" in this interview?
The only thing broken here, IMHO, is Debra Tate's thought process as a victims’ advocate.
There is a great lesson, ABOUT MANSON books, to be learned by ALL.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I would like to spend just ONE day without LEARNING anything.
IE: The other day, I learned that the US Government is charging Vietnam Vets at the VA hospital $475 to pull a tooth. On the streets, public sector dentists charge just $275 - $325. So what's with the huge profit margin? Michelle needs a new fur coat? A white man trapped in a black man's body needs a "change" operation - or has it become fashionable to FUCK with Vietnam Vets? Look at ALL those celebrity names associated with the Tate/Polanski legacy and guess which ones YOU can thank for serving their country?
IF you think DT's book is going to be a fraud wait until Bugliosi goes to the Happy Hunting grounds.
Hey Matt email me bud on my jerseydevil email have some good pics for the blog I've tried sending them to booth of your emails I keep getting messages that they weren't delivered Thanks
ReplyDeleteRobert, I love you buddy, but I have a hard time believing that $400.+ figure for the co-pay. My husband is a Vietnam vet and has used the VA for his health care for over 20 years. He had a quadruple bypass and after spending two weeks in a VA hospital, the operation and an ambulance ride our total copay was $1400. $300. of that was for the ambulance. We are at the highest copay tier due to our income. I don't know what your reading but it seems skewed to me.
ReplyDeleteThank you Suze for the kind words. Apparently You and Matt get it.
ReplyDeleteDEB: Didn't READ it - was told by the VA to my face, and Toby told them I was in pain.
OH the things we learn about life when we least expect it.
Does anybody know exactly what Elke Sommer said?
ReplyDeleteAnd, wow, every time I hear anything about healthcare in America: all these 'co-pays' and 'deductibles' and all the fights with the insurance companies and all the greed of the doctors…so glad I'm British. You just don't need that when you're sick.
Agreed, Fi! When Patty lived in the UK she needed two cavities filled. There was no waiting and it cost her nine quid. Granted, the dental office was a converted row house with a swivel chair in the parlor. But whatever, she did a good job. There was also an incident of "thrush" and a bout with walking pneumonia that was covered, gratis. Ever since then Patty has been a big fan of socialized medicine. Does that make Patty a commie? Uh, no...
ReplyDeleteFiona, I found this in an interview someone did with Elke Sommer. I'm not sure if it is what others are referring to but she seems to be alluding to Roman as having a part in Sharon's murder as well as saying he was an abusive husband.
ReplyDelete"MP: You mentioned a little bit earlier your appearance in Wrecking Crew with Dean Martin. The film also starred Sharon Tate, who was unfortunately murdered shortly after the release. I know Sharon’s death greatly affected Dean Martin, so much in fact that he never played Matt Helm again. What are your memories of Sharon and how did the news of her death affect you?
Elke: Well that’s a difficult and rather lengthy answer. I can’t go into every detail because it’s too humiliating, even post mortem. I became very good friends with Sharon. I like women generally. Sometimes they don’t like you, but I get along very well with women, and we became really very good friends. I’ll never forget, she came to my trailer one day and said “You’ve got to hear this. I know you love music and I have this tape here of Leonard Cohen.” She gave me a tape – at the time we didn’t have discs yet – of Leonard Cohen, which I of course played when I got home and fell totally in love with, like with Suzanne and The Sisters of Mercy. She introduced me to him; if it wasn’t for her I probably would’ve not met Leonard Cohen for a long time until afterwards. But she was very, very abused by her husband. She came to me for advice. She said, “You’re such a good woman. Can you help me? What would you do if ‘that and that’ happened?” I said, “Sharon, I can’t imagine that happening to me. I’m sorry! I’m not better than you; it’s just different. I can’t imagine! If that would happen to me, I’d brain him! I don’t know what I would do!” It was on numerous occasions, at least. Then she came to the house in the evenings, I’d cooked something when he [Sharon’s husband] was out of town, and she was full of life and bubbly and we laughed at listened to Leonard Cohen and sang with it, you know. I liked to sing harmony and she admired that. She said “How can you sing harmony?” I said “Well Leonard Cohen is the easiest one to sing harmony with.” She was happy to be here with me. But always, these questions came up again - “What should I do? Do you think I should leave?” I said “Sharon, if you love him you can’t leave. But you certainly can’t subject yourself to being treated in such a horrendous [way].” Not physically mind you, mentally, verbally, in a horrible, horrible way. Then when he came back from work - I don’t know where he was, doing something out of the country – we invited him here as well. And this bubbly, sweet, little Sharon became a wide-eyed, staring-at-him, silent person. And he was charming, mind you, really, great charm and a great presence for such a little sucker! So her death of course moved me, I can’t even describe it, especially because of how she lost her life. But I was told – I don’t know whether it’s the truth or not – that Polanski had been to Manson’s ranch and knew some of the people involved. Now I don’t know whether that’s true or not; it’s just I’ve been told that and it could very well be the truth. I don’t know; it’s just hearsay."
http://www.cinemaniacreviews.com/post/2949100800/interview-elke-sommer