Cut!: Hollywood Murders, Accidents, and Other Tragedies

I've been a movie buff since the early 70's, and by now, I thought I pretty much knew it all. This book offers readable, accurate and oftentime surprising biographies of so many people. Reading it, I was blown away by how much (of what I thought to be) obscure information was packed into each page. This book is worth every penny.

This large and photo-filled book is about life and, even more so, death in Hollywood. The book is organized into seven chapters. The first simply covers many actors' lives and careers, and then their deaths from natural causes. The second chapter goes through a group of actors whose deaths were mysterious, giving rise to speculation that they were murdered. Chapter three focuses on actors who were definitely murdered, covering such well-known ones as Sharon Tate, and more forgotten one, such as Ramon Novarro. Chapter four covers actors who died from drugs, and there were a lot of them, while chapter five covers scandalous Hollywood deaths. The sixth chapter covers actors who died in tragic automobile, plane and whatnot accidents. And finally, chapter seven covers the death of actors while movies were actually being filmed. Along the way, the reader is treated to many wonderful photos. Overall, I found this to be an absolutely fascinating book. I was fascinated by all of the information on actors both recent and long-ago. Now, as you might expect with a book that covers so very many actors, not too much information is devoted to any one actor. So, if you want in-depth information, you will be disappointed. But, if you want a book that talks about a lot of actors, who they were, how the lived, and how they died, then this is the book for you. I really enjoyed reading it, and think that you will as well. I highly recommend this book!

Well-crafted, with deftly-turned phrases and clever chapter titles, Cut! is a must-read for seasoned film buffs, students, and ordinary fans. In this massive silver-screen bible, B-grade bit players, venerable character actors, and relative newcomers are given equal biographical billing with the legends, icons, and veterans. Subjects of the "Drugstore Cowboy" chapter, in particular, are treated with careful respect and compassion. Suggestion: set this book aside for a snow day, and if it doesn't snow where you live, then call in sick to savor it.

It is interesting to read and re-read Cut!. The details of the deaths of Hollywood's famous (and sometimes not-so-famous) persons made each member of the family call out to the others and ask "Did you see this?" The writing style is direct and informative and each page provides great photos of the subject. My only complaint about the book is that the typeface is a little small. It is understandable given the vast amount of information covered, but unfortunately, the small font highlights my middle-aged need for bi-focals. What I remember most from reading Cut, is not the lurid tabloid deaths of Hollywood. Rather, Cut highlighted or reminded me of so many actors that I've seen and enjoyed who have died at a relatively young age. Life, alas, is a terminal disease.