Shirley Booth: Any Suggestions On Who Could Best Play Shirley Booth On SCREEN?

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Any Suggestions On Who Could Best Play Shirley Booth On SCREEN?

For the recent new readers to my blog, I think a brief background on Shirley Booth would be helpful....

Shirley Booth is perhaps best known as TV's maid Hazel, for which she won two Emmy's. But Shirley performed in thousands of shows on stage throughout the country, including over thirty Broadway shows. She worked diligently in countless theatrical shows for over thirty years before her big success came. and that was for the Broadway production Come Back Little Sheba.

She received three Tony Awards (one for Best Supporting Actress, and two for Best Actress), an Academy Award for Best Actress, and countless other awards and honors. Also, she did a substantial amount of work in radio shows from the 1930's and 1940"s.

Interestingly she had no formal training as an actress. Nevertheless, her brilliant comedic and dramatic talent thrilled critics and audiences alike - even in weak productions, she soared anyhow.

Her first marriage (1929 - 1943) with Ed Gardner ended when he announced he loved another woman. However, Ed's coarse behavior ended and this perhaps softened the shock. Her second marriage (1943 - 1951) with Bill Baker, Jr. was truly one made in heaven. Unfortunately, soul mate Bill died suddenly at the height of her international fame.

Shirley would venture into weekly series television in 1961, against harsh criticism that this was a big mistake for the celebrated lady of theater. But with Hazel she became instantly known and adored by millions. She starred in other television productions, including playing a superb Amanda in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie. She also did the voice-over for Mrs. Santa Claus in The Year Without A Santa Claus.

Shirley Booth deserves a biographical story on television or in the movies. I know that "The Shirley Booth Story" could have a very strong mass appeal, in part because audiences do not know the real story about the person behind that memorable and very popular character maid, Hazel.

And although it might seem like ancient history (the 1960's) - there's great human interest and drama here. A blockbuster story! And also a new star or a new direction for an actress could be made with this production. Using the movies as an example, anyone care to remember Fanny Brice once she was gone? Nonetheless, her story catapulted Barbra Streisand to fame in Funny Girl!

Any suggestions on who could best play Shirley Booth on screen?

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Hazel says...

In episode #90 ("Democracy at Work"), Hazel (referring to Mr. B) explains to Harold what a dictatorship is. Hazel says: "You know there's the dictatorship, where one man tries to ram what he wants down everybody's throats!"

*****

THANKS FOR VISITING!

JOIN ME AGAIN TOMORROW!

*****
For purchasing any of my books, you can visit Amazon.com
You can also check www.bookfinder.com
which offers the best prices on new & used copies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Bill, His Pinup Girl: The Shirley Booth & Bill Baker Story
by Jim Manago
Foreword by Leslie Sodaro
Published December 1, 2010
Further details at: http://shirleybooth.blogspot.com

*****

Now available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0076ZCBM2

Love is the Reason for it All: The Shirley Booth Story
by Jim Manago
Radio Research by Donna Manago
Foreword by Ted Key
BearManor Media, May 2008
http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com

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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THIS BLOG SITE:

Judy:

I have just ordered both of your books from Amazon and am eagerly looking forward to reading them. I adore Shirley Booth, I always thought she was a wonderful, multidimensional actress. She could make you laugh out loud one minute and tearing up the next, she was that good. I wish I could have seen her on stage, I'm sure she was magical. Thanks for sharing your love of Shirley with the rest of us."

*****

Actress June Harding:
"Your Shirley Booth site is very nice"

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Lauramac1:

"Thank you so much for keeping the world aware of the glorious Shirley Booth's character, personality and talent.

In Philadelphia, we've recently discovered "Antenna TV" a terrific station playing great shows from the 1950s, 60s & 70s including "Hazel"! Our 7 year old daughter is entranced by these shows and loves Hazel most of all...and we are so happy to share Hazel with her! She hasn't even mentioned anything about the fact that it's in black and white, which is saying something!

Again, Thank you, Mr. Manago! keep up the good work!"

*****

Salvatore Somma:

I admire the continual work you do on the blog, and I am impressed by your knowledge of the film and entertainment field!"

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT "LOVE IS THE REASON FOR IT ALL: THE SHIRLEY BOOTH STORY"

Joyce Van Patten, Actress:

"I applaud you for doing the book. I fear so many people have forgotten all our great ones. They turn everyman into a celebrity. These great artists were artists first, and celebrities maybe. Their interest was their art. Thanks for keeping these stories alive!

Richard Herd, Actor:

"Read it! Loved it! Passed it on to my 101 yr. old Mother-in-Law."

Wanda Clark, Personal Secretary to Lucille Ball:

"I thought I knew about this talented lady, Shirley Booth, from the awards for theater and movies and the wonderful television show. However, Jim Manago's book gives much more about her life and career. It's a very good read with so many beautiful pictures and I'm delighted I found it, and highly recommend this book."

Julie Harris, Actress:

"Thank you for the book about Shirley Booth. She was a gifted actress, and I loved her!"

Thomas A DeLong, Reviewer, Radiogram (SPERDVAC publication):

"Author Jim Manago's presentation reads like a heartfelt Valentine card to actress Shirley Booth from her friends, associates and fans. It's loving and upbeat with fond recollections and reviews of a much-honored performer on stage, radio and television."

Tommy Garrett, Editor, Canyon News (Beverly Hills, CA):

"This book is inspiring, but most of all it is honest...Recently some biographers seem to show disdain for their subject, instead of admiration.

But although Manago admires Booth, he's able to separate his affection and go in depth into her life story and does so with ease. The book is chronologically correct, and Mr. Manago is an amazing fact checker...Despite the tough and aggressive nature of her business, you come across wanting to like and feeling like you know Shirley Booth in a way only Jim Manago could deliver. This is a must-read for historians and should be required reading for anyone interested in entering the field of acting via the Broadway stage."

Sal Somma, Professor of Music:

"I especially enjoyed the quotes from Shirley Booth because I was able to get a good feeling about her character through her own words. I applaud Jim for keeping it legit and not throwing in the trash and gossip that most biographies have. I can also appreciate the research and work that went into this endeavor - and he didn't have Shirley to consult with! Good book."

Jim Lovins (Amazon customer)

Thank our lucky stars for Ben Ohmart and his staff, BearManor Media, a small press that publishes BIG books. They pride themselves on publishing quality entertainment biographies, so they often put out the first book on unique subjects -- plus specializing in books with nostalgic themes and keeping classic Hollywood alive not only thru his publishing house, but thru his own books.

In closing, author Jim Manago has dug deep with quotes from Booth....Quite an impressive book -- A must read ~ Highly recommended!

Prof. Edward Wesley, Chairman, English Department, St. Francis College, Brooklyn, NY

I enjoyed your book. It was a good read and as I planned, I brought it with me on vacation up in the Berkshires.
We accompanied it with Netflix's Come Back, Little Sheba and The Matchmaker. My parents took the book back to their apartment and have it circulating among their friends.

Associate Professor of Communication:

"Yes the book was interesting. Good research. I wish there were more personal reminisces of Shirley, tho...interviews with key people in her life were probably impossible because so many have passed on. Thanks again for sharing it with me!

Anonymous
"Mr. Manago has written an informative and positive book (by that I mean not overemphasizing any negative or squalid life details) that zeroes in on the facets that will ever matter to fans and aficionados; her career and what good a person did in life to counterbalance her imperfections. "

Tom Watson, President, We Love Lucy Fan Club (http://www.lucyfan.com/)
"I loved your book about Shirley! Long over due! There was wonderful new information on almost every page... So much of her career was spent on the "live" stage or on radio -- and there is little spoken or written about those years today... What little the public knew about Shirley was from the Hollywood PR people that handled her few movies and HAZEL... Your book was a wonderful opportunity to "meet the lady" herself... I tried to interest publishers in doing a book 25 years ago, and everyone turned me down. If I couldn't do it -- I'm glad you did!

Shirley Booth

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Any Suggestions On Who Could Best Play Shirley Booth On SCREEN?

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