All That Heaven Allows, Mark Griffin
All That Heaven Allows, Mark Griffin
3 Rating(s)
List: $29.99 | Sale: $21.00
Club: $14.99

All That Heaven Allows
A Biography of Rock Hudson

Author: Mark Griffin

Narrator: Jeremy Arthur

Unabridged: 13 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 12/04/2018


Synopsis

The inspiration for the HBO® Original Documentary, Rock Hudson: All that Heaven Allowed, airing June 28!The definitive biography of the deeply complex and widely misunderstood matinee idol of Hollywood’s Golden Age.“Mark Griffin paints a vivid portrait of a man who lived a double life in order to maintain his status as a movie star. Griffin’s sources are candid but credible, which makes the book a real page-turner. I came away admiring Hudson all the more, and feeling sad for the secret existence that Hollywood demanded of its leading men in the 1950s and 60s.”  — Leonard Maltin, author of Hooked on Hollywood: Discoveries from a Lifetime of Film FandomDevastatingly handsome, broad-shouldered and clean-cut, Rock Hudson was the ultimate movie star. The embodiment of romantic masculinity in American film throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s, he reigned supreme as the king of Hollywood.As an Oscar-nominated leading man, Hudson won acclaim for his performances in glossy melodramas (Magnificent Obsession), western epics (Giant) and blockbuster bedroom farces (Pillow Talk). In the ‘70s and ‘80s, Hudson successfully transitioned to television; his long-running series McMillan & Wife and a recurring role on Dynasty introduced him to a whole new generation of fans.The icon worshipped by moviegoers and beloved by his colleagues appeared to have it all. Yet beneath the suave and commanding star persona, there was an insecure, deeply conflicted, and all too vulnerable human being. Growing up poor in Winnetka, Illinois, Hudson was abandoned by his biological father, abused by an alcoholic stepfather, and controlled by his domineering mother.Despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Hudson was determined to become an actor at all costs. After signing with the powerful but predatory agent Henry Willson, the young hopeful was transformed from a clumsy, tongue-tied truck driver into Universal Studio’s resident Adonis. In a more conservative era, Hudson’s wholesome, straight arrow screen image was at odds with his closeted homosexuality.As a result of his gay relationships and clandestine affairs, Hudson was continually threatened with public exposure, not only by scandal sheets like Confidential but by a number of his own partners. For years, Hudson dodged questions concerning his private life, but in 1985 the public learned that the actor was battling AIDS. The disclosure that such a revered public figure had contracted the illness focused worldwide attention on the epidemic.Drawing on more than 100 interviews with co-stars, family members and former companions, All That Heaven Allows delivers a complete and nuanced portrait of one of the most fascinating stars in cinema history.Griffin provides new details concerning Hudson’s troubled relationships with wife Phyllis Gates and boyfriend Marc Christian. And here, for the first time, is an in-depth exploration of Hudson’s classic films, including Written on the Wind, A Farewell to Arms, and the cult favorite Seconds. With unprecedented access to private journals, personal correspondence, and production files, Griffin pays homage to the idol whose life and death had a lasting impact on American culture.

About Mark Griffin

Mark Griffin is the author of A Hundred or More Hidden Things: The Life and Films of Vincente Minnelli.  Griffin, whose writing has appeared in scores of publications, including The Boston Globe, recently appeared in the documentary Gene Kelly: To Live and Dance.  He lives in Maine.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Russell on December 20, 2018

I’ve read hundreds of celebrity biographies. Many’s the time I’ve been disappointed because the author skipped over or treated lightly the one movie or play the subject wrote or starred in that was my favorite, and I craved to know more. Biographer Mark Griffin, with All That Heaven Allows: A Biogra......more

Goodreads review by Barry on October 02, 2024

a bit too wikipedia, especially in the second half where it feels like it just goes from film to film without giving us the in-between bits.......more

Goodreads review by Michael on December 18, 2018

(Between 3-1/2 and 4 stars) This is probably as complete and objective abiography of Hudson as we're likely to get. The author has certainly done his research--this is not one of those celebrity bios that is mostly made up of magazine quotes and PR puff pieces. He seems to have talked to almost ever......more

Goodreads review by Lynn on February 21, 2019

A Superb Biography! Rock Hudson was a star who was very popular. I grew up watching him in Pillow Talk and McMillian and Wife. Loved him in a way. This is a beautifully written biography that kept me riveted while reading it. The first few pages seemed dull, but then I couldn't put it down. Rock Hud......more

Goodreads review by Kevin on December 08, 2018

Since Rock Hudson's death from AIDS in 1985, there have been numerous books about him published (including his own posthumous as-told-to autobiography). But Mark Griffin's intimate, engaging and superbly researched ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS is by far the definitive biography Rock Hudson and his fans de......more