A journey through whats left of tinseltown hollywood biographer brian kellow on the good old days of hollywood boulevardand the classic. I first came across her when reading one of the various books about barbra streisand. Morgan spurlock puts superagent sue mengers on screen. Dunaway, hollywood agent sue mengers, and evans attend the golden globes, 1975.
Superagent sue mengers built careers of film royalty. More than i had with any of other books on eileen farrell, the bennett sisters. Superagent marcee dohertyelst sizzles in ill eat you. Adrienne westenfeld assistant editor adrienne westenfeld is a writer and editor at esquire, where she covers books. Superagent sue mengers handled some of the hottest stars in. Hollywood agents estate sale displays star power the. Lets looksee at sue mengers bev hills party pad variety. Sue mengers september 2, 1932 october 15, 2011 was a talent agent for many filmmakers. She was a super agent before mike ovitz and ari emmanuel. At a 1973 meeting at cma, the hollywood talent agency that later became icm, the companys owner was leading the proceedings when in.
Morgan spurlock to direct, cowrite film on talent agent sue. Superstar barbra streisand and hollywood agent sue mengers. New sue mengers biography a colorful glimpse of hollywood. To call sue mengers a character is an understatement, unless the word is written in allcaps. In the april 24 calendar section, an article about ill eat you last, a broadway show based on the career of hollywood talent agent sue mengers. More than i had with any of other books on eileen farrell, the. Agent sue mengers, left, with her most celebrated client barbra streisand, and stylist. The book is comprised of anecdotal stories and celebrity gossip by both her. The life of sue mengers, hollywoods first superagent by brian kellow. Morgan spurlocks warrior poets has acquired rights to brian kellows bestselling biography can i go now. New sue mengers biography a colorful glimpse of hollywood agent. Superagent sue mengers handled some of the hottest stars in hollywood including barbra streisand, ryan oneal, ali macgraw, mick jagger, candice bergen and peter bogdanovich.
In this colorful fascinating look at the life and times of one of hollywoods legendary female agent sue mengers 19382011, biographer brian kellow introduces her as a selfpanicker, meaning she was able to take herself less seriously, her behavior funniest to herself. Sue mengers died last night at her home, a short walk from the. Inside the life of hollywoods first superagent, sue mengers. Agent sue became hostess sueand she was even more successful in her new vocation. Her first big addition to her books was actress julie harris, who was primarily a stage performer. By the time she died in 2011, sue mengers was all but forgotten, except by veteran hollywood insiders whom she bullied, cajoled, insulted, befriended, promoted, mothered and smothered. A new biography goes inside the life of hollywoods firstsuperagent to reveal the crazy, brazen fights and lurid affairs that sue mengers had with clients and stars. Forget it, jakeits hollywood february 1, 2020 air mail. In her her blog post about the late agent sue mengers, susan orlean writes, interviewing sue mengers was one of the saddest experiences of my professional life. The life of a hollywood agent was thought to be fairly staid.
But brash, straighttalking sue mengers never wanted to be that kind of agent. Morgan spurlock to direct movie on hollywood superagent sue mengers. The life of sue mengers, hollywoods first superagent by brian kellow, to be published on september 8, 2015, by viking, an imprint of penguin publishing group, a. Can i go now the life of sue mengers, hollywoods first superagent 9780670015405 by kellow, brian and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books. Kristin staskowski stars as agent sue mengers in ill eat you last at terrific new theatre. What hollywood superagent sue mengers was really like. In her heyday, in the nineteensixties and seventies, mengers was one of the. At a 1973 meeting at cma, the hollywood talent agency that later became icm, the companys owner was leading the proceedings when in walked agent sue mengers, 10 minutes. Description to call sue mengers a character is an understatement, unless the word is written in allcaps, followed by an exclamation point and modified by an expletive. Sue mengers, one of hollywoods most influential and colorful agents. Like the great character that she was, that marvelous, never written book went with her. Daniel, the associated press before there was ovitz or ari, there was sue mengers. Blazing a trail for other women agents, her alist clients included stars like barbra streisand, ryan oneal and faye dunaway.
Kellow gives mengers the place in hollywood history that she deserves. Superagent sue mengers built careers of film royalty observer. The life of sue mengers, hollywoods first superagent and discuss the book. In the 1970s, she represented everyone who was hot. At the height of her power, the legendary talent agent sue mengers. Superagent mengers mistreated stars, but they loved her. A report in the media decoder column on monday about items to be auctioned from the estate of the hollywood agent sue mengers described incorrectly the shape of her signature tinted glasses, two pairs of which are to be sold. She might dream about living a life designed by travilla and charles lemaire, but it must have been difficult to keep believing in the fantasies of sue mengers, struggling actress from the bronx, when she was being confronted with so much evidence that she might never be invited to the parties she desperately longed to attend. To call sue mengers a character is an understatement, unless the word is written in all caps, followed by an exclamation point and modified by an expletive. Sue mengers one of the first star agents died this past weekend.
Sue mengers is pure hollywood, said the wunderkind who thought of the idea. From left to right, actress faye dunaway, hollywood agent sue mengers, and producer robert evans attend the golden globes at the beverly hilton hotel on jan. A lively and colorful biography of hollywoods first superagentone of the most outrageous showbiz characters of the 1960s and 1970s whose clients included barbra streisand, ryan oneal, faye dunaway, michael caine, and candice bergen before sue mengers hit the scene in the mid1960s, talent agents remained quietly in the background. During the peak of her clout in the 1970s, the brash barrierbreaker helped popularize the idea of the hollywood superagent. The superagent who ruled hollywood with sex and booze. The life of sue mengers, hollywoods first superagent paperback by brian kellow. One of the books great delights is his hilarious recounting of negotiations with dunaways agent, sue mengers. The superwoman, superagent sue mengers, a hollywood legend not just in her own time but for all time, died last weekend at around age 80.
Sue mengers attends the book party for mickey ziffrens a political affair on september 23, 1976, at ziffrens home in malibu, california. Can i go now the life of sue mengers, hollywoods first superagent brian kellow on. Can i go now, biography of agent sue mengers, by brian. Ill eat you last chronicles sue mengers old hollywood. Sue mengers september 2, 1932 october 15, 2011 was a talent agent for many filmmakers and actors of the new hollywood generation of the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. Scott eyman, the wall street journal superagent sue mengers handled some of the hottest stars in. She was the highestprofile agent in the business, man or woman. Before sue mengers hit the scene in the mid1960s, talent agents remained. Kellows book is immensely readable and full of dish. About a month ago legendary talent agent turned hollywood hostesswiththemostess sue mengers died at the age of 7978 or or 81 depending on who you ask and where you read. Hollywood agent sue mengers brought to life on stage in i.
Some of sues stories are poignantshe lost cherished client ali macgraw because the actress husband, steve mcqueen, wanted macgraw to be a stayathome mom. Photo by maggie rice in the 1970s and early 80s, sue mengers was a household. When i called the renowned hollywood talent agent sue mengers in 1999 to propose a profile for vanity fair, her first words spoken in the hoarse, gravelly voice that was all her own were. Recently deceased hollywood agent sue mengers often served brisket at her legendary dinner parties, but that shouldnt surprise you. Can i go now the life of sue mengers, hollywoods first. A colorful glimpse of hollywood superagent sue mengers. She discovered streisand in a little new york gay bar, and streisand, in turn, helped mengers find her footing as a hollywood agent. The life of sue mengers, hollywoods first superagent ebook. The life of sue mengers, hollywoods first superagent viking. Sue mengers died in midoctober at her home, a short walk from the beverly hills hotel, surrounded by three of her close friends, ali macgraw, joanna poitier, and boaty boatwright. Appearing on broadway for the first time in almost 40 years, tony and grammy awardwinning superstar bette midler plays the legendary hollywood agent sue mengers 19322011 in ill eat you last. Before sue mengers hit the scene in the mid1960s, talent agents remained quietly. The biographer brian kellow, whose last subject was pauline kael, writes in can i go now. In 1994, susan orlean published after the party, a new yorker profile of the formidable talent agent sue mengers.
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