Welcome to Litsy!

#JubilantJuly #readathon midweek update

I stink at watching the time, so I‘m tracking by how far I get through the books. I finished Little Eyes on Monday - amazing book, review to come.

Making my way through Oscar Wars: I finished the 1930s chapter, which focuses on Frank Capra and Bette Davis, and the 1940s - WWII, Orson Welles, and the Olivia de Havilland-Joan Fontaine rivalry.

Last night for a little break I read 3 chapters of Benson Yu.

My reading slump unfortunately has continued into May, and I only finished 3 books last month (tagged included).

I really enjoyed this non-fiction deep dive into controversy throughout the history of the Oscars. It‘s not comprehensive, rather focusing on specific eras/stories. I was most fascinated by the coverage of Citizen Kane, Olivia de Havilland vs. Joan Fontaine, Sunset Blvd, Gregory Peck‘s presidency, and Weinstein campaign era.

Still working my way through this book, I have reached 1970 and learned that Candice Bergen's mother got very huffy about what she wore to the Oscars. I disagree, to my mind this is the Platonic ideal of 1970s Oscars regalia. 10/10, no notes. My only regret is that I cannot find a less blurry image.

Thirty pages in this is wildly entertaining. So far I have learned that Douglas Fairbanks turned pale and wept when his wife Mary Pickford had the audacity to cut her hair (men are so _emotional_, amirite?) and that on the set of one early talkie, the microphone was hidden in the false hump of a man playing a hunchback, which he swung back and forth between the other actors when they were speaking.

31/150 I used to be an Oscar fanatic! I loved the show, filled out my ballot, had Ocars parties, the whole nine yards. I've drifted away now, or maybe I should my taste and the Academy's has drifted apart, but I seldom watch anymore. That said, this story of the feuds and rivalries that make up Oscar history was very informative. There's plenty of big name gossip and stories of people forgotten by the industry to keep everyone entertained.

I am a sucker for any Hollywood history books and boy this is a deep dive. Starting with the formation of the Academy up to “the slap” this seems right up my alley.