Hollywood Urban Legends: The Truth Behind Alll Those Delightfully Persistent Myths of Film, Television, and Music

The other thing that really annoyed me is that the "author" was incorrect about whether some legends are true or not. I have seen the actual footage from a particular game show (it's been played several times on bloopers shows) that proves that the legend is indeed true, and this book will tell you that it's a myth. At least get your facts straight before you publish a ... book.

Don't waste your money or your time. You could easily find all the same info in this book by spending a few hours surfing the web.


Shockingly bad; high school D paper   July 15, 2002
 10 out of 15 found this review helpful

What a waste of trees. Mr. Roeper merely cobbled together a bunch of stories from internet and print Urban Legend sites and made himself a book, and the whole mess is so pretentious and badly written that it's nothing less than shocking. I've never, ever seen such a poor compilation of urban legends. He debunks true stories, exaggerates false ones, misstates facts, and even writes himself into an urban legend. He couldn't have spent more than a couple hours on the internet researching this mess. Really, really, bad.


What FUN!   February 21, 2002
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I have been reading Urban Legends since "The Vanishing Hitchhiker" in the '80's. This is a great take on the subject, Hollywood and those "Famous" stories. I appreciate Roeper's debunking, and he does and especially nice job with Marylin's dress size.

Unlike one person in the book, I don't consider Roeper to be "Mr. Urban Legend", that title is reserved for Jan Harold Brunvand. Brunvand's books are what you want to read for a general understading of Urban Legends. This book, however, is alot of fun to read.


My Reading Experience   January 3, 2002
 3 out of 5 found this review helpful

This was a truly great book to read! I'm 13, and I was even interested in most of the stories. There are so many, that if you skip a few it won't even matter! I let my Dad and one of my sisters read it, and they really enjoyed it. I loved it, and if you are one of those "gossipy" or "nosey-about-the-stars" people, I believe that you should read this....


Recommended reading!   October 17, 2001
 11 out of 12 found this review helpful

My wife and I first heard this book being promoted on television and as avid readers of entertainment publications and books, I figured that I would give Richard Roeper's second book on "Urban Legends" a try.

Once I received the book and started reading a few pages, I was instantly hooked. Next thing you know, I read the book completely. It's that entertaining.

The book covers mostly urban legends relating to movies and television and a few on music.

Without revealing too much what's in the book, here are a few urban legends that some of you may or may not know:

* Was John Wayne a draft-dodger? Can America's movie icon who was portrayed in many movies as a military hero be a draft-dodger in real life? True or False?

* Did Monica Lewinsky actually tell Larry King, "I've learned not to put things in my mouth that are bad for me"? True or False?

* Did Tom Green really attend a Bar Mitzvah dressed as Hitler? True or False?

* The reason why the Little Rascals is no longer on television is because Bill Cosby purchase the rights of "The Little Rascals" and he didn't want it shown anymore because of the shows portrayal of Blacks? True or False?

* Did Mama Cass of the Mamas and Papas die of a ham sandwich? True or False?

* Did Jane Fonda really betray P.O.W.'s during a trip to Hanoi? True or False?

* Is the children's song "Puff the Magic Dragon" by Peter, Paul and Mary about Marijuana? True or False?

* Was Lucille Ball a communist? True or False?

* Is there a curse among the actors who were on any of the "Poltergeist" movies? True or False?

Roeper does a great job setting up the urban legend and gathering and analyzing the facts necessary to prove the urban legend right or wrong.

As a person who never really cared too much for urban legends or followed many of them, I found the book very interesting and informative. I mean, how would I ever know that Chachi of the TV series "Happy Days" was popular in Korea because his name literally translated to "penis".

Of course, for many people who have followed these legends, this book may be of no use to you because it may be a rehash of old legends that you may have known about already.

But nevertheless this is one entertaining book that I wouldn't mind sharing with friends.

Recommended reading!