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

Hollywood Urban Legends is a selection of supposedly well-known rumors about famous entertainment people and the industry. Each section starts out by telling the rumor in the most intrigung way. Then, Mr. Roeper lays out and dissects the evidence and comes to a conclusion.

There are several problems with this book. First, unless these are stories you have heard and sort of wish were true, they don't have much zing. I would describe them as "improbable stories that on the surface are probably not true." So I felt like I was wasting my time. Of these legends, I had only heard of about 8 of them.

Second, nine of ten legends turn out not to be true. The book would have been ever so much more interesting if half of them had been true. Mr. Roeper missed a chance to write a much more entertaining book. Maybe Matt Drudge will write the sequel?

Third, a lot of these are very old chestnuts. Are you excited about what Marilyn Monroe's dress size was? I'm sure most people have noticed by now that their toilets keep working each year during the Super Bowl. Poor Mikey has been gone due to Pop Rocks for a long time. Even my mother knew that Bogart was not the Gerber baby when I was a child.

Mr. Roeper also seems biased in terms of believing whatever the creators say. I was not persuaded by his argument that "Puff the Magic Dragon" has nothing to do with drugs.

There are a few aha's here. I did not know that John Wayne did not serve in the military in World War II. I certainly did not know that Lucille Ball registered to vote as a communist (to please her grandfather who was a socialist). The last story is fun, if you last that long. You actually may like the book better if you start with that one.

Unless you really love trivia, and want to differentiate the true from the false, I'd suggest you would have more fun watching a movie instead.

The book does have a good challenge in it. What things do people believe about you that are not true? How would you convince anyone differently?

Be open to new ideas, but keep your eyes open for proof!

Derivative, boring   May 30, 2001
 5 out of 13 found this review helpful

A badly-written rehash of material well-covered elsewhere. Skip the book and read the original source material instead.


The guy knows his movies!   May 16, 2001
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

I have to admit I'm a Roeper fan from watching him with Roger Ebert. I was a Gene Siskel fan, too, but I think Richard is, in his own right, a wonderful foil to Ebert. Having admitted my prejudice, I have to say that I enjoyed this book even more than Urban Legends, his previous book. While that covered everything, this really concentrates on movies and TV (and, to a lesser extent, music). And it's fascinating! The very last legend is the absolute best. I'm not going to ruin it for you, except to say that it concerns Matt Groening (creator of the Simpsons) and is the best, best, best! It's at the end of the book so maybe you want to buy it and turn right to the end! It's not a mystery so you won't miss anything. You can still go back and read about Bogart, Ronald Reagen, the Duke, Lucille Ball, Johnny Carson, Eminem and all the stars who have supposedly died! '


Thumbs up, again!   May 15, 2001
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

Once again, Richard Roeper has given the reading public something to savor. In Hollywood Urban Legends, Roeper has compiled some of the most interesting legends about Hollywood and its stars, from Lucille Ball and John Wayne to Eminem and Tom Green, and has debunked them all. There is something for everyone here, all in one place. What makes this book great is Roeper's writing expertise and his wit. His humor and natural storytelling ability make this book a fantastic read, over and over again. Roeper is a true master. Readers and lore-lovers alike will return to this book time and time again, not only to enjoy reading the truth behind these myths, but to continue the discussion about them and keep them alive. Great job, Rich! Can't wait till the next installment.