Delightful

I thought this book would be a little like listening to a grocery store tabloid but it wasn't. Langella gives a well written, insightful and sensitive voice to some great stories he shared with other famous people. That is not to say he takes the warts off,,, not even for himself. Not only are his memories told in almost elegant prose but his narration is splendid

I must admit that I've been in love with Mr. Langella since I saw The Twelve Chairs and again when I saw the Sphinx (he says it was a stinker but I loved it) I gave up dreams of marrying Capt. Von Trapp for him. I turned away from John Lennon and oh so many others for him. Yet odd as it might seem, he seems to have had close if not intimate relationships with everyone on the planet except me! How could that be? :::sigh:::
Cruel. Downright brutal

Still, its a delightful memoir of a fascinating and fortunate life

23 people found this helpful

Very Enjoyable

Not as "sexy" as its billing--or, rather, it was more discreet than I expected. Which I actually appreciated. Made it seem much classier.

I felt the author was being honest and sincere, no more and no less. He evaluated everyone for their good and bad traits alike. As a professional (technical and business) writer I am sensitive to bias and loaded language. Mr. Langella seemed quite straightforward.

I was never a fan, although the latest movie I saw him in gave him a very full-blooded part that caught my interest. His voice, of course, is among the finest speaking voices recorded.

His subjects are just about all dead. Besides avoiding libel problems, this allows for stories that are complete with endings. Beyond that, there are moments of poignant memory that are very touching. A couple of passages made me catch my breath.

A good read, and not especially scandalous. Told with considerable dry humor. What more could you want?

9 people found this helpful

A Good One

I'm not a People Magazine reader, so, this somewhat gossipy reading material would not normally be my first pick to read/listen to. But, I love the Charlie Rose Show, and I've always found Frank Langella to be a superb guest. He's intelligent, self reflective, revealing, and an entertaining story teller. All of those qualities make this such a delightful book. I looked forward to getting into my car and listen to Frank Langella read his own book and tell wonderful stories about celebrities he's known: he can demystify celebrity while engaging the reader in a treasure of life's lessons.

He is an exceptional narrator. This is the first author narration in which the material was not negatively effected by the typical amateurish sounding author's own narration.

7 people found this helpful

Pleasantly surprised

I knew very little of the author but thoroughly enjoyed this book. Dropped names is an apt title as the number of well known people involved in Langella's life is staggering. Will listen to this again soon.

6 people found this helpful

You don't want Frank as a friend

What did you love best about Dropped Names?

Frank Langella's voice is worth the trip

What other book might you compare Dropped Names to and why?

Memoirs by Tony Curtis and Kirk Douglas

What does Frank Langella bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His resonant voice

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Frank Langella goes out of his way to reveal the weaknesses of many celebrities through the telling of catty stories. These include Cameron Mitchell, Lee Strasberg, Arthur Miller, Rex Harrison, Elizabeth Taylor and Stella Adler among others. He seems to be impressed by great wealth (the Mellons) and fawns on others (the Kennedys, Princess Diana) and damns others with faint praise (Tony Curtis, Susannah York, Claudette Colbert, Robert Mitchum and Rita Hayworth). He reveals little of his personal life, only suggesting failed marriage(s) with several children and many sexual conquests. He remains true to his stage and screen personna, a cold and calculating customer with nary a hint of humanity.

6 people found this helpful

Good Dishing

Langella is a masterful narrator, to be expected of an actor I suppose, but still this is first rate. The writing is clever and smart and, necessarily, catty, mean, score-settling but...revealing of the actors craft: skill, rehearsals, the ruined family life, the travel, the rarified circle of friends and acquaintances. And the detailed memories of well-know people! This audiobook doesn't sound like People magazine, more like Insecure People magazine. George C. Scott, Liz Taylor, Paul Newman mix pathos with talent. Langella spares no one and certainly not himself. He sounds like he was a horse's ass of a young talent. Richard Burton comes off as a total ass no matter his age. Loved this audiobook.

5 people found this helpful

A glimpse into bits of Frank Langella's life.

What made the experience of listening to Dropped Names the most enjoyable?

Mr. Langella's voice was so delicious. And knowing that everything he spoke of was his own observations, for good or ill.

What other book might you compare Dropped Names to and why?

Not as deeply personal as David Niven's autobiographies, yet much, much, much more poetic.

Which scene was your favorite?

The description of his accidental "meeting" with Marilyn Monroe. The whole scene was almost painful in its beauty. It took my breath away. There were many more breathtaking pieces of writing, but this one in particular was solitary in its perfection.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I so loved the reading that I will be buying a hardcopy of the book. I want to revel in that beautiful prose.

Any additional comments?

If this book was truly written by Mr. Langella, he definitely had an alternate method to earn a living.

5 people found this helpful

Highly Entertaining Fun Gossip

Where does Dropped Names rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

Langella has written a good entertaining book. Mr Langella does a good job presenting a positive presentation of the many celebrities he has met in his life. A really good celebrity memoir more interested in the people Mr Langella has met in his life.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed Frank's celebrity chapters as opposed to chapter and boring chapter on the writer's point of view as an actor and celebrity.

What does Frank Langella bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

Mr Langella brings his personal interest and confident voice in reading his own book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, this is a book I wanted to listen entirely in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

Frank Langella's personal stories and commentaries regarding Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor, Charlton Heston, Jackie Kennedy, and Raul Julia were particularly fascinating. Very nice of Mr Langella's admission of Raul Julia as his boyfriend. His commentaries were so honest and enjoyable. I feel as if Mr Langella has been a life long friend.

4 people found this helpful

good hollywood story

While Frank Langella is best known for his movie work, he was first and foremost a stage actor. He knew everyone, befriended most of them and has a lifetime of stories to tell about them all. I enjoyed this very much.

3 people found this helpful

Prince o' Darkness Silkily Observed Tidbits

What did you love best about Dropped Names?

Citing anecdotal chapter and verse and wielding a stiletto of finely toned English , the great and the good are praised, rewarded ... and and great and the bad sent forthwith to Langella Hell.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dropped Names?

You know, I always thought that was something fishy, distinctly "off" about The Actor's Method, at least as promulgated by Lee Strasberg. Langella briskly skewers Strasberg on his own petard. Liked that, I did.

Which scene was your favorite?

Ah, that macrocosmic world of Unspeakable (as one does not speak of it) Wealth, its weedless emerald lawns, its summer linens lifting in a light Cape Cod breeze, its breezy luncheons, chummy discourses over dewy glasses of G&T and crisp, monogrammed cards of perfectly penned thank you notes. Extraordinary generosity to charities and important museums to be sure. But too often neither finding nor seeking a bridge connecting "their" world to "ours", to a genuine, feeling, human to human experience. Oh, don't bother, the servants will take care of it. Absolutely terrifying.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Rita Hayworth and Gloria de Haven ... what tender bundles he lifts up and delivers to his readers with his experiences with these beautiful and battered Hollywood moth-blossoms, while candidly admitting his own selfish shallowness.

Any additional comments?

A box of chocolates ... you never knew what you were going to get. In Hogwartian terms, some bonbons were earwax and vomit and some truffe-rich, nougat-yummt or cherry centered creams. But the box is beautifully presented, impeccably appointed and offered to one with such slyly casual aplomb that one cannot fail, no matter one's choice, to be deliciously captivated.

2 people found this helpful