Myrna Loy

Being and Becoming

By: James Kotsilibas-Davis, Myrna Loy

Narrated by: Holly Palance

Length: 15 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

The actress recalls her long, rich, and varied career in Hollywood, on the stage, and as a political activist.

©1987 James Kotsilibas-Davis and Myrna Loy (P)2020 Oasis Audio

Lovely, gracious and interesting

A lovely autobiography of and by a gracious woman whose career spanned the decades before, during and after the golden age of Hollywood. Her stories of working with many illustrious and/or infamous greats were thoughtful or fun but never mean spirited. This story never felt gossipy and she just seemed appreciative of all of her opportunities.

A True Woman of Character

As a child of the 60s, raised on MGM Musicals, Wizard of Oz, Dicken's Christmas Carol, Capra's It's A Wonderful Life, & Wilder's Some Like It Hot, as an adult, I have often found my comfort zone in channel TCM.

There I discovered the fabulous hits of the 30s & 40s. Which led me to follow actors & industry giants I hadn't known before, Carey Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Joseph Mankinwitz, William Wyler, & of course...Myrna Loy!!

While familiar with her movies, it was such a thrill to learn about her life, intelligence, lifetime of service to those doing her hair, all the way up to campaigning the world for international change. What a Lady!!

I find myself after finishing this book, wanting to pattern my life now, even tho I am a Grma in my early 60s, after a lot of her trademark personality traits...humor, tolerance, compassion, never stopping, dignity, hard work, being an example for all, & a peacemaker. They certainly don't make them like this anymore. What a shame.

Loved it!

100% buy this book if you are a fan of Myrna's! Well written and easy to listen to.

Myrna more than a actress.

Learned a lot about Myrna, the eria and those who associated with her. I enjoyed a walk back in time with her, although sometimes, it was confusing as to who was doing the talking.

What a Fabulous Woman.

I loved hearing about the marvelous experiences of Myrna Loy. Her story of our astounding history so captivating and alluring, I had to share with others.

Wonderful book

Myrna Loy lived a eventful life. Loved every minute, so interesting and well written. Could not put it down.

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Myrna Loy Made It Look... So Wonderful

Just great old/classic Hollywood story and life of a legend. Smiles and Cheers for truly a GIFT for us all. Standing O for our Myrna and God Bless.

More interesting than I ever expected!

A fascinating story about an excellent actress/political activist. I had always enjoyed Myrna Loy as an actress but never knew of her dedication and commitment to humanitarian causes. She was a truly remarkable woman! A life well lived!

Great actress, great person, great book.

I've been a big fan of Myrna Loy since my teenage years and I'm now retired. I loved this book when it came out in the mid 80s and am very glad it's finally out in audio. Loy lived a remarkable, energetic life and being a top movie star of the 30s and 40s was only part of it. She was a very productive member of society as a liberal advocate and fund-raiser for many causes. Most people will want to read this for the Hollywood info and there is plenty of that. She was good friends with almost all the stars of the Golden Age (and after -- she was very close with Montgomery Clift in the years before his early death) and has many good stories to share along with a lot of information on the making of movies in the studio 'star system'. This is not a kiss and tell type of book and she does not dish the dirt on what she knew about others --while acknowledging that there was some dirt going on in those days --but her philosophy was live and let live. She was also friends with many famous people outside of Hollywood, including Harry Truman, Adlai Stevenson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jan Masaryk, Jackie Kennedy and many more.

All in all, a great book with superb narration by Holly Palance. Anyone who loves the Golden Age of Hollywood or is interested in how a woman born in the rural west of the early 1900s (she grew up a few blocks away from Gary Cooper) could become a movie star and an award-winning stage actress as well as a dedicated, hard-working woman supporting progressive causes in her later years will enjoy this book. Probably the best movie star autobiography I've ever read - and now, listened to.