Morley and Leon's profusely illustrated overview of the singer-actress beloved as much for her pathetic life as for her performances has the signal virtue of acknowledging her core fandom--gay men. Garland's appeal to gay men quite possibly arose out of her love, however misplaced, for her improvident and alcoholic as well as homosexual father. One very close friend was a gay man, two of her five husbands were homosexual, and she urged her daughter Liza to marry the homosexual Peter Allen. Complementing Garland's affinity for gay men was her image as a psychologically needy prodigy callously exploited by managers, including her own mother and infamous movie mogul Louis B. Mayer. This aspect of Garland, gay men fancied, mirrored their own plight vis-a-vis mainstream society: prized for their talents, despised for their essence. Actually much more concerned with Garland's career history than with her gay-icon status, this profile is an ideal "first book" on the arguably greatest cult superstar.
SHOP BROADWAY
