Well.....
I just finished "Merman: An Autobiography" and it was very interesting. And I got to know La Merman in a way that I never had before. Overall I liked the book very much and overall I do like Ethel but I think that if I had known her we wouldn't have been best buds or anything like that. She's very conservative and very preachy about God (which is not me at all). I got the impression she would have gotten along great with Dale Evans.
For those of you who have read "Valley of the Dolls" and know the rumour about the character Helen Lawson being based on Ethel. Well after reading this it's defintely not hard for me to believe. She does sugar coat it to a certain extent and leaves some things out because she claims she has no idea how to explain them but I think she was just uncomfortable with talking about them. Two things she constantly throws in your face:
1) She used to be a secretary...which suddenly makes her capable of so many things
2) she doesn't know anything about show business so DON'T ASK HER
Another interesting note: she continually uses the phrase "voom voom voooooom!!" Which made me laugh
I think when it comes down to it I like broadway divas more so than hollywood divas. And I think when I have to choose I'll take Tallulah Bankhead over Ethel Merman.
