NewYorkFirst.com: Tallulah Dahling

"Nobody can be exactly like me. Even I have trouble doing it."

-- Tallulah Bankhead

She was Humphrey Bogart in silk panties, a star more than an actress, a personality more than a star, a celebrity before the phenomenon of celebrity had been identified.

Tallulah, with her signature “dah-ling”s and her notorious peccadilloes and her her husky, purring drawl "steeped as deep in sex as the human voice can go without drowning," was a larger-than-life personality, the most thoroughgoing libertine and free-swinging flapper of the age.

A major force on Broadway, she was as famous for her shenanigans offstage as for her flamboyant performances. In Hollywood, she was famous for her Rolls, her suntan, and her non-stop parties. Joan Crawford reminisced, “We all adored her. We were fascinated by her, but we were scared to death of her, too. She had such authority, as if she ruled the earth, as if she was the first woman on the moon.”

"I'm as pure as the driven slush," admitted Tallulah. There were the usual sexual escapades, including an encounter with Johnny (Tarzan) Weissmuller in the Garden of Allah pool, about which she reported that she had been “a very satisfied Jane.” She was famous for throwing off her clothes at parties, for leaving her bathroom door open, for working without panties on. When she was making “Lifeboat,” Alfred Hitchcock fielded complaints with his much-quoted deliberation about whether the matter needed to be referred to the makeup or the hairdressing department.

The last word she spoke was "bourbon," which was probably not the name of her childhood sled.

Private Life.
In "Tallulah," first published in 1952 and a New York Times bestseller for twenty-six weeks, Bankhead's literary voice is as lively and forthright as her public persona. She details her childhood and adolescence, discusses her dedication to the theater, and presents amusing anecdotes about her life in Hollywood, New York, and London. Along with a searing defense of her lifestyle and rambunctious habits, she provides a fiercely opinionated, wildly funny account of American stage at a time when the movies were beginning to cast theater into eclipse. This is not only a memoir of an independent woman but also an insider look at American entertainment during a golden age. The manic, bravura style is pure Tallulah. She writes, "If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner." Rare, previously-owned 1952 First Edition.

Hand-Signed by Miss B.
Tallulah's flamboyant public personality may be the most fully realized and memorable character Bankhead ever played. She became famous for her snappy repartee, candid quotes, and scandalous lifestyle. She was disposed to remove her clothes and chat in the nude. Overfond of Kentucky bourbon and wild parties, she was a lady baritone who called everybody "Dahling." A classic for the serious collector: framed photo of Tallulah Bankhead, (11 1/2" x 13" overall) with signature in her own unmistakable handwriting.

Tallulah Sings!
In 1950, Tallulah became "Mistress of Ceremonies" for a weekly hour-and-a-half radio extravaganza called “The Big Show.” To everybody’s surprise, including her own, it not only was hailed by critics as the potential savior of radio but was an immediate hit. This is a delicious collection of numbers that Tallulah performed on the show. She joins Bob Hope for a new version of "Put It There," and "Anything You Can Do" with Marlene Dietrich is hilarious. Some comedy skits are included, as well as a track of T.C. Jones doing his renowned impersonation of "Miss B." If Tallulah is your thing, dahling, grab a copy of this rare CD.