When I read Burt Bacharach's autobiography, Anyone Who Had a Heart, I realized that lyricists Hal David and Carole Bayer Sager performed a crucial role by putting words to the Gershwin Prize-winning composer's music. Without their poetic nuances and Bacharach's Sybil-esque signature shifts, Burt's story in prose reads more like a raw interview transcript, yet from this candor emerges some amusing accounts.
Overlooking the laudatory excerpt from Marlene Dietrich's own memoirs, I will gloss over the Dietrich-related anecdotes in Burt's book. Like in Josef von Sternberg's Fun in a Chinese Laundry, Marlene is the subject of an entire chapter. Burt entitles his the unimaginative "The Blue Angel" and even repeats almost verbatim his recollections published in A Woman at War: Marlene Dietrich Remembered and Charlotte Chandler's Dietrich bio. Burt's already-documented memories include meeting Marlene through Peter Matz, sipping on her beef tea after a game of tennis, facing bomb threats during Dietrich's 1960 German tour (in Duesseldorf or Wiesbaden? Burt says the former in the earlier publications), Quincy Jones questioning why a hit songwriter like Bacharach was still going on the road with Dietrich, and Marlene's unrealized plans to record "Any Day Now" with Burt during her seclusion on Avenue Montaigne. Despite Burt's lack of literary prowess, he did manage to capture Marlene's indignation over Frank Sinatra snubbing "Warm and Tender" far better than professional biographer Charlotte Chandler.
Don't let me mislead you into believing that Burt's book will leave you thirsty. Mr. Bacharach has got pitchers of tea to spill! Despite creating such passionate and poignant arrangements for Marlene, Burt admits that he wasn't a fan of her repertoire. Conversely, Marlene didn't like his protege, Stan Freeman. Burt even reveals that--on one drunken night in Vegas--he rejected Marlene's kisses and invitation to her room. Perhaps Burt has a hazy memory, though, because he also informs us that Dietrich could speak Spanish. Then, Burt throws a curve ball of a story about a juggler accidentally dropping a ball on Dietrich's head before her Leningrad show, causing her to suffer temporary lyrical amnesia. Please tell me there is extant footage of this performance!
As I had expected, the sweetest drops of Burt's book are the bile that Marlene spewed over Angie Dickinson. On the Daily Mail website, you can read an excerpt from Burt's book about the tension between the two ladies, which led to Marlene engaging in witchcraft. Be aware, however, that the language was toned down because--according to Burt's book--Marlene did not merely call Angie a slut but also a, um, well, the word that rhymes with "stunt." Forget about that, though. Can you imagine Marlene eating Kentucky Fried Chicken?
From the excerpts I read, Burt won't be a Pulitzer Prize winner any day now.
ReplyDeleteHis bits about MD sound blah after 50 years of "silence". How's the rest of the book?
And, Burt! What happens in Vegas!
missladiva
but LOVED your review!
DeleteMSSLDVA
Aside from the Marlene trivia*, I also sought Dionne Warwick insight in Burt's book, but there's nothing surprising. What did catch my attention were Burt's memories of his deceased daughter Nikki, who had Asperger's and committed suicide. Burt doesn't assess his actions, but I got the impression that he may have loved his daughter but didn't like her, and that the difficulties in raising her led to his divorce with Angie. Burt showed character by admitting to his lack of character in many of his romantic relationships, too. He left Carole for a ski instructor that he first met on a family trip to Aspen and didn't try to justify his actions at all, as most men would. Overall, Burt comes off as visceral and impulsive.
Delete*One tidbit I overlooked was a mention of backstage photos taken of Marlene and Angie at the Colonial Theater in Boston. Does someone have one of these photos? Angie made reference to this photo herself back in the '60s.
It's a shame that Burt isn't the complete gentleman we thought he was. With Nikki, I think he did what a lot of men do when faced with caring for a troubled (and misdiagnosed for a long time) child, he bailed and couldn't handle it. I exchanged emails with Joseph about Angie copying MD's look. It's like she saw MD's concert look in the 60's and just froze!
DeleteAmen. Burt's book heavily quotes Angie's account of raising Nikki, which appeared in an L.A. Mag article called "Autism: A Struggle in Black and White." It's clear that Angie bore the brunt of raising Nikki and put aside her own interests to do so.
DeleteAngie got to shoot all her Police Woman scenes and close ups early so she could be home with Nikki at a certain time and her costars would do theirs later. DePalma had a problem working like that when it came to Angie's scenes with Keith Gordon on Dressed To Kill. Angie, like so may moms, had to do it alone.
DeleteSaw Marlene with Angie and Burt at the theatre stage door after one of La Dietrich's appearances at the Edinburgh Festival in 1965. Both ladies looked comfortable with each other - I witnessed no animosity. Just saw Burt in concert at the Edinburgh Usher Hall a couple of nights ago, and he was talking about touring with Marlene - he had little affection for her song repertoire!
ReplyDeleteIt's understandable. Marlene's voice restricted her to much simpler compositions than what Burt was composing. Marlene could talk her way beautifully through "I Wish You Love," but could she have done the same with--say--"A House Is Not a Home"? Burt states in his book that Marlene had him rehearse with the orchestra for eight days and that he didn't know what to do with them after the first two days, ostensibly because the music wasn't hard to learn. Usually, musicians who had to play his own material were practically shaking their fists at him for writing such difficult music to perform.
DeleteRemember "Raindrops, he left me for RAINDROPS?!?!" and Angie paying up her legs in avocado ads and the intro for her short lived series 'Cassie and Co.'?
DeleteHa! That intro could have been a chip off the first scene of Dishonored. Angie took on more of a Monroe-type sex symbol role, though, serving legs, thighs, and ribs in Pretty Maids All in a Row! And you got to see her [stunt double's] South Dakota in Dressed to Kill.
DeleteLet's not forget all the nudity in Big Bad MaMa, she looked gorgeous. Though it's a body double I do think it's her behind showing in Dressed to Kill when 'Kate' is dressing to leave the man's apartment.
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