Frawley Becker has some very tasty stories about the film stars he coached: Audrey Hepburn standing up for him when he was being dissed by a grumpy, pixilated Hugh Griffith on the set of How to Steal a Million. Rex Harrison holding up a shoot for two hours to send out for silk socks because he thought his character's feet should not be clad in a lesser fabric - even though they would be completely hidden from the camera. Peter O'Toole, delaying a shoot for several hours, then apologizing with heartfelt contrition to director Anatole Litvak. Peter Ostrum, the child star of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, asking Becker if he would adopt him should his own parents die. These and many others are told, with sensitive flair, in Becker's And the Stars Spoke Back: A Dialogue Coach Remembers Hollywood Players of the Sixties in Paris. During that time, Becker rehearsed with the actors, coached them on the nuances of their scripts, lent a sympathetic ear, and in some cases befriended them. He also learned some sobering truths about the difference between Hollywood and the European film industries.
The Pennsylvania Gazette
As a film dialogue coach in Paris in the 1960s, Becker worked with many famous actors, actresses, and directors. He reminisces about his work on the sets, in the dressing rooms, and outside the studio with Hollywood personalities, providing a chronicle oftime and place, of political upheaval and scandal, and of the stars who moved around Europe. Behind-the-scenes b&w photos are included....
Reference and Research Book News
...a real gem: funny, affectionate, tart, and full of sharp observations about...stellar personalities.
Frontiers
Great fun! Frawley Becker is a cinema archeologist, digging up great stars and stories and treasure from the good ole days of Hollywood - back when giants walked the Earth and made movies that mattered. Now he's done the same thing in book form - giving film fans an irresistible page-turner.
Bill Harris, E! ENTERTAINMENT TV This paperback memoir...will appeal to those with a strong interest in the behind-the-camera lives of stars. Subtitled A Dialogue Coach Remembers Hollywood Players of the Sixties in Paris, it describes the author's close encounters with such luminaries as Audrey Hepburn, Peter O'Toole, John Huston, Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Nicholas Ray, William Wyler and George C. Scott. Audry Hepburn is Becker's beloved 'first lady,' O'Toole his puckish 'Peter the Great' and Harrison is a tower of egomaniacal power.
The Arizona Republic
Paris! The Sixties! The film world! 'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wish'd.' Every film student and movie lover should read this book.
OLYMPIA DUKAKIS Oh, to be that rare fly on the wall like Frawley Becker was! Observing and remembering with sharp accuracy the great personalities of the Sixties! From his unusual vantage point, he brought me to people and places I was happy to visit. And all of this in a flowing style that makes for easy reading!
CARL REINER Of all the players on a movie set, the dialogue coach knows more than anyone and takes less credit that everyone. Frawley Becker is the one they should have wined, dined, and hugged the most. He's the one who wrote it all down…In whole sections, or in juicy tidbits, this book is a glorious read. Take it to bed and - this is a promise - you'll be up all night.
REX REED As a film dialogue coach in Paris in the 1960s, Becker worked with many famous actors, actresses, and directors. He reminisces about his work on the sets, in the dressing rooms, and outside the studio with Hollywood personalities, providing a chronicle of time and place, of political upheaval and scandal, and of the stars who moved around Europe. Behind-the-scenes b&w photos are included.
Reference and Research Book News