Ethel Barrymore

Ethel Barrymore: Shy Empress of the Footlights unveils the captivating duality of one of America's most revered theatrical legends. Known for her poise, talent, and commanding presence on stage, Ethel Barrymore was paradoxically a woman of deep reserve and quiet introspection. This richly detailed biography offers an intimate portrait of the First Lady of the American Theatre, tracing her journey from the gilded footlights of Broadway to the screens of early Hollywood. -- ""Forgotten Hollywood"" Shy Empress of the Footlights provides a reliable overview of Barrymore's career, carefully documented and competently presented. The book fills a gap; there has been no full-scale biography before this one, and Spaltro's research provides future scholars a foundation to build on. -- ""The Arts Fuse"" Being ""first lady of the American theater"" was no easy task, as Kathleen Spaltro proves in this long-overdue biography of the Barrymore family's first superstar. An international celebrity while barely out of her teens, Ethel was the steadying hand that guided the early careers of both her brothers, somehow finding the time to help launch Actors' Equity while managing her own fabulous stage and screen career. John and Lionel were better copy, but it was Ethel who had her own Broadway theater, four Oscar nominations, and even an early television series. Highly recommended. --Richard Koszarski, professor emeritus of English and cinema studies at Rutgers University Being a woman in early 1900s Broadway was hard; being a Barrymore was nearly impossible. Kathleen Spaltro brings to life how Ethel Barrymore went into the family business anyway, despite herself, and became a grand lady of Broadway and, eventually, the movies. --Michael Gebert, NitrateVille Ethel Barrymore never wanted to go to Hollywood. As Kathleen Spaltro reveals in her new biography, the leading lady of 1920s Broadway didn't really want to be a stage actress, either. Barrymore's aspiration to become a concert pianist was thwarted by a combination of family pressure and financial necessity. She came from an acclaimed clan of thespians and like her better-remembered brothers, John and Lionel, followed in the family business. . . .Spaltro's Ethel Barrymore: Shy Empress of the Footlights traces her formative influences amidst a family usually on tour and absent from her childhood. . . . Bedeviled through the end of her life by money problems, she never became a concert pianist and is chiefly remembered for her work in the movies, a medium she disliked. As depicted in Spaltro's biography, her life wasn't tragic as much as frustrating. -- ""Shepherd Express"" Ethel Barrymore, a distinguished figure in both stage and screen, has largely faded from the memories of contemporary cinema enthusiasts. This oversight represents a significant loss, as Barrymore possessed an exceptional ability to convey complex emotions through her expressions and gestures, often with just a subtle raise of an eyebrow. Kathleen Spaltro revitalizes Barrymore's legacy through her meticulously researched and engaging biography. The narrative explores Barrymore's tumultuous childhood, including the profound grief of losing her mother, her challenging interactions with her unstable father, and her relationships with her two prominent actor brothers, Lionel and John. The book also addresses her marriage and its subsequent dissolution, which left enduring emotional scars, alongside her love and commitment to her children and her often precarious financial circumstances. Barrymore emerges in this account as a resilient individual; instead of succumbing to despair, she actively pursued her craft and continued to act. Readers of this comprehensive biography will find themselves grateful to Spaltro for reinvigorating Ethel Barrymore's legacy and restoring her rightful place in the public consciousness. --Betty Sherman Corp, administrator, ""Hollywood Book Chat"" Facebook group From Rittenhouse Square to vaudeville, the flickers and talkies, and from school auditoriums to the greatest theaters of the globe, there was no stage or audience Ethel Barrymore could not command and conquer. She deserves no biographer better than Kathleen Spaltro, whose impeccable research, passion for the theater, and talent for telling a great story put Barrymore at center stage, once again in the footlights. --William Furry, executive director of the Illinois State Historical Society Having earlier penned the biography Lionel Barrymore: Character and Endurance in Hollywood's Golden Age, author Kathleen Spaltro revisits the House of Barrymore with her latest effort, Ethel Barrymore: Shy Empress of the Footlights, a comprehensive portrait of the Oscar-winning actress (1879-1959) who earned the distinguished title of ""First Lady of the American Theatre."" . . . . There was magic in the Barrymore name and the Barrymore mystique, and that magic and mystique can be found in Ethel Barrymore: Shy Empress of the Footlights. -- ""YES! Weekly"" In an era often defined by fleeting fame and actresses who come and go with the seasons, the accomplishments of Ethel Barrymore stand as a testament to enduring talent and unmatched dedication. With Ethel Barrymore: Shy Empress of the Footlights, Kathleen Spaltro paints a vivid portrait of a woman who not only dominated the stage but also left a lasting imprint on the screen for over six decades. Ethel's legacy is a rare blend of grace, elegance, and unwavering commitment to her craft, qualities that allowed her to remain an iconic figure in American theatre and cinema. --Ray Kelly, film and culture writer and owner/administrator of Wellesnet It as if the biographer goes into hyper drive, propelling Barrymore's life beyond the reviews, the aborted and unpublished autobiographies, the disappointing memoir that did finally appear in book form, to elevate our understanding of an actress who shied away from confronting her demons and took refuge all too often in her forbidding presence that intimidated fellow actors but also isolated Barrymore from reckoning with her choices as a woman and artist. Seldom have I read a biography that speaks to the power of biography itself to render another human being with a profound understanding that is not to be secured anywhere else. --Carl Rollyson, The New York Sun It isn't just through her grand-niece Drew Barrymore that we remember Ethel. Theatre buffs know the names of the Lunts and Fontannes, the Katharine Cornells or Mary Martins, other ""Kings"" and ""Queens"" of Broadway."" But the Barrymores' legacy still has a heartbeat thanks to the level of fame and acclaim. And the Barrymore way of acting and speaking lives on in classic films. -- ""Movie Nation"" Kathleen Spaltro's Ethel Barrymore: Shy Empress of the Footlights beautifully shines the spotlight on Ethel Barrymore as a multitalented gem of the American theatre. Through meticulous research, Spaltro aptly captures Barrymore's complicated nature as a woman torn between duty and dreams who ultimately became a revered player in a renowned theatrical dynasty. --Annette Bochenek, Hometowns to Hollywood Kathleen Spaltro's diligent research vividly recreates Ethel Barrymore's career and hidden private life. This poignant portrait reveals the sadness of a legendary actress who felt unfulfilled beneath her formidable image as an ""empress"" of the theater and Hollywood. --Joseph McBride, author of books on John Ford and Orson Welles Much of this fascinating book reads like a novel, skillfully fusing the private Ethel Barrymore and the actress, while documenting her evolution from a capricious ingenue in life and on stage into a mature woman of immense character whose work in the theater had few rivals. Spaltro manages to bring Barrymore's performances alive again. Age and dwindling finances forced this actress who much preferred a live audience to spend her remaining years in Hollywood playing character roles. Yet as the book very ably recounts, 'Without Ethel's movies and television appearances, she would be but a famous shadow'. --Joseph Egan, author of The Purple Diaries and The Forgotten Masterpiece: George Stevens and ""The Greatest Story Ever Told"" Spaltro has filled a significant gap in the realm of film, theater, and star studies with the first modern, in-depth work on Ethel Barrymore. Spaltro's research and use of sources are exemplary. This is the definitive biography of Ethel Barrymore. --Richard Day Gore, member of the Healing Project and coeditor of Women Reinvented: True Stories of Empowerment and Change Spaltro makes a convincing case that Ethel Barrymore deserves to be remembered not as the reluctant or overlooked sister but as a professional who--despite her intense anxiety and self-medication with alcohol--was deeply devoted to her craft and to her community. . . . As Ethel once argued, applause may indeed be ephemeral, but Spaltro's biography stokes the flame to keep her legacy alive. -- ""Popmatters"" Spaltro once again proves herself to be the authoritative chronicler of the Barrymore legacy in this compelling, deeply researched book about American entertainment royalty. --Robert K. Elder, author of The Film That Changed My Life: 30 Directors on Their Epiphanies in the Dark Spaltro. . . tells the compelling story of Barrymore's career arc, how she transformed from a late-19th-century ingenue with strong emotional chops and charm but weak technical acting skills to a genuine veteran who elevated her productions yet often showed remarkably bad judgment about which of these plays were worth her talents. . . . But one thing never wavered, and that constant -- Barrymore's love of direct communion with the audience -- is the focus of Spaltro's attention. -- ""Book and Film Globe""