DVD Corner

I Used To Be In Pictures: An Untold Story of Hollywood Book Review

“I Used To Be In Pictures: An Untold Story of Hollywood” is a collection of poignant stories about movie stars.

Written by British twin brothers/film lovers Austin Mutti-Mewse and Howard Mutti-Mewse, “I Used To Be In Pictures” features essays about the authors adventures in meeting and befriending old Hollywood celebrities in the 1990’s and early 2000’s. In their travels to Palm Springs, Woodland Hills, Belgravia, and a Sotheby’s party, the two manage to spend time with Joy Hodges, Ginger Rogers, Bob Hope, Patsy Ruth Miller, Frank Sinatra, Anita Page, Anita Garvin Stanley, Rose Hobart, Thelma White, Muriel Evans, Fayard Nicholas, Maila Nurmi (Vampira), Sharon Stone, James Woods, and Mildred Shay.

The book also contains a wide variety of photos, film publicity stills, hand written letters, pics of stars out and about, photographs of celebs at night clubs and dinners, and a plethora of snapshots (some autographed) from their personal collection by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams, Robert Mitchum, Joan Fontaine, Gene Autrey, Jane Russell, Gloria Stuart, Gene Kelly, James Stewart, Joseph Cotton, Kim Novak, Cesar Romero, Gene Tierney, and Marlene Dietrich. Factoids, quotes, and captions about the stars accompany each picture as well.

Last, but not least, there’s a foreword by Dominic Fairbanks about the brothers and the book, an intro by Austin Mutti-Mewse about he and Howard’s childhood, their grandmother, writing letters to stars and their love of cinema, as well as an index, filmographies, and acknowledgements.

In this technologically advanced day and age, the public and media obsessively follow the personal and professional lives of current celebrities, but one thing we rarely ever hear about are the celebrities of old. With “I Used To Be In Pictures,” the Mutti-Mewse brothers manage to shed light on the lives of several movie stars of yesteryear.

For the most part, the starlets and stars seem to be kind and grateful for the attention they get from Howard and Austin as they reminisce about the glory days and recall treasured memories. This is especially evident with Austin’s meeting with the incredibly honest and amusingly perverted Mildred Shay and the brothers’ outing with Maila Nurmi (Vampira). With that said, there’s a hint of sadness and loneliness in some of their encounters as well. It’s no accident that “Sunset Boulevard” is mentioned a few times here as some stars fragility appears to be on display. Whether that’s through ego, a refusal to accept old age, tragedy, or an inability to move on from the past is up for debate or discussion. Whatever the case may be, it’s a refreshingly honest portrait of celebs in their twilight years to say the least.

Overall Thoughts: Whether you’re a fan of classic Hollywood stars or are interested in the authors one of a kind encounters, “I Used To Be In Pictures” offers up plenty of extraordinary stories. Recommended.

November 11, 2014 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Book review | I Used To Be In Pictures: An Untold Story of Hollywood Book Review