STAR BABIES: The Shocking Lives of Hollywood's Children

by Raymond Strait ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 21, 1980

Shocking""? Hardly. There's not one lurid detail here for the most fanatic celebrity fan. But, reading these taped interviews, one comes to admire the desperate loyalty that some of these 14 fully-grown ""babies"" give to their famous parents. Lorna Luft insists that Judy Garland was always a ""superb wife, mother, and provider."" Plus a paragon of professional responsibility (all those photos and rumors were lies!). Rosemary Clooney and Mel Ferrer's son tells about Rosemary's drunken ragings on stage--and then, disconnectedly, about his own juvenile escalation from pot through LSD and cocaine. Pat Boone's daughter, Laury, takes the prize for saccharine piety, while others contribute mostly minutiae. Yes, the Ringling Brothers Circus was hired for birthday parties, and presents were piled high for Christmas. The average age for sexual intercourse--and pot--was 15; and at 16 came the first Ferrari. So, only in the total turn of pages does one come to a true surprise: the poignant pains of growing up were no different from our own. And though ten of the 14 ""star babies"" have gone into show business in turn, all fervently affirm that only Talent counts.

Pub Date: March 21, 1980

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1980

Categories: NONFICTION