THE SPIDER AND THE MARIONETTES

by Alan Dale ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 17, 1965

Ballad singer Alan Dale should have called his autobiography Struggle to Stardom--Almost. Dale has been up and down the stardust trail for about fifteen years, making it big then fading out. His flaw, as Dale sees it, is that he is too individualistic and uncompromising. Also, he insists on using all sides of his entertainer's soul, which includes some stand-up comic material his managers and others can't bear. Dale chews up managers like cyster crackers. These days he's his own manager and agent, works mainly in cafes and he has spun his private web to live on. Most everyone else in entertainment he considers neurotic marionettes. He reveals several of his love affairs and candidly admits to some acts of vengeance. The main theme of the book, though, is, Is Alan Dale Sick? He sure looks it on the page, frequently bursting into tears or rages. Rather than out of individualism, he seems to act out of compulsive immaturity. His only care is his neon ego. How can a grown man agonize over adolescent musical trash and phony cocktail songs, the mainstreams of American kitsch? Would even Sinatra die for his music, like Bessie Smith or Billie Holliday? Never once does Dale mention that his material expresses his view of life.

Pub Date: July 17, 1965

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Lyle Stuart

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1965

Categories: NONFICTION