Mary Martin: A Bio-Bibliography

(Hardback)

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Description

The remarkable career of one of America's most talented and best loved musical comedy stars is here documented in all its facets: stage, screen, broadcasting and recordings. Additionally, an annotated bibliography provides full coverage of books and articles wholly or partly devoted to Mary Martin, and further commentary appears in review sections included with the various career listings. The opening biographical sketch is spiced with remarks from published materials, letters, and interviews conducted by the author, notably with Theodore Bikel and Florence Henderson colleagues and close friends of the actress. Additional features of the volume include a chronology of life and career highlights, listings of awards and endorsements, and information on archival sources. Access to all parts of the book is provided by a general index and a song index. A varied selection of photos from Martin's life and performances show her as a teenager, as a glamour girl, as a loving wife, mother, and grandmother, and in such memorable roles as Peter Pan and Maria von Trapp in "Sound of Music".

Reviews

These four titles constitute the latest additions to a series that has previously included celebrities Jean Arthur, Cary Grant, Julie Andrews, and Milos Forman, to name a few. Each volume provides a brief biographical sketch of the individual along with a thorough listing of credits in all the arenas in which the subject worked. A bibliography of secondary sources finishes each volume. The biobibliography on Mary Martin is no exception. Rivadue documents Martin's career from 1938 to 1990. A short biographical sketch gives the basic outline of Martin's life, but for information in more depth readers should be referred to either Shirley P. Newman's Mary Martin on Stage (1969) or, better, Martin's own autobiography My Heart Belongs (CH, Jul '76). The strength of Rivadue's title is the detailed listing of Martin's work. Martin's stage performances fill the longest section, listing all of her plays in chronological order. This section also states when and where a show opened and how long it ran; gives all major credits including set and costume design, music and lyrics, dance direction, etc.; lists casts: cites critical reviews: and includes comments by the author. The second section, a discography, lists Martin's recordings alphabetically and then those available on 78s. The broadcasting section gives all of Martin's performances and appearances on radio and television in chronological order. The filmography lists Martin's films in chronological order, noting cast, director, producer, and songs performed. Rivadue also cities reviews and provides a synopsis of each film along with his own comments. Finally, the bibliography lists books and magazine and newspaper articles about Martin,1938-1990. Most of the alphabetically arranged entries are annotated. Appendixes include a chronology of Martin's life, awards won, endorsements she has made, and locations of her archives. General index and song index. Several black-and-white photographs show Martin at various stages of her career. The other three new volumes are similar in format and scope, with some unique aspects tailored to each performer. For example, the work on Irene Dunne has an appendix listing the magazine covers that featured the actress, and Tallulah Bankhead's biobibliography has an appendix "The Use of Her Name in Books and Films." However, all three volumes provide thorough listings of the performer's work, a good bibliography, and illustrations. This admirable series should provide quick access to information on performers for many researchers. Recommended for reference collections in university libraries with large film or theater departments.-Choice
"These four titles constitute the latest additions to a series that has previously included celebrities Jean Arthur, Cary Grant, Julie Andrews, and Milos Forman, to name a few. Each volume provides a brief biographical sketch of the individual along with a thorough listing of credits in all the arenas in which the subject worked. A bibliography of secondary sources finishes each volume. The biobibliography on Mary Martin is no exception. Rivadue documents Martin's career from 1938 to 1990. A short biographical sketch gives the basic outline of Martin's life, but for information in more depth readers should be referred to either Shirley P. Newman's Mary Martin on Stage (1969) or, better, Martin's own autobiography My Heart Belongs (CH, Jul '76). The strength of Rivadue's title is the detailed listing of Martin's work. Martin's stage performances fill the longest section, listing all of her plays in chronological order. This section also states when and where a show opened and how long it ran; gives all major credits including set and costume design, music and lyrics, dance direction, etc.; lists casts: cites critical reviews: and includes comments by the author. The second section, a discography, lists Martin's recordings alphabetically and then those available on 78s. The broadcasting section gives all of Martin's performances and appearances on radio and television in chronological order. The filmography lists Martin's films in chronological order, noting cast, director, producer, and songs performed. Rivadue also cities reviews and provides a synopsis of each film along with his own comments. Finally, the bibliography lists books and magazine and newspaper articles about Martin,1938-1990. Most of the alphabetically arranged entries are annotated. Appendixes include a chronology of Martin's life, awards won, endorsements she has made, and locations of her archives. General index and song index. Several black-and-white photographs show Martin at various stages of her career. The other three new volumes are similar in format and scope, with some unique aspects tailored to each performer. For example, the work on Irene Dunne has an appendix listing the magazine covers that featured the actress, and Tallulah Bankhead's biobibliography has an appendix "The Use of Her Name in Books and Films." However, all three volumes provide thorough listings of the performer's work, a good bibliography, and illustrations. This admirable series should provide quick access to information on performers for many researchers. Recommended for reference collections in university libraries with large film or theater departments."-Choice

Author Bio

BARRY RIVADUE is a cartoonist, writer, and video editor, as well as a longtime researcher and collector of musicals. He also authored Alice Faye: A Bio-Bibliography (Greenwood Press, 1990).