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  • Dropped Names

  • Famous Men and Women As I Knew Them
  • By: Frank Langella
  • Narrated by: Frank Langella
  • Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (18 ratings)
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Dropped Names cover art

Dropped Names

By: Frank Langella
Narrated by: Frank Langella
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Summary

Rita Hayworth dancing by candlelight in a small Mexican village; Elizabeth Taylor devouring homemade pasta and tenderly wrapping him in her pashmina scarf; streaking for Sir Laurence Olivier in a drafty English castle; terrifying a dozing Jackie Onassis; carrying an unconscious Montgomery Clift to safety on a dark New York City street.

Captured forever in a unique memoir, Frank Langella's myriad encounters with some of the past century's most famous human beings are profoundly affecting, funny, wicked, sometimes shocking, and utterly irresistible. With sharp wit and a perceptive eye, Mr. Langella takes us with him into the private worlds and privileged lives of movie stars, presidents, royalty, literary lions, the social elite, and the greats of the Broadway stage.

What, for instance, was Jack Kennedy doing on that coffee table? Why did the Queen Mother need Mr. Langella's help? When was Paul Mellon going to pay him money owed? How did Brooke Astor lose her virginity? Why was Robert Mitchum singing Gilbert & Sullivan patter songs at top volume, and what did Marilyn Monroe say to him that helped change the course of his life? Through these shared experiences, we learn something, too, of Mr. Langella's personal journey from the age of 15 to the present.

Dropped Names is, like its subjects, riveting and unforgettable.

©2012 Frank Langella (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers

Critic reviews

"Engaging.... Not just Langella’s "famous people I have known," but a heartfelt love letter to the theater and to the days when stars were stars, not merely celebrities." ( Kirkus Reviews)
"Rarely have I read a book about celebrities that is as insightful, candid, revealing, and as well-written as this one. Frank Langella’s memoir is not the usual author's ego trip, but rather his remembrances of the many accomplished men and women that he has come to know." (Gay Talese)
"A delightfully unabashed page-turner about people we wish we had known in the throes of work, love, and growing old." (A. R. Gurney, award-winning playwright)

What listeners say about Dropped Names

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Could Have Been Better

Not bad. I got bored with him telling me how wonderful Jackie Onasis was. She was only famous because she was the wife of Edward Kennedy as far as I am concerned. Some of the language was a bit crude. The use of the 'C' word I could have done without. And some of the sex 'scenes' I could have done without as well. But all in all worth a listen.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A seductive glimpse behind the fire curtain.

This is 9 hours of beautiful seductive story telling. Full of saucy and sad tales of Hollywood and theatre. It’s observed and told by a wonderfully spoken, refreshingly slightly politically incorrect gentleman. It feels frank and honest and I miss listening to it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

I thoroughly enjoyed this gossipy, sensual, insightful book and this reading by the author. A remarkable list of names are reeled off, among them Jackie Onassis, the Queen Mother, Mel Brooks and Laurence Olivier. There is much humour and wisdom too. A wonderful listen.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • JW
  • 14-11-18

A different kind of Autobiography.

Frank Langella has cleverly chosen to stick to the bits the majority want to read. Nothing much of his early or private life. Just a collection of short stories about those he has met and his opinion on them. Matter of fact and eloquently written by and read by the Author. He doesn't set himself above those he writes about either. Often admitting to the same lapses and failures.

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