Greg Bautzer is one of those people forever popping up in books about classic era Hollywood, either having affairs with movie stars, hanging out with big wigs or being involved in high level industry machinations. He deserved a book and James Goldstone did him proud. There's plenty of sex and saliciousness but Goldstone is a lawyer and a diligent skilled writer, so the legal/business side of Bautzer's career is well covered.
Bautzer was one of those improbably successful people who are the ultimate cool kid in high school: good looking, smart, loyal, great dancer, an expert womaniser (his technique: listen, pay attention, send them red roses and take them on a trip beforehand... plus be handsome and all that), a brilliant lawyer especially in the courtroom, a skilled negotiator, and brave (sticking up Bugsy Siegel). All of his exes spoke of him with fondness, his friends adored him - he was Howard Hughes' lawyer during the crazy years, worked for Kirk Kekorian, helped in the establishment of modern Los Angeles, represented Ingrid Bergman during her divorce and custody cases (rare defeats for the lawyer but not really his fault), was crucial in getting Robert Evans appointed to run Paramount and James T Aubrey to run MGM...
It's almost a relief in a way to come across his flaws: an alcoholic who got violent after a few too many, war service that was fairly bludgy (never got in harm's way). Still, he held on to his health reasonably enough and died of a heart attack without losing his position in Hollywood or his faculties.
Bautzer was conscious of his sex appeal and used the starlets he dated to raise his profile and help get him work (he would leak to Hedda and Louella constantly and his stud reputation impressed nerds like Kekorian). But he certainly seemed to take pleasure in his conquests, which makes for a very impressive reading: Lana Turner (took her virginity), Joan Crawford (rough, violent sex), Dorothy Lamour, Jeanne Crain (didn't know she was such a saucy minx), Ginger Rogers, Dana Wynter (who he married), Jane Wyman (?), Paulette Goddard, many others. He packed an awful lot in, especially with all those nagging clients. Terrific book.
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