There's a lot of camp fascination for Donahue, who became weirdly popular despite not being able to act - a last-gasp manufactured star from the studios, in his case Warner Bros, who put him in a series of Delmer Daves melodramas as well as those beefcake private eye shows.
I think I guet Donahue's appeal. Handsome, slow eyed, big and blonde. He seemed sincere and soulful. The lack of acting ability meant audiences could project on him.
This book draws heavily on quotes - very heavily, mostly fan magazine interviews, I sense, but also contemporary ones with people like Connie Stevens. It's an interesting approach. I wouldn't have minded a few harder facts, especially background to the famous movies. But I got used to it.
The main problem with the book is Donahue is such a, well, wanker. He was born into privilege, had a bit of a struggle to make it but didn't have to work too hard. He was signed by Henry Wilson, then Universal, who dropped him, but then got A Summer Place and Warners. He was an alcoholic, a problem drinker before fame, and it only got worse. He went into drugs and would drink to "calm his nerves". He hit women - this was reported in the papers and no one seemed to care. He didn't respect his craft and wasn't good at it - the second is forgiveable but not the first. It took him something like ten takes to deliver something useful which is why he struggled on television and why Delmer Daves got sick of him (casting James MacArthur in Spencer's Mountain and James Franciscus in Youngblood Hawk).
He must've had some good qualities. It's good someone wrote a book on him.
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