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Judy Lewis was in her thirties before she discovered Hollywood's best-kept secret--that she was the daughter of Clark Gable and Loretta Young. Set against a backdrop of Beverly Hills mansions and lavish parties, Uncommon Knowledge is a behind-the-scenes memoir of Hollywood in its heyday. But it is also the unforgettable story of a difficult but ultimately triumphant journey of self-discovery. Photos.
Hardcover: 430 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books; First Edition edition (May 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0671700197
ISBN-13: 978-0671700195
Product Dimensions: 1.2 x 6.5 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #256,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #283 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Theater > Acting & Auditioning #762 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Television Performers #2606 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Movies > Biographies
This is a very interesting book. It does not just tell the story of Judy Lewis, the illegitimate daughter of Clark Gable and Loretta Young, it also tells the story of a family over several generations. Judy had to dig into her mother and father's past to understand just what made them do what they did on that mountain in Baker, Washington that led to her being born. She tells about the histories of Loretta's parents-her mother virtually orphaned at the age of five- mother of five by the age of 28; a father who constantly cheated on his wife and left her raising five children all under the age of 10. As well as the history of her father, who's mother died at the age of 10 months, whose father never wanted Clark to be an actor because it was "sissy". Clark the man who married two women old enough to be his mothers.She also describes the hardships they had to deal with when Loretta found out that she was pregnant. How the public knowing she had a baby by a married man would make her and Clark loose their jobs. Judy describes the acrobatics that Loretta did to make sure that the press never found out about her pregnancy and then what Loretta did to hide the fact that Judy was hers after she "adopted" her.Judy goes on to describe her life after her mother married Tom Lewis. How Tom went from treating Judy like a princess to treating her like the hired help after his sons Christopher Paul and Peter Charles were born. Judy describes the years of emotional abuse that Tom meted out to her until the day when she was in her mid 20's and she heard him telling Christopher and Peter that because she was adopted she was not their sister.Judy goes into detail about some of her friends and childhood adversaries. She tells about her friendship Daniel Mayer Selznick (the son of David O.
.....I bought this book because I wanted a greater insight into the lives of two of my favorite Hollywood Stars of the forties ...I got that and a lot more ........When Judy finally confronts her mother and asks, "if you didn't want me and if you only saw me as a living reminder of your "mortal sin", then why didn't you allow me to be adopted by parents who would have wanted me and loved me so that I could have been raised in a normal home with both a father and a mother?" ........I don't know if Freud could have answered that question but I'll take a shot ...Loretta's first husband called her a "steel butterfly", beautiful and delicate on the outside but hard as steel on the inside. Part of her inner strength was caused by the abandonment by her father when she was four and the abject poverty she and her siblings had to endure as a result. When she was six she was sent to live with Silent Screen Star Mae Clark for about a year. Loretta saw the opulence and wealth that came with being a Hollywood star and vowed that she would become one, not just an actress, but a "Star"......Her career was the central point in her life. She was not going to do anything that might jeopardize her position. When her affair with Clark Gable led to the unexpected and unwanted pregnancy she panicked and turned to her mother. A meeting with Gable was set up to formulate a plan of action. Being a devout Catholic abortion was not an option and Loretta, still in love with Gable, probably would have liked to work out a plan where they could eventually marry......
When I was a little kid, my mother never missed the Loretta Young Show on TV. I grew up knowing that Young was a big Hollywood star who had always been a devout Catholic and therefore a `good girl' - unlike so many wild Hollywood stars.I'm not immune to all celebrity buzz, but I missed the news years ago that Loretta Young's "adopted" daughter was in fact her own baby, born out of wedlock and fathered by Clark Gable, no less. When I did hear that recently, I had to read this book by Judy Lewis for all the scoop.A lesser person could have published a shrill "Mommie Dearest" type of book. Instead, Lewis wrote a thoughtful, heartfelt memoir which takes the reader into the heart of a family - the good, the bad, the lovely and the ugly. That the family in question lived under the spotlight of Hollywood fame, wealth and influence is relevant, but not the focus of the story.Lewis looks at her mother's family and traces patterns of attitude and behavior through the generations: beautiful, strong and talented women left to raise their children after their men left them, and "giving away" young children temporarily to allow them to have better living conditions than a struggling parent could manage.A key fact is the devout Catholic faith of Loretta and her mother, Gladys. Already starring in pictures in her late teens, Loretta succeeded in the transition from silent films to the talkies. In 1935, the 22-year-old Young went on location to the mountains of Washington state to film "Call of the Wild" with Clark Gable. The production encountered severe winter weather and serious delays, and the stars fell in love.
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