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Lupe Velez: The Life and Career of Hollywood's "Mexican Spitfire" Paperback – July 10, 2012

by Michelle Vogel (Author)
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Here is the first extensive, full-length biography and career record on the life and work of Mexican whirlwind Lupe Velez (1908-1944). Over the years many crude myths have surfaced about Velez, the most notorious that she "died with her head in the toilet." This biography not only studies Lupe's personal life and career--including her tempestuous marriage to Johnny Weissmuller--but also examines her death in detail. It has been almost seven decades since her untimely end; at long last, the ugly rumors and myths are debunked--for good.

Included are never-before-told family stories and photographs from Lupe's second cousin, and an analysis of the actress's lasting influence on popular culture. The foreword by Oscar-winning film historian Kevin Brownlow focuses on the fact and fancy behind Lupe Velez's colorful public image.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    246 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    McFarland & Company
  4. Publication date
    July 10, 2012
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    7 x 0.5 x 10 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    078646139X
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0786461394
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“a must for anyone curious in the stories of early Hollywood”―Midwest Book Review; “one of the best film books of 2012”―Thomas Gladysz, Huffington Post; “with her usual expertise at painstaking detail, Vogel’s heavy research reveals the troubled, vulnerable woman beneath the persona...this is a book which has everything...filled with rare photographs. Michelle Vogel has carved a firm and lofty niche among Hollywood biographers, noted for her thoroughness, accuracy, attention to detail, and readability. Lupe Velez may be her best work so far”―Rogue Cinema; “extensive”―Turner Classic Movies.

About the Author

Film historian Michelle Vogel lives in Victoria, Australia. Her popular blog can be found at mvozus.wordpress.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ McFarland & Company (July 10, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 246 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 078646139X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0786461394
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 0.5 x 10 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

About the author

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Michelle Vogel

Michelle Vogel

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Michelle Vogel is an Australian-born author and noted Hollywood historian. Her book topics cover the lives and careers of silent actors as well as iconic stars of the Golden Age. Check out her popular blog for updated information on anything new on old Hollywood as well as upcoming book releases and interesting interviews. Personally signed bookplates ($5 including shipping anywhere in the world) are now being offered via her blog. Get one for your Michelle Vogel book today!

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
29 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

MGA
5.0 out of 5 stars Finally!
Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2012
Verified Purchase
Finally, someone sets the record straight about Lupe Velez's life and sad death. Michelle Vogel, after three years of extensive research, provides the truth. For me, one of the most fascinating parts of the book is the chapter that deals with Velez's final days and the anxiety she was under as a mother to be. I don't believe the story has been told in this depth. It was time to clear up the nasty rumors, and Vogel does it!

The photos Vogel chose for the book are astonishing. Most of them I had never seen before, probably because they came from Velez's own family. She even had copies of her suicide notes, which I had ever seen.

Vogel puts the Mexican Spitfire's often misunderstood life into perspective. She was not the loose woman that people have written about over the years. As Vogel told me in an interview for my blog, Close-ups and Long Shots [...], "Sure, she loved to party and have a good time, but she was fiercely loyal to her men. Between her long-term relationship with Gary Cooper and her marriage to Johnny Weissmuller, she was committed to both of these men for almost ten years of her life. She may have been many things, but she was certainly devoted - to her men, her family, her friends, even strangers who asked her for a helping hand. She helped everyone and she supported her extended family in Mexico for much of her life."

Finally, I was impressed by the detail Vogel put into Velez's filmography. She has collected details about her films that the reader will never in one place. What is particularly helpful is information about which films are readily available for viewing.

If you're even remotely interested in old Hollywood, add this book to your shelf.
17 people found this helpful
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manny t.
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent study
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2022
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This writer is excellent and does a very good write up on this time frame, early movies and the Stars involved. I have read some of her other books too. They are full of pictures of the subject and it is all very well done.
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kathy
5.0 out of 5 stars The firecracker treated with respect!
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
Enjoyed this book very much. The author brought a beautiful,energetic but tragically misunderstood woman back to life.this was done without patronization and without apology. A genuine pleasure to read.
One person found this helpful
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H. M. Neely
5.0 out of 5 stars MUST HAVE book on Lupe Velez, Mexican-born Screen Legend
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2012
This is THE book on Lupe. And quite likely, it will remain THE book for a very, very long time. Michelle Vogel has done an incredible and profoundly impressive job of research, uncovering a great deal of new and indispensable information on this fascinating, talented and beautiful performer and movie star.

Full disclosure here: I am a documentary filmmaker who has previously done some research on Lupe Velez for a planned film. I know Ms. Vogel and offered her my own research and opinions, and I am acknowledged and quoted in the book. That said, I am not an uncritical reviewer. The fact is, despite or perhaps because of the complete coverage of BOTH the woman and the legend, it is essential that purchasers approach this book as active readers, who judge the information presented, in part, by its sources (which are always carefully documented by Vogel). A previous reviewer calls Lupe, "on the surface," an obscure B-movie actress, and notes that Vogel includes various questionable reports without passing judgement on their veracity. First, Lupe was an A-movie actress with an international career. She appeared in films made in the US, Mexico, and the UK. She was a stage performer, appearing on Broadway. Only later in the 40s did her film appearances switch to some very popular B-movies. Summing her up as an obscure B-movie actress is wrong. As Vogel notes in her Preface, a researcher/writer faces a daunting task to separate myth from fact after some seven decades, when virtually no previous serious research exists (in English or Spanish). The myths have become so intertwined with the facts that some defy absolute determination. Vogel has included everything, and offered analysis of the evidence where possible. When no other proof is offered beyond the citation of a questionable source, such as an unsigned newspaper clipping that reads like a studio press release, or an unsupported allegation from Charles Higham or Floyd Conner, the reader can (and should) judge for himself. That's fair.

As has been noted in other reviews, Vogel does yeoman's work in thoroughly and accurately trouncing Kenneth Anger's crude lie about the circumstances of Lupe's death. That spawn of Anger's "mental telepathy" can now be permanently buried. But what few have noted is the feast of information Vogel offers not only on Lupe, but on her film and stage work. There are dozens of photographs, some very rare, spread throughout the text, and the quality of the reproduction is good. There is a 37-page detailed filmography, which includes information on surviving films and their availability, as well as valuable appendices on lost productions, film appearances in newsreels and non-fiction films, and her important stage work. Chapter notes, bibliography and index are all present and valuable.

Having spent some time researching Lupe myself, I understand how difficult Vogel's task was, and as I read her book I was repeatedly blown away by the amount, depth and detail of information that she reveals. There is so much that is new, and fascinating, and most important: revealing of Lupe's complexity, humanity, and real talent. This is the story of a strong, passionate woman, who achieved significant success. The real Lupe Velez is here, waiting to be discovered anew. That is Vogel's achievement, and it is an important one. Long live Lupe!
21 people found this helpful
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Cary
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read if you like biographies from the golden age of Hollywood.
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2019
For over thirty years I thought that Lupe Velez died with her head in the toilet, it was even in the Frasier TV show. I stumbled across this book on amazon and figured at the very least it might paint a good picture of a fascinating time of Hollywood. That it indeed does, but more importantly brings back to life a huge star of her era. The many photos show her to be an exceptionally pretty girl, and when watching her in YouTube videos, you can't take your eyes off of her.
She certainly seemed like quite a handful! Difficult at times but also very kind. Hopefully people will read this book and enjoy the story of her life, and see that she definitely did not die as most think. Poor Lupe, to be remembered only for that.
One person found this helpful
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Ruben Arreola
1.0 out of 5 stars NOT A TRIBUTE AT ALL,,
Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2012
LA TIMES 13,2012
YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT LUPE ON THIS LA TIMES SECTION ARE VERY HURTFUL , PARTICULARLY TO ANY LUPE VELEZ ADMIRERS, I FIND IT VERY OFFENSIVE THAT YOU IMPLY THAT LUPE VELEZ HAD A MENTAL ILLNESS, AND THAT SHE MIGHT HAD BEEN BIPOLAR,,U HAVE NO MEDICAL PROOF AND I DON'T EVEN BELIEVE U INTERVIEW HER RELATIVES,, IT IS VERY SAD THAT PEOPLE LIKE U ONLY SEEK TO BENEFIT FROM LUPE'S IMAGE.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

John
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent biography of a screen legend
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 7, 2012
Verified Purchase
At last, a detailed, well researched biography of one of the most underrated and misrepresented Hollywood actresses of the 1930s and 40s.
Michelle Vogel draws on a wide variety of sources, including contemporary newspaper and magazine articles, and interviews with Lupe Velez, as well as reminiscences from many of the people she worked with, to provide a very comprehensive and unsensationalist account of Lupe's fascinatingly complicated life.
The book also, through a properly investigated chapter on Lupe's final, fateful evening, finally dispels the ridiculous, decades-old rumour, that Lupe died with her head down the toilet. In fact, the author thankfully restores to Lupe, a great deal of the dignity which previously many lazy writers and gossip mongers have sought to destroy.
There are dozens of photographs illustrating the biography; a lot of them candid shots of Lupe with various lovers and co stars, as well as pictures of Lupe's family, many of which I've never seen before.
At the end of the biography, there is a 50 page guide to Lupe's film, radio and stage career; easily by far the most detailed guide to her professional appearances ever compiled.
I found this a thoroughly entertaining and informative read, and I can readily recommend it both to Lupe's fans, and general film buffs alike........ and perhaps Kenneth Anger should give it a read as well.
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