Plot Summary of The Way We Lived Then: Recollections of a Well Known Name Dropper
" As a child, Dominick Dunne made a trip out to Hollywood with his aunt. He was immediately fascinated by everything he saw out there, and he vowed that one day he would live in Hollywood, and that he would be famous, and that he would be close friends with all the stars. He came from a wealthy family in Connecticut, his father was a noted heart surgeon, and his grandfather had been a bank president. After winning the Bronze Star in World War 2, Dominick Dunne went out to Hollywood, and got a job as the stage manager of the Howdy Doody Show, and this was his opening into the glamorous world that he had fallen in love with as a child.
Dominick took lots of photographs of the celebrities that he came into contact with. He was friends with people like Elizabeth Montgomery, Natalie Wood, Elizabeth Taylor, Kirk Douglas, Charlton Heston, and Roddy McDowall. Dominick's career as a producer did not go as well as he had hoped, however, most of the movies that he produced were flops, and he began drinking heavily. His daughter, Dominique, was murdered by an ex-boyfriend, and this event jolted him out of his self-pity. He began a new career as a writer, focusing on crimes committed by the rich and famous."
Nathaniel Ford, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of The Way We Lived Then: Recollections of a Well Known Name Dropper
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
job/profession:
- writer
Job/profession/poverty story
Yes
Story of entertainer?
- Director/Producer
Period of greatest activity?
- 1950+
Subject of Biography
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- writer
Age:
- 60's-90's
Biography of famous person?
Yes
Ethnicity
- White
Nationality
- American (!)
How sensitive is this person?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other people
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 8 (a significant amount)
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
- California
Misc setting
- Fancy Mansion
Century:
- 1960's-1970's
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Book makes you feel?
- thoughtful
Writer's slant towards subject:
- very favorable
Story of entire life, or part?
- story of nearly entire life
If this is a kid's book:
- Age 16-Adult
Autobiography?
Yes
Pictures/Illustrations?
- A ton 16-20 B&W
How much dialogue in bio?
- mostly dialog
A LOT of info about personal vices?
Yes
How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life?
- 51%-75% of book
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