Can I Go Now?

September 7, 2015
Kellow, who specializes in biographies of accomplished women (Pauline Kael: A Life in the Dark), turns his attention to Sue Mengers, Hollywood's first female "superagent." She was already a chain-smoking, caftan-wearing, coarse-mouthed legend in 1973 when client Dyan Cannon parodied her in the movie The Last of Sheila. Menders, raised in humble circumstances in Utica, N.Y., and the Bronx, promoted herself with hard work, chutzpah, and an eye for good material, and became a vital force in male-dominated 1970s Hollywood. With renowned friends (Gore Vidal, Robert Evans), superstar clients (Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, Peter Bogdanovich), and headline-making deals (getting Gene Hackman an unheard-of $1 million salary for the box-office turkey Lucky Lady), Mengers became a feminist trailblazer, though she had no interest in the movement. But when the â70s ended and Hollywood switched from star-driven pictures to special effects blockbusters, her career, for all intents and purposes, was over. She led a life worthy of a Harold Robbins or Jacqueline Susann novel, but Kellow's writing is more dutiful than inspired (and dogged by errors, such as misidentifying NYU grad Martin Scorsese's alma mater as UCLA). Kellow fails to fully bring to life this larger-than-life character whose ultimate undoing was her desperate need to shine brighter than her clients. Agent: Edward Hibbert, Donadio & Olson.

July 1, 2015
The life of the influential Hollywood agent.From the 1950s through the 1980s, Sue Mengers (1932-2011) represented some of the most famous names in show business, including Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Candice Bergen, Ali McGraw, Ryan O'Neal, Michael Caine, Gene Hackman, Elliott Gould, and, most notably, superstar Barbra Streisand. Not only did she admire the singer's talents, but the parallels of their lives-growing up poor, losing their fathers while still young, battling judgmental mothers-made her feel they were kindred spirits. As Opera News features editor Kellow (Pauline Kael: A Life in the Dark, 2011, etc.) amply shows in this gossipy, star-studded biography, Mengers considered Streisand her "alter ego." Chain-smoking, often with a Gauloises cigarette in one hand and a joint in the other, hard-drinking, and outrageously vulgar, Mengers was smart, savvy, and manipulative. "After a little while with her, people thought they were her best friends," writes the author. New talent didn't interest her; stars did, and she pursued them relentlessly until she gained their trust-and business. Unlike agents who kept a low profile, Mengers promoted herself as well as her clients, throwing parties for "top, above-the-title Hollywood stardom." Those coveted gatherings, her bawdy appearances at premieres and nightclubs, and a profile in Vanity Fair made her as recognizable as her glamorous roster of actors, and she worked tirelessly to promote them-not just to get them parts, but also higher and higher salaries. In the 1970s, movie stars' earnings were modest; by the time Mengers retired, they had grown to millions of dollars per picture. The author rightly points to Streisand's defection as a turning point in Mengers' career. Streisand had been "the closest and most powerful reminder to Sue of her own exalted stature in Hollywood," and when she left for another agent, Mengers was devastated and bitter. Kellow, an admirer of Mengers' spunk and achievements, serves her well in this deft, entertaining biography.

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August 1, 2015

Kellow's chatty (and sometimes catty) biography of the contrarian 1970s Hollywood agent to the stars Sue Mengers (1932-2011) delivers on entertainment value. Mengers rose from the secretarial pool to break the glass ceiling at a time when talent agencies gained more power after the collapse of the studio system. She was also noted for her pot-filled, A-list parties as well as for her trenchant wit and brutal bluntness. According to Anjelica Huston, Mengers was "unparalleled in her honesty." (The book's title comes from her impatient sign-off after a drawn-out conversation.) Kellow describes her as "a combination of bawdy bar maid and precocious brat," with plenty of examples to prove his point. Throughout, he keeps the narrative flowing thanks to primary sources Barbra Streisand (Mengers's prized client, with whom she had a spectacular falling-out), Ali MacGraw, Candice Bergen (her "glamorous shiksa goddesses"), Michael Caine, and other marquee names. VERDICT Effortlessly readable, especially for Vanity Fair enthusiasts and film buffs who remember such actors as Lisa Eichhorn and Nancy Allen.--Kent Turner, School Library Journal

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2015
Though her name might not be as well known as the stars she represented, Hollywood power-agent Sue Mengers' behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing helped shape many of the hit movies, as well as some of the misses, of the 1970s. As show-biz biographer Kellow (Pauline Kael, 2011) reveals, Mengers was the daughter of German Jewish immigrants to New York in 1938, whose youth was marked by her father's suicide and her tumultuous relationship with her mother. She got her start as a secretary at a powerful talent agency, where her brash, ballsy attitude got her noticed and promoted to talent agent at a small agency. At the end of the 1960s, Mengers made the leap to a larger agency in Los Angeles, where she represented such luminaries as Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, and Faye Dunaway. A vivacious hostess, tireless advocate for her clients, outspoken character, and sometimes cruel critic of those who crossed her, Mengers was a complicated, powerful trailblazer, one who barged down doors for women and changed the nature of the talent-agent business. Kellow's absorbing biography not only peels back the layers to reveal the true nature of this fascinating individual but also delves deeply into the film industry in the latter half of the twentieth century.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)