So I'm about finished reading The magnificent shattered lives of Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee by their son, Dodd Darin. I've read many biographies from classic stars such as Natalie Wood, Dean Martin, Shirley MacLaine and Jack Lemmon and what I've come to realize is you just can't make this stuff up! The demons that lurk in the stories of real people far exceed anything I could conceive of.
The book itself is riveting and very well told for both people through chronology and quotes from those that knew them as well as quite a bit of information from Sandra Dee herself. The funniest thing I learned is that her mom lied about Sandra's age when she began modeling/acting and apparently, this didn't get around too much, even to this day and age. If you look at IMDB for instance, her birth year shows as 1942 when it really was 1944.
I developed my love of the old actors and movies from my mother. The difference is she loved them as performers and never liked knowing too much about what they were really like in life because it disillusioned her. I'm the opposite. No one is ever as perfect as they're portrayed in movies and I probably wouldn't like them if they were. Who wants to know about someone that 1 dimensional? And how crappy would you feel knowing someone that was perfect in every way?
Every person has flaws. As a writer I find the flaws are what give the character depth and I'm most impressed by those that can perform even against the greatest tragedies in their life. Sandra Dee for instance performed like everything was ice cream, rainbows and innocence when she had a very hard life and sad childhood. Natalie Wood performed even more powerfully and sought difficult roles because of her tragic life. I admire anyone that can rise above the worst and make the best they can of their lives. Cheers to those out there that do that each and every day.
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