Looks at the lives of one hundred child stars who came of age in Hollywood during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, revealing what has happened to them since their early--often fleeting--brush with fame and fortune.

Broadway star Ethel Merman's voice was a mesmerizing force and her vitality was legendary, yet the popular perception of La Merm as the irrepressible wonder falls far short of all that she was and all that she meant to Americans over so many decades. This marvelously detailed biography is the first to tell the full story of how the stenographer from Queens, New York, became the queen of the Broadway musical in its golden age. Mining official and unofficial sources, including interviews with Merman's family and her personal scrapbooks, Caryl Flinn unearths new details of Merman's life and finds that behind the high-octane personality was a remarkably pragmatic woman who never lost sight of her roots. Brass Diva takes us from Merman's working-class beginnings through the extraordinary career that was launched in 1930 when, playing a secondary role in a Gershwin Brothers' show, she became an overnight sensation singing "I Got Rhythm." From there, we follow Merman's hits on Broadway, her uneven successes in Hollywood, and her afterlife as a beloved camp icon. This definitive work on the phenomenon that was Ethel Merman is also the first to thoroughly explore her robust influence on American popular culture.

Raising a Child Star aims to empower you and your rising star as you navigate the road to stardom and support your child's creative passions. It will educate you about how the business works, pitfalls to avoid, and important steps you may miss.Written by Diana Ivelis, mom to three children who are in the entertainment industry and L.A. based youth talent agent, this book outlines the steps you can take to help you and your child as you begin the journey into the entertainment industry.

Accurate, experience-tested information on every step needed to give your child the best possible opportunity to make it in Hollywood. Inspiration. Resources to help you on your own journey, and even help you decide if this dream is right for you and your family to pursue at all.My daughter Dove and I moved to Los Angeles from an island in Washington State when she was fourteen, armed only with her head shot, resume of community theater roles, and her dream. What I didn't know about what we were doing would fill a large book.Today, Dove is a grounded, successful young woman with her own show on the Disney Channel, and four films to her credit, as well as numerous other TV and music credits.We have been incredibly fortunate, and this book is my way of sharing what we've learned-and what some other parents of young stars have learned-in the hope that more families might save themselves some pain and precious time. Hollywood is filled with tragic stories of people who crashed on the edge of this dream. It doesn't have to be that way. I can help you navigate this world with your child.Features interviews with industry experts and the parents of other young Hollywood stars, including Olivia Holt, Luke Benward, Cameron Boyce, Ryan McCartan, Jordan Fisher, and more.Visit my website for updated resources and helpful information: http: //www.HollywoodParentsGuide.com"If you have a child who is interested in getting into 'the business' THE HOLLYWOOD PARENTS GUIDE is an absolute MUST READ. Bonnie writes from the heart and the result is not only warm and funny, but full of useful information. Real stories from real parents of real kids working in the industry - tips and advice from casting directors, agents and other industry professionals. It's like arming yourself with a mini toolbox full of all the tools that you'll need to help guide you as you venture along this journey with your child. I should make it required reading for the parents of all of my clients! "Pamela Fisher Vice President Abrams Artists Agency - Head of Youth and Young Adult"From A to Z The Hollywood Parents Guide answers every question I have received as a Casting Director and more. If your child wants to be a professional actor, the first thing you need to realize is that acting is a business and as in any business, there are rules to help guide you. Bonnie Wallace has given parents a How to Guide that is a must read."Suzanne Goddard-SmytheCasting DirectorNominated for two Artios Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Casting"First let me say that The Hollywood Parents Guide is a fantastic book! Finally there is a guide to help parents steer their kids performing career. Thousands of parents have asked me for just such a book. There are a couple on the market already but they are written by agents or acting coaches. What parents have needed is a book written by one of them! And Bonnie has done a superb job writing it. The information is not only current but from the heart. If you have a little tyke that is driving you crazy to be on TV pick this one up!"Chambers Stevens, Author of the Hollywood 101 Series5-time winner of the Backstage Readers Choice Award"An absolute play by play of how to best help your young, budding artist become a healthy, fully-functioning Hollywood success. Not only is my mother an incredible writing talent, but she also possesses a true depth of experience in parenting a Hollywood hopeful. User-friendly and guided by an open, generous voice with first hand knowledge of the industry, this book is one I can truly call 'masterful'."Dove CameronActor and singerStar of Liv and Maddie, Disney Descendants, and Barely Lethal

This enlightening book is the go-to guide for fans for biographical information, rare photos, and interesting trivia about their favorite child stars, shows, series, networks, and the times that defined the shows. Spanning forty years of television history, this book details both the success stories and misfortunes of many child stars. Included in this book are the stories of Anissa Jones, Buffy on Family Affair, who tragically died from a drug overdose at the age of eighteen, as well as Ron Howard, who starred in both The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days, and who later became an Academy Award–winning director. A child star herself, Kathy Garver profiles these and other legends of classic television in a book that will answer the question: Where are they now?

"Thoughtfully traces [Mara Wilson's] journey from child actress to Hollywood dropout...Who is she now? She's a writer." —NPR's "Guide To 2016’s Great Reads" “Growing up, I wanted to be Mara Wilson. Where Am I Now? is a delight.” —Ilana Glazer, cocreator and star of Broad City Named a best book of the month by GoodReads and Entertainment Weekly A former child actor best known for her starring roles in Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire, Mara Wilson has always felt a little young and out of place: as the only kid on a film set full of adults, the first daughter in a house full of boys, a Valley girl in New York and a neurotic in California, and a grown-up the world still remembers as a little girl. Tackling everything from what she learned about sex on the set of Melrose Place, to discovering in adolescence that she was no longer “cute” enough for Hollywood, these essays chart her journey from accidental fame to relative (but happy) obscurity. They also illuminate universal struggles, like navigating love and loss, and figuring out who you are and where you belong. Candid, insightful, moving, and hilarious, Where Am I Now? introduces Mara Wilson as a brilliant new chronicler of the experience that is growing up female.

Former child actor Paul Petersen once said, "Fame is a dangerous drug and should be kept out of the reach of children." It is certainly true that many child actors have fallen prey to the dangers of fame and suffered for it later in life, but others have used fame to their advantage and gone on to even more successful careers in adulthood. This work is a compilation of interviews with 39 men and women who, as children, worked in the motion picture industry in Hollywood. They all handled their childhood celebrity differently. Lee Aaker, Mary Badham, Baby Peggy, Sonny Bupp, Ted Donaldson, Edith Fellows, Gary Gray, Jimmy Hunt, Eilene Janssen, Marcia Mae Jones, Sammy McKim, Roger Mobley, Gigi Perreau, Jeanne Russell, Frankie Thomas, Beverly Washburn, Johnny Whitaker, and Jane Withers are among those interviewed. They talk candidly about their experiences on and off the set, the people they worked with, and what they did after their careers ended. The pros and cons of being a child actor and the effects that it had on them later in life are discussed at great length.

*Includes pictures. *Includes the child stars' quotes about their own lives and careers. *Includes bibliographies for further reading. Shirley Temple remains the most famous child star of all time, but even this designation fails to reflect the magnitude of her popularity during the era in which she worked. While it is true that she was not the first child actor to reach Hollywood fame, she was the first - and to this day, perhaps the only - star who rose to the very pinnacle of the Hollywood elite before she even turned 10 years old. For this reason, it is no exaggeration to view Shirley as the progenitor for all of the child actors that succeeded her. Moreover, her cultural importance constitutes an even more important barometer through which to measure her overall significance. Not only was Shirley a film star, but she had a monumental impact on a generation of children who grew up during the Great Depression, with her plucky optimism emotionally uplifting an American public struggling both financially and emotionally. She was not only a young actress but also a brand name, someone who offered fathers and mothers hope for their children to achieve the same success as the famous child star. Yet, for all of Shirley Temple's fame, it is no doubt surprising to many that her actual films received scant critical acclaim. Her films were never mentioned on critical "best of" lists, nor did they regularly appear on the list of nominees for the Academy Awards. In many ways, Judy Garland's rise to fame seems almost predestined. Not only was she a national sensation at a young age, but her parents and sisters were all vaudeville entertainers. On top of that, Garland's parents owned and operated a movie theater, making it all the easier to draw the conclusion that singing and acting were simply professions which she was born into by virtue of her pedigree. Judy's early childhood quickly demonstrated that she had a gifted voice that developed well beyond its years and seemingly did not require any formal training in order to achieve success; her first performance before a public audience came when she was still a toddler, and she would continue to act up until her death, never pausing for more than a few months at a time. That Garland was able to secure starring roles almost immediately after signing a contract with MGM in 1935 only corroborates the belief that Garland was practically born with the ability to succeed in show business and the motion picture industry. Of course, Garland might be known today based more on her demise than anything else, and there's no denying that one of the most fascinating (and tragic) aspects of her life story is the manner in which her downward spiral occurred with the same rapid progression as her meteoric ascent. Garland died in 1969 at the age of 47, but she had lost control over her life years earlier and was actually fortunate to live as long as she did. Alongside Shirley Temple and Judy Garland, with whom he acted in a series of films, Mickey Rooney was one of America's most beloved child stars during the 1930s. Rooney had already made his mark in A Family Affair (1937), but he was the face of the incredibly successful Andy Hardy series, which produced several box office hits and featured Rooney in 13 movies, several alongside Judy Garland, who shot to fame as a teen in The Wizard of Oz. At the same time, the fact that the peak of his success came when he was so young has helped obscure the fact that he has acted in 10 different decades. Rooney is one of the only actors still alive who worked in the silent film era, yet he recently appeared in 2012's Last Will and Embezzlement. In the process, Rooney has been awarded a Juvenile Academy Award, an Honorary Academy Award, two Golden Globes and an Emmy Award.

This collection of interviews, all conducted by the author, focuses on the children of Hollywood legends. Each child (and, in one case, grandchild) talks about the joys and difficulties of growing up in the shadow of the Hollywood spotlight. While some were significantly influenced by their famous parents and chose a career in entertainment, others felt no attraction toward the glamour of Tinseltown fame. Among the interviewees are the offspring of such major stars as Errol Flynn, Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, Jimmy Stewart and Rosalind Russell, as well as such prominent supporting players as Jack Elam, Gene Lockhart, Billy Barty and Jesse White. The collection also includes a list of books and/or websites published by the children of the actors featured.