Noel, Tallulah, Cole, and Me
eBook - PDF

Noel, Tallulah, Cole, and Me

A Memoir of Broadway's Golden Age

  1. 339 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Noel, Tallulah, Cole, and Me

A Memoir of Broadway's Golden Age

About this book

An important figure during the golden age of Broadway, John C. Wilson staged such famous productions as Kiss Me, Kate and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. He also worked with many of the greatest actors, playwrights, producers, and other artists from the 1920s through the 1950s, including Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne, Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, Carol Channing, and Tennessee Williams. In his twenties, Wilson met Noel Coward and became both his lover and manager. Following Wilson's marriage to Russian princess Natalie Paley in 1937, he remained close friends with Coward until John's death in 1961.

In Noel, Tallulah, Cole, and Me: A Memoir of Broadway's Golden Age, producer-director Wilson provides an eye witness account of a never-to-be-seen-again period in American theatre and culture. The narrative covers Wilson's youth, his education at Yale, his experience working in silent films, and details of his professional and personal relationship with Coward. Wilson also recounts his theatrical career on Broadway and in London, his marriage to Paley, and life within international high society. The people Wilson befriended—Tallulah Bankhead, Cecil Beaton, Claudette Colbert, Cole Porter, and Richard Rodgers, among others—are described with affection, candor, and colorful panache. Wilson also shares behind-the-scenes stories about such landmark theatre productions as Private Lives, Blithe Spirit, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Kiss Me, Kate.

Completed in 1958, just three years before his death, Wilson's autobiography sat idle for decades. Wilson's great nephew Jack Macauley and theatre historian Thomas Hischak have edited the original manuscript and added commentary to help guide the reader through the myriad names and productions that are mentioned. From his long-term relationship with Coward to his enduring marriage to Paley, Wilson's life was as charmed as it was celebrated. Featuring nearly forty photos, Noel, Tallulah, Cole, and Me is an engaging account of one of the most important periods in Broadway's history, as well as a fascinating look into the lives of the glamorous men and women of the era.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
  • Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
  • Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Both plans are available with monthly, semester, or annual billing cycles.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Noel, Tallulah, Cole, and Me by John C. Wilson,Thomas S. Hischak,Jack Macauley,Thomas Hischak in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Mezzi di comunicazione e arti performative & Biografie nell'ambito delle scienze sociali. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Contents
  2. Preface
  3. Acknowledgments
  4. Introduction
  5. Prologue: Looking for Lorelei Lee
  6. Chronology
  7. Chapter 1. Andover and Yale
  8. Chapter 2. Noel
  9. Chapter 3. London
  10. Chapter 4. New York
  11. Chapter 5. Larry, Tallulah, and Friends
  12. Chapter 6. Cavalcade
  13. Chapter 7. The Lunts
  14. Chapter 8. The Royal Princess
  15. Chapter 9. Launching the Company
  16. Chapter 10. Gertie and Friends
  17. Chapter 11. Lillian and Bea
  18. Chapter 12. Westport and the Theatre Guild
  19. Chapter 13. Broadway Director
  20. Chapter 14. Hollywood
  21. Chapter 15. One-Night Stand
  22. Chapter 16. Cole and Kiss Me, Kate
  23. Chapter 17. Anita, Carol, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
  24. Chapter 18. Television
  25. Chapter 19. Winding Down
  26. Epilogue
  27. Appendix A. John C. Wilson’s Production Credits
  28. Appendix B. Guest List for Blithe Spirit Party (1944)
  29. Appendix C. Sample Entries from the Pebbles Guestbook
  30. Appendix D. Notable Photographers
  31. Appendix E. List of Explanatory Boxes
  32. Bibliography
  33. Index
  34. About the Editors
  35. About the Author