Film's First Family

The Untold Story of the Costellos

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by Terry Chester Shulman

Type

Stories

Subject

Actress > Helene Costello, Maurice Costello, Dolores Costello

Keywords

Helene Costello, Maurice Costello, Dolores Costello, silent cinema

Publishing date

2021

Publisher

University Press of Kentucky

Collection

Screen Classics

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 298 pages
6 x 9 inches (15 x 23 cm)

ISBN

978-0-8131-5194-6

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Book Presentation:
Scandal, adultery, secret marriages, divorce, custody battles, suicide attempts, and alcoholism—the trials and tribulations of the Costellos were as riveting as any Hollywood feature film. This eccentric and talented clan was one of the twentieth century's most famous families of actors, until their achievements were eclipsed by their own immutable penchant for self-destruction. Patriarch Maurice Costello was considered the first screen idol until his career, marked by accusations of spousal abuse, drunkenness, and physical assault, abruptly ended. Costello's daughter, Helene, was the first actress to star in an all-talking picture, but her career was ruined by a very public divorce from Lowell Sherman, who testified that his wife was a drunk and an avid reader of pornography. And though the original members of this family may be gone, the legacy lives on—most notably through actress Drew Barrymore.

Written with unprecedented access to the family's personal documents and artifacts, as well as interviews with several family members, Film's First Family explores the dramatic history of the Costellos and their extraordinary significance to the stage and screen.

About the Author:
Terry Chester Shulman is an acclaimed author and a veteran historical journalist whose work has appeared nationally in magazines and newspapers.

See the publisher website: University Press of Kentucky

See the complete filmography of Helene Costello on the website: IMDB ...