Hofler, senior editor at Variety
magazine, embarks on a sex- and camp-fueled romp through the outrageous life of Hollywood producer and impresario Allan Carr (1937–1999). Eschewing the conventional biography model, Hofler instead chronicles Carr’s lavish parties and equally audacious film work. Openly gay, Carr threw some of the entertainment industry’s most memorable shindigs in the 1970s—including the Rudolf Nureyev mattress party and the Truman Capote jail house party, held at the decommissioned Lincoln Heights Jail in L.A. A longtime theater fan, Carr, in his role as producer, brought the Who’s rock opera Tommy
to the screen, as well as Grease
, which became the top-grossing movie musical of all time. But for all his achievements, Carr had an equal number of disastrous flops: the Village People–inspired Can’t Stop the Music
, Grease 2
, and the much-reviled 1989 Oscar ceremony that saw Rob Lowe serenading Snow White in front of a replica of the Cocoanut Grove nightclub. Though Carr’s enthusiasm is infectious, Hofler never fully captures the man behind the glitz and glamour, leaving readers not wholly satisfied. B&w photos. (Mar.)
