Driving Marilyn: The Life and Times of Legendary Hollywood Agent Norman Brokaw

Former entertainment industry publicist Brokaw (coauthor of Life Is Not a Stage) delivers an adoring if inconsequential biography of his father, Norman Brokaw (1927–2016), who served as CEO of the William Morris Agency from 1989 to 1997. At age 16, Norman got his start in Hollywood working for his uncle Johnny Hyde, a talent agent who was at that point focused on kickstarting the career of his “protégé and paramour” Marilyn Monroe. Brokaw traces the rest of Norman’s career through anecdotes about the stars he represented. For instance, Brokaw recounts how after Hyde’s death at age 55, Norman took over representing Monroe and introduced her to future husband Joe DiMaggio after they ran into the baseball legend at a restaurant. Elsewhere, Brokaw describes how Norman successfully convinced outgoing president Gerald Ford to become a client by promising lucrative book deals, television appearances, and speaking engagements, and how Norman flew across the country on a moment’s notice to comfort Donna Summer after her label made a move that threatened the success of the first single she composed without a cowriter. The stories about Norman’s clients intermittently amuse, but the lack of a unifying narrative through line can make this feel like a jumble. Still, it’s a diverting look inside the Hollywood machine. Photos. (Nov.)