Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1015172 in Books
• Published on: 2001-12-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 264 pages

Synopsis
Riding a natural singing voice out of a poverty-stricken childhood, Jan Welles was perched on the brink of stardom when she was faced with an impossible choice: deny her lesbianism or abandon the career she had worked a lifetime to achieve. In this candid and intriguing memoir, this velvety-voiced singer tells not only of her career drawing raves from Cole Porter and Walter Winchell, but of her life as the first female bullfighter in Mexico, excelling at the sport and eventually incorporating it into her singing act. But when stardom meant making a deal with the Mafia, and giving them control not only over her career but over her life, Jan walked away from the stage forever. Ranging from the dazzling lights of Broadway to dusty bullfighting rings in the Dominican Republic, from flings with Lana Turner and Paulette Goddard, to an attempted rape by Broadway impresario Billy Rose, Jan Welles"s tale is a saucy story of achievement, danger and the ultimate triumph of being true to yourself.

Customer Reviews

This Book Is Terrific
This book is about a girl who wins a talent contest and dreams of becoming a famous singer. She gets jobs singing in clubs and bars and appears on TV and gets some better gigs. Her story is about the ups and downs of show business (and life in general). She is nearly abducted as a child than nearly raped while auditioning for a Broadway show and there are many other hard knocks along the way for Jan.

They are also some good times for her she tells of her romantic relationships with other (female) performers. And she mentions a Hollywood party that she went to with a friend (who was nearly assaulted by a male Hollywood star), it was there she met Lana Turner and the two had a fling. She mentions other Hollywood friends as well, it's a great book for you if you're gay and into the golden age of Hollywood.

The last third of this book deals with her bullfighting days which are just as interesting as the preceding chapters. Even though Jan never got the fame she deserved her story as a happy ending. This book also deals with her parents' reaction to finding out their child is gay.

Jan Welles is a Great role model for young gay women to look up to, she has strength of character and a determined sprit, which is a shame she never got the fame she deserved.

The only thing I think is wrong with this book is it doesn't say if any of Jan's records are available or not.