Tab Hunter Confidential:
The Making of a Movie Star

by Tab Hunter, with Eddie Muller

A revealing look into 1950s-era Hollywood — and beyond — from one of its biggest screen idols

In the tradition of the national bestsellers Million Dollar Mermaid by Esther Williams and A Shattered Love by Richard Chamberlain, Algonquin Books presents Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star.

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Hunter reveals what is was like to be a 1950s-era star—to be created, packaged, and sold to the American public, shaped and controlled by the studio system that ran Hollywood until the 1970s. Hunter also discloses:

  • His co-stars, actresses Natalie Wood, Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner, Sophia Loren, Debbie Reynolds, Tallulah Bankhead, and Divine, and the actors Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Fred Astaire, Robert Mitchum, and Van Heflin.

  • His films, from the box office hits Damn Yankees and Battle Cry to the cult classics Polyester and Lust in the Dust

  • His on- and off-screen relationships

  • His music career, including the #1 hit song “Young Love,” which topped the Billboard chart for six weeks

  • The demands that were placed on him, including sexual favors, and what it felt like to suddenly see his face—and often, his half-naked torso—on the covers of dozens of magazines

  • His comeback as a cult sensation, thanks to John Waters
Hunter also writes about his post-Hollywood life—what it was like when he was no longer the boy-next-door hearthrob, no longer under the protective wing of the Warner Brothers publicity department, and no longer in demand as a “star.” And how he soldiered on with perseverance, determination, and faith.

In October and November, 2005, Tab will go on a book tour to promote his new book. Cities will include New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Atlanta, Miami, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, with more locations to be announced.

Tab Hunter, a star of stage, screen, and television, has appeared in more than fifty films, including Damn Yankees, Battle Cry, That Kind of Woman, Ride the Wild Surf, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, Polyester, and Lust in the Dust. He continues to work as a film producer and lives in southern California.

Eddie Muller, an authority on film noir, is the author of three books on the subject, including Dark City Dames, as well as two mystery novels, The Distance and Shadow Boxer. He lives in the San Francisco Bay area.

Tab Hunter Confidential:
The Making of a Movie Star

by Tab Hunter, with Eddie Muller

Publication date: October 14, 2005
Contact: Michael Taeckens, Publicity Director Algonquin Books
Phone: 919-967-0108 x 14 E-mail: Michael@algonquin.com