Wisecracker

The Life and Times of William Haines, Hollywood’s First Openly Gay Star

By: William J. Mann

Narrated by: Bo Foxworth

In 1930 William Haines was Hollywood's #1 box-office draw - a talented, handsome, and wisecracking romantic lead. Off screen, however, protected by a careful collaboration between studio and press, he was openly gay with reporters and studio chiefs alike. Here is Haines's virtually unknown story - rich with detail, revelations, and scandal - about silent movies and talkies; his lover Jimmie Shields, and their fifty-year relationship (Joan Crawford, their best friend, called them "The happiest married couple in Hollywood") and the enforcement of the Production Code and establishment of the Hollywood closet, which led to the blacklisting that ultimately doomed Haimes's film career.

Wisecracker sweeps from gay pool parties to the excitement of early talkies to Haines's infamous encounter with gay-bashing white supremacists in 1936. He survived the scandal to emerge as a top interior decorator to the stars and to such clients as Nancy Reagan and Walter Annenberg, who employed him for the American Embassy in London. With a cast of characters running from Tallulah Bankhead to Betsy Bloomingdale, from Clark Gable to William Randolph Hearst, Wisecracker is an astounding piece of newly discovered gay history, a chronicle of high Hollywood, and - at its heart - a great and enduring love story.

©1998 William J. Mann (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

A Story That Needed To Be Told

What a fascinating life! Yet so few people really know of William Haines today. The author is right when he states that when you come down to it, this is a love story of a couple who just happen to be of the same sex. No different than the great enduring marriages you hear or read about from the humblest to the mighty. Joan Crawford was right in stating that their's was "The happiest marriage in Hollywood."

If there was one thing that I'm at odds with, and even Mr Haines is guilty of this, is that William Haines is considered a film actor primarily in the silent film era who became a famed interior decorator. I see him as the opposite, a world famous interior decorator who earlier in life did some work in film.

I've seen some of his films and they are okay, with the best one being Show People. Even today, it holds up as being a very good film, and had Haines not been his own worse enemy and took acting seriously, he could have gone on to become a great character actor, even with his lost hair and this weight gain.

I think the book is recorded well, with the exception of glaring edits with variable sound quality.

glimpse into the past

really enjoyed this view to the past. much of the narrative felt like speculation... but it was plausible enough that the underlying theme resonated with me. I recommend this book.

Great story of old Hollywood

I knew little of this Hollywood star of the silent era and how he became a legend. I have toured the Annenberg estate in Palm Springs.

Writer focuses on how history is made by the bold and while he died three years after Stonewall, he is a part of gay history.

A deep dive into LGB Hollywood

This is as much a story about Hollywood in the 1920s, '30s as a biography of a man and his spouse of almost 50 years. I enjoyed it and the narration was excellent!

william haines

What made the experience of listening to Wisecracker the most enjoyable?

the book brought painted a vivid history of life in Hollywood from the early 1920's. I listened to it in black and white...I enjoyed every minute of it...and I liked Williams Haines very much. I was sorry when the book ended....

Billy Haines - a true pioneer

I have been interested in the life of William Haines since I began a discovery of Old Hollywood via TCM & the podcast “You Must Remember This.” I purchased this audiobook to learn more than Karina’s lovely podcast said in its 40 minutes.
Billy was, as the author states, courageous. I am not cultured enough to understand the furniture he used, but his amazing story is told and related to us in an understandable way. The book tells of the nearly 47 year love between Billy Haines & Jimmy Shields; a relationship started 90 YEARS before the USA legalized same-sex marriage for all in 2016.
I now understand his love, his relationships, and most of all his “wisecracker” personality better than I thought I ever would.
Thank you sincerely to the author for capturing this truly amazing story! The narration was stellar and kept me engaged the whole way through.
I highly recommend this book for any open-minded person, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, whom is interested in how living an open, authentic life in Hollywood nearly a century ago was possible.

Wonderful details

Enjoyed this and recommend it. However, the narrator, while engaging, mispronounces many names and words.

Juicy, Thoughtful and One of a Kind!

I had little to no knowledge of "courageous" Billy Haines and author Mann told an involved historical tale superbly. As the audio book ended I found myself going to google to look for additional information. I found archived photos of Haines, his pals and his amazing decor at a website in his name. Someday we will have audio books that
feature actual archived voices counter poised against the authors rendering. Mann's book and it's narration came alive when Haines was quoted. In the meantime I am content to remember Mann's rich and thoughtful exploration.

A touching love story and a fascinating history of Hollywood

Any additional comments?

Bo Foxworth's warm reading style conveys the real affection that author William Mann developed towards William Haynes in the process of talking to his friends and family for this biography. Haynes' story offers amazing insights into the secret lives of Hollywood stars in the early days of silent films, followed by the transition to films with sound and the imposition of stodgy censorship of the movies. Mann skillfully describes how societal attitudes towards gay people went through many ups and downs over the decades, and how William Haynes was consistently open and forthright about his love for his long-time partner and his right to live his life as he saw fit.

Early Hollywood Drama Very Well Told

I liked William Mann's earlier book "Tinseltown" about the murder of William Desmond Taylor, so I thought I would try "Wisecracker" as well. I love early Hollywood history from having read Samuel Goldwyn's biography and this book is a fascinating tale of movie land in the 1920s and 30s. But I was unprepared for the intriguing tale of how pervasive homosexuality was in early Hollywood; and how out so many stars were back in those days. It purports to tell the tale of Cary Grant being absolutely homosexual; and so many others. But the star of the show is William "Billy" Haines who was the biggest star in 1930 and completely gone by 1933 because he refused to go into the closet and set himself up with a faux marriage or at least of faux girlfriend. His dedication to Jimmy Shields was complete and uncompromising. The consequences were nearly catastrophic except for the fact that Haines was an excellent interior decorator (don't say interior designer, he hated that appellation). With the help of his great friend, Joan Crawford, he found the financial security and approval of the old California elites in making their homes elegant in Hollywood Regency style. There is so much I could say about this book, so many layers but suffice to say if the early silent film days interest you and he you want to hear a remarkable story about one man's battle to define himself read or listen to this book. Bo Foxworth is an able narrator and I enjoyed listening to him.