This Barbara Payton biography by John O'Dowd

Is she the one that ruined Franchot Tone’s life and used face tattoos, who ended up as a prostitute?

Thank you, OP! When I bring up this book even with Hollywood Babylon-type fanatics, they've never heard of it. (I may have been the one who recommended it in another thread.)

So lurid and jaw-dropping on every page... Lindsay Lohan had nothing on Barbara Payton. And O'Dowd is a terrific writer.

[quote]The only other novel I have read turning each page like this was Gone Girl.

A biography is not a novel.

Barbara Payton had a terrible life, her biography is not entertainment.

R4- I neglected to say that you root for this lady on every page. You really do. People really loved her. Her friends and family. And she clearly should and could have been an amazing interior designer (if you read the book, you will understand) Anyway, its an awesome biography because the woman it is about is an enigma. She sounded like an awesome woman and I don't even know how this all ended yet. I was at the part where she (SPOILER) met up with another actress in Chicago who ended up prostituting herself.. Anyway, YES it is highly entertaining, but is it is an extremely well written and well researched book. And she is quite a lady. Really, this is the best biography I have ever read. It is so well researched and goes pretty deep. And I don't even want to know what happens to this woman, because I can tell it will not be a good ending.

She was not ashamed, OP...

Hate to tell you, R5, but she was no lady.

She loved dick more than everyone here combined! That I know.

And she was a lady. She appeared to have a lot of kindness for others- And not just sexually...

Its alluded, very lightly, that she was molested by her dad-

[quote] She loved dick more than everyone here combined! That I know.

R8, how could you possibly know that? Either of those propostions?

I have it too. EXCELLENT book. Very well written and researched. The dedication he put into it really shows. It's only 9.99 on Kindle right now, I shelled out a lot of clams on my copy some years back, because it was so hard to find. It was still worth it. Glad to see it's in paperback now too, and so easy to find. Enjoy it bitches!

Barbaray Payton's story screams bio pic. Something well filmed, well acted but a bit campy to keep it fun. I wish Courtney Love was younger, because she would have been perfect for this role like she was as Althea. The only person I can think of now is Lindsay Lohan, and she's getting too old too, though with the right makeup and camera tricks (she knows about tricks-har, har) she might have a chance at this. Then again, she refuses to believe she's a fucking alkie druggie mess, so it would never work.

R10- I actually could see the chick who played Sharon Tate in Once Upon a Time In America pulling this off... However, Payton's face really reminds me of Chloe Grace Moretz but there is no way in hell she could pull off this role..

True R11. And like I said, thanks again for starting this thread. Sorry I fucking botched her name Barbaray? Oy vey!

This is one of the saddest stories about Hollywood I’ve ever read. And it’s not like she was an outright bitch or a nasty person...she just made the wrong decisions.

I always confuse her and Barbara Baekeland up.