Firstly I want to thank Mr S. O’Brien for putting me onto this show and providing me with the means to see it. I guess I knew what to expect, but it still left me fighting back tears of sadness.
I’ve just watched the E! entertainment Mysteries and Scandals documentary on Veronica Lake and these are my thoughts on it.
Overall the show was pretty much what I’ve come to expect of any scandal focused show that purports to be a documentary into the life of a star.
It pretty much only focuses on the down parts of her life and makes for what appears to be an unusually short and tragic life. As expected there was a heavy focus on the alcoholism aspect of Connie Keane in her off stage times, while not being her successful movie star alter-ego Veronica Lake.
Disturbingly there was an undercurrent of the mental illness story, which has dubious origins and even less factual evidence, in this show. This ’excuse’ for all the problems in Connie’s career has never sat right with me and I hope that future books and research will put this rumour (after all an unsubstantiated fact is nothing more than a rumour) under a new light.
Bill Roos, her long term close friend, notably plays a very small part in the show for someone who actually knew her. While those who were only associated with her in publishing circles gained more airtime and whose comments furthered the downbeat approach of the show.
On the positive side; the show does have a balance and there were many nice stills and clips to remind you of how Hollywood made her and how she brought joy to millions. There were some nice chances afforded to seeing her off screen and in her later years, even if the narrative and the pictures didn’t always tie up making her appear more aged at an earlier age.
Seeing her being interviewed, plainly drunk, was a very sad moment and very moving too. With so little footage of her TV and stage years after Hollywood not easily documented visually the show skips from her Hollywood years, to barmaid, to death.
Altogether this wasn’t a bad show, a little heavy on the downside of her life, but the parting comments that She was possibly the first star to walk out on Hollywood was a nice touch and there was something of a reverence for her life and work.
