Author Talk with Mark Griffin

The Lewiston Public Library will welcome back local author Mark Griffin on Thursday, January 31 at 6pm for an evening celebrating his ground-breaking new book, All That Heaven Allows: A Biography of Rock Hudson which was recently published by HarperCollins. This free, public program will take place in Callahan Hall.

Drawing on more than 100 interviews with co-stars, family members, and former companions and unprecedented access to private journals, personal correspondence, and production files, this comprehensive biography finally produces a multidimensional portrait of one of the most compelling figures in film history. Here, at last, are fresh insights into Hudson’s controversial marriage to Phyllis Gates and his contentious dealings with boyfriend Marc Christian, providing answers to questions the late actor consistently evaded. Griffin also offers the first in-depth analysis of Hudson’s entire body of work from his early bit parts to his collaborations with visionary director Douglas Sirk to his cheekily subversive bedroom farces with Doris Day to his transition to the small screen in the hit series McMillan & Wife. Along the way, this riveting account features memorable appearances from an A-list cast of characters, including Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, John Wayne, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, and many other luminaries.

Meticulously researched and vividly rendered, All That Heaven Allows illuminates an all-too-human superstar whose life and legacy have significantly influenced American culture.
The night will begin with a book talk about the work followed by a Q&A session. Mark will then screen a 35 minute documentary that he produced, which pays tribute to Rock Hudson’s career. The film features audio highlights from interviews that Griffin conducted for All That Heaven Allows. Finally, Mark will be selling and signing copies of his book. All proceeds will go to benefit the Friends of the Lewiston Public Library.
Mark Griffin is also the author of A Hundred or More Hidden Things: The Life and Films of Vincente Minnelli.  His interviews, reviews, and essays have appeared in scores of publications, including The Boston Globe, Premiere, and MovieMaker. Griffin, who recently appeared in the documentary Gene Kelly: To Live and Dance, lives in Lewiston, Maine.

For further details, please contact the Adult Services Desk at the Lewiston Public Library: 207-513-3135 or LPLReference@Gmail.com