Rebello makes no excuses for the tawdriness of either the book or the film, but revels in it. Through detailed behind-the-scenes interviews and research, he brings the property to life in a book that is as compulsively readable as the original dishy source material.

Rebello is a skilled writer and shrewd observer of Hollywood.

Rebello delivers a surfeit of detail — some chapters are so top-heavy with names and facts one fears they may topple over like one of the stupendous hairpieces featured in the film. Though the book is gossipy, it is full of surprises and even suspense — revealing how cutthroat and puerile Hollywood can be.

Some knowledge of the book and definitely of the film is required, but go ahead: Indulge yourself. Fans will love! love! love!, and newcomers will enjoy the Hollywood insider aspect..

... [Rebello] makes an occasional stab at a gossipy tone, repeating a rumor that Susann and Ethel Merman had a rocky affair. But mostly Rebello, the author of a valuable book about Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, offers worn-out stories about the film’s making, echoing previously published work, from Duke’s memoirs to a 20-year-old Vanity Fair feature. Writing with all the flair of Wikipedia, he lists names of actresses reportedly considered for various roles and two pages of singers who recorded the movie’s theme song..

... a meticulously detailed paean.

... exuberant.