“George Sanders: Memoirs of a Professional Cad” Book Giveaway!
Entry Task for Twitter Contest
“At number 6 Petroffski Ostroff, to Margaret and Henry Sanders, a son of dazzling beauty and infinite charm was being born. It was I.” – George Sanders in Memoirs of a Professional Cad
I am happy to say that it’s time for our next giveaway! CMH will be giving away TEN COPIES of the George Sanders’ autobiography “Memoirs of a Professional Cad”
Before we start the contest, I just want to say that Sanders’ memoirs are well-written and witty, interesting and entertaining – his prose being what we would expect given his sophisticated (and, yes, caddish) onscreen persona. He touches on his early childhood in Tsarist Russia, his school years in England, his jobs (and adventures) in South America, and his return to England where he found his way into acting (and singing). He talks about his film career and his marriage to Zsa Zsa Gabor, and offers insight into his own character and qualities, as well as the ‘ways’ of Hollywood, through a mix of anecdotes and observations. And, now, on to the contest…
In order to qualify to win one of these prizes via this contest giveaway, you must complete the below entry task by Saturday, July 30 at 9PM EST. However, the sooner you enter, the better chance you have of winning, because we will pick two winners on five different days within the contest period, via random drawings, as listed below… So if you don’t win the first week that you enter, you will still be eligible to win during the following weeks until the contest is over.
- July 2: Two Winners
- July 9: Two Winners
- July 16: Two Winners
- July 23: Two Winners
- July 30: Two Winners
We will announce each week’s winner(s) on Twitter @ClassicMovieHub, the day after each winner is picked at 9PM EST — for example, we will announce our first week’s winners on Sunday July 3 at 9PM EST on Twitter.
If you’re also on Facebook, please feel free to visit us at Classic Movie Hub on Facebook for additional giveaways (or check back on this Blog in a few days) — because we’ll be giving away TWO MORE copies via Facebook/Blog as well!
The truth of the matter is that while Hollywood admires people who win Oscars, it employs people who make money, and to be able to do one does not necessarily mean you can do the other. -George Sanders
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ENTRY TASK (2-parts) to be completed by July 30 at 9PM EST — BUT remember, the sooner you enter, the more chances you have to win…
1) Answer the below question via the comment section at the bottom of this blog post
THE QUESTION:
What is one of your favorite George Sanders movies and why?
2) Then TWEET (not DM) the following message in its entirety*:
Just entered to win “George Sanders: Memoirs of a Professional Cad” #BookGiveaway courtesy of @DeanStPress and @ClassicMovieHub
NOTE: if for any reason you encounter a problem commenting here on this blog, please feel free to tweet or DM us, or send an email to classicmoviehug@gmail.com and we will be happy to create the entry for you.
*If you do not have a Twitter account, you can still enter the contest by simply answering the above question via the comment section at the bottom of this blog — BUT PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU ADD THIS VERBIAGE TO YOUR ANSWER: I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.
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About the Book: What might we dare to expect from an actor’s autobiography, even one from a star as personable as George Sanders? In the case of Memoirs of A Professional Cad, we possibly get more than we deserve. George Sanders undoubtedly led a colorful, glamorous and even action-packed life, spanning the peak years of Hollywood’s golden age. But the greatest joy of his memoirs is how funny they are, and how penetrating their author’s wit. Endlessly quotable, every chapter shows that the sardonic charm and intelligence he lent to the silver screen were not merely implied.
George’s early childhood was spent in Tsarist Russia, before he was obliged to flee with his family to England on the eve of the Russian Revolution. He survived two English boarding schools before seeking adventure in Chile and Argentina where he sold cigarettes and kept a pet ostrich in his apartment. We can only be grateful that George was eventually asked to leave South America following a duel of honor (very nearly to the death), and was forced to take up acting for a living instead.
Memoirs of A Professional Cad has much to say about Hollywood and the stars George Sanders worked with and befriended, not to mention the irrepressible Zsa Zsa Gabor who became his wife. But at heart it is less a conventional autobiography, and more a Machiavellian guide to life, and the art of living, from a man who knew a thing or two on the subject. So we are invited to share George’s thought-provoking views on women, friendship, the pros and cons of therapy, aging, possessions, and the necessity of contrasts (Sanders’ maxim: ‘the more extreme the contrast, the fuller the life’).
Previously out of print for many decades, Memoirs of A Professional Cad stands today as one of the classic Hollywood memoirs, from one of its most original, enduring and inimitable stars.
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Click here for the full contest rules.
Please note that only Continental United States and Canadian entries are eligible.
And — BlogHub members ARE eligible to win if they live within the Continental United States (as noted above).
And if you can’t wait to win the book, you can purchase it on amazon via this link (or click on image):
Good Luck!
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–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub
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A tough question. But, I have to say a favorite is “Foreign Correspondent”. Why? He’s heroic,( what a twist!) a good sport and as always, slyly funny. Plus his ability to convey shock and empathy with just his expression during the offscreen torture of Van Meer, demonstrated what a fine actor he was.
I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.
Hi Tom, Good one! Thanks so much for entering and Good Luck 🙂
Favorite George Sanders film is hard to pick, but I love “Rebecca” and “Foreign Correspondent.”
Hi Linda, please don’t forget to tweet the message. And if you don’t have a twitter account, please post that fact here. Thanks!
Favorite George Sanders movie of all time? That’s a hard one. I just looked up his oeuvre and was astonished he had appeared in so many movies. Of course he was unassailably untouchable as Addison deWitt in “All About Eve”, and in many ways it’s his signature role. I also love his work in “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir”, and “Foreign Correspondent”. But I think my favorite role of his is in Hitchcock’s “Rebecca”. I never understood why Joan Fontaine was considered so great as Mrs. DeWinter; to me she is always bloodless and unconvincing. Olivier was overacting like mad to make up for Fontaine’s namby-pamby characterization, I believe. But Sanders was perfect as Cousin Jack: menacing yet offhanded, suave yet crude, and wanting to find out the truth about Rebecca’s death while simultaneously not opposed to profiting by keeping the truth under wraps. Really a brilliant performance and one which raises the caliber of the entire movie.
I had no idea that he had made so many films but to pick one favorite would be too hard for me. I’ll choose two, the classic comedy A Shot in the Dark and the wonderful drama All About Eve. Where would we be without these two excellent films?
Oh my gosh! I completely forgot about A Shot in the Dark! Love that film and of course Sanders was marvelous in it! 🙂
I agree with Ellen that George Sanders’s performance in Rebecca outshone those given by Olivier and Fontaine. Also loved his upstaging of his real life half-brother, Tom Conway, as the Falcon’s younger brother!
And as Lord Henry in The Picture of Dorian Gray, he embodied the cynical character perfectly.
Hi Stella, I haven’t seen your tweet yet, so please don’t forget to either tweet the qualifying message or comment here on this post that you do not have a twitter account. Thanks!
So hard to choose. He is so brilliant in all he has done but if I have to pick one it would be Addison DeWitt in “All About Eve” He was so smooth and clever. His scenes with Ann Baxter, especially, in the hotel room were spot on.
Hi Jacalyn, I haven’t seen your tweet yet, so please don’t forget to either tweet the qualifying message or comment here on this post that you do not have a twitter account. Thanks!
Hard to choose but I have to go with Rebecca – for me, it’s his most memorable role. Brilliant in his caddishness, so impertinent, so deliciously rotten.
Hi Sandrahn, just an fyi, I’ve emailed you on July 10th, and again today July 17th to let you know that you are one of our winners! Please look for the email and get back to me with your shipping information within the next few days… and if you didn’t receive the email, please let me know here. Thanks!
It would probably have to be the original “Village of the Damned”. He played the lead with almost clever coldness, but I think that his character was just trying to understand and deal with the intimidating power of the children. Of course that famous voice of his definitely gave him more authority.
I love Sanders in The Picture of Dorian Gray. I found myself writing down a great deal of his quotes!
I’d have to say the Saint series of movies. They formally introduced me to the character, I’d heard of him but never seen anything before and they introduced me to George Sanders. Though I’m sure I saw him as Mister Freeze in Batman I was just a kid and had no idea who he was then.
He was great in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Avsolutely unctuous. Also, I have to say, he does amazing voice work in The Jungle Book! So smooth and predatory, he made a good tiger!
Hi Rachel, I haven’t seen your tweet yet, so please don’t forget to either tweet the qualifying message or comment here on this post that you do not have a twitter account. Thanks!
Call Me Madam. It’s quite a departure for him, and he sings. I just love the movie.
I’m stuck between The Village of the Damned & The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. My father loved horrors, and these were my firsts. Sanders’ was a prolific actor that became a household name around my neck of the woods.
Interesting choices! I’ve loved the Ghost and Mrs. Muir ever since I was a little kid. I don’t recall ever seeing The Village of the Damned, but I tend to stay away from horror movies (I’m a bit of a scaredy cat 🙂
My favourite George Sanders film has to be All About Eve. His character is so fantastic it hurts. His wry sense of humour and sarcasm set him apart from everyone else in the movie. You can’t really tell if Addison is being loyal to Eve or setting her up for failure until the end. He’s so amazing in that movie that you can’t keep your eyes off him, plus he has that great sounding voice.
Posting on behalf of Jossy… who chose All About Eve and says:
Difficult to pick one. His interaction with Ann Baxter, especially in the hotel…
All About Eve, but I also really loved his voice work for Jungle Book – really I could have listened to him read the phone book!
Hi Desiree, I haven’t seen your tweet yet, so please don’t forget to either tweet the qualifying message or comment here on this post that you do not have a twitter account. Thanks so much!
I especially love George Sanders as Addison DeWitt in “All About Eve.” But, as the voice of Shere Kahn the tiger in Disney’s The Jungle Book (1967), he is the very embodiment of a bored, entitled, upper-crust snob! Who occasionally turns very angry, evil and violent. Sanders didn’t do his own singing for the role, that was supplied by Bill Lee, but his delivery of every single word of dialogue is just dripping with contempt! Absolutely delicious!! He was ever so perfect as Shere Kahn.
Interestingly enough though, I read in the book that he was a trained singer…
I’ve heard that GS was a trained singer too. But for Jungle Book they needed a true Bass singer who could hit that low ‘C’ as well as work their way down to it in full voice. Bill Lee and Thurl Ravenscroft and a few other studio singers have/had that ability. GS sounded, to my ear, to be a good solid Baritone.
Very interesting… I’ve never heard Sanders sing… thanks for sharing the info…
I wish he’d been pushed, or perhaps more correctly, “exploited” further for his strengths. He seems to have been perpetually an ingredient of crucial sex appeal and romantic tension in restrained romantic triangles like Rebecca, Ghost and Mrs. Muir, and Ivanhoe. As much as I would have donated a lesser body part to see him as the Lydecker character in “Laura” if only for verisimilitude in having *difficulty* choosing between Clifton Webb and Vincent Price; it would have created too much of a quandary to choose between his Lydecker and the smokin’ hot Dana Andrew’s Mark McPherson performance. My favorite role for Sanders is likely Ghost and Mrs Muir, although he reinforces the quintessential example as to why Americans like urbane Brits in bad-guy roles as the sly and intimidating Shere Kahn in Jungle Book.
Gotta go with the one that struck me first: All About Eve – but thanks for the reminders of Shere Khan!
I love watching George Sanders. I even watched the movie Psychomania (his last) where Sanders probably decided he’d had enough of this world.
One of my favorites is The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. I believed that his character would be a wonderful companion to Gene Tierney. Of course, true to form he turns heel.
Rebecca because I first saw it when I was a child and loved it. It was what got me into watching old movies and I think George Sanders role in the film was no small part of that.
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All About Eve. LOVE that movie and he was fabulous at playing a cad who seemed like he was just looking for someone to love or to validate him.
No question “All About Eve” true classic George Sanders at his very best.
My favorite George Sanders film is Journey To Italy. He gives a strong, complicated performance and plays well off of Ingrid Bergman.
I would have first seen him as Mr Freeze in the old Batman series. When I was older and becoming a fan of the old classics I saw him in Rebecca, The Ghost and Mrs Muir and All About Eve. Wow! The cad you love to hate!
All such wonderful choices!
George Sanders was capable of conveying heroism (such as in the Falcon/Saint series), or villainy with dastardly charm (as in Rebecca or The Scarlet Coat). Rebecca’s my favorite film of his – but its a close call!
One of my many favorites is The Falcon because he is the slightly flawed hero and has more screen time than in other perhaps greater films where his time is limited. Plus I love the mystery genre.
He created so many wonderful, memorable characters it’s hard to choose just one. I’m going to go with his role as de Bois-Guilbert in Ivanhoe. He so often portrayed smooth, urbane, silky-voiced villains, but here his role was more complex. He was menacing and powerful, but also chivalrous, decent, and ultimately honorable. He did a great job making the character multilayered, rather than just a cookie-cutter villain. I was rooting for him over the wooden, square jawed hero.
One of my favorites George Sanders movies is “The Moon and Sixpence. Love his Falcon movies as well.
All About Eve is my favorite. 🙂
I love him in Call Me Madam because be gets to play the good guy and sings. He plays a very lovely man who shows his love for Ethel Merman through very believable emotions.
It’s hard to pick just one! I watched ‘Journey to Italy’ for the first time this week and he’s wonderful in it. He gives a heartbreakingly vulnerable performance unlike anything I’ve seen from him.
Foreign Correspondent (1940)
Though he was a “supporting actor” in this one he really adds to the mood and the style of the Hitchcock suspenser. He plays well off of Joel McCrea’s nice guy hero w/ his trademark suaveness.
My favorite George Sanders performance was in Foreign Corredpondent, one of the few in which his character was actually a good guy. He helped bring down the dastardly Nazi sympathizers.
I have to say I love George’s voice as Shere Khan in Disney’s The Jungle Book. He just owns the part. It’s so distinctive. I was flipping channels one day and recognized his voice.
I first saw George Sanders in the “The Saint” series of films, but I think “Foreign Correspondent” is probably my favorite role of his. He’s smart and witty, and despite not being the main character, is plenty heroic in his own right! I wish he’d gotten to play more roles like that one.
Definitely ‘The Ghost And Mrs Muir.” He is perfectly irresistible. And equally icky as a lying adulterer and author of children’s books.
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir… one of my favorites 🙂
My favorite George Sanders performance is “All About Eve”. His wry portrayal as critic Addison DeWitt left me mesmerized. Also, his glorious takedown of Eve Harrington at the end of the film is one for the ages. In what I can only describe as a precursor to James Bond villains telling 007 about his evil plot before he tries to kill him off, Sanders lets Eve know what’s coming to her and places the cherry on top of the sundae by telling her, “after tonight, I own you..” A true performance for the ages.
‘All About Eve’ is my favourite, made complete by George Sanders’ role as Addison DeWitt. His strong persona stands up to devilish Eve. That exquisite voice!
Hi Colleen, Please remember to tweet the qualifying message or comment back here that you do not have a twitter account. There is also a blog-only version of the contest that you can enter as well at http://www.classicmoviehub.com/blog/george-sanders-memoirs-of-a-professional-cad-book-giveaway-facebookblog-contest-july/
I love so many of his roles it’s hard to narrow it down to a favorite, but for today I’ll go with “Rebecca”. He is relentless and malevolent in his pursuit of the hero, and in the end when things don’t go his way, he shrugs and tries to sell his enemy a used car. He is utterly amoral in that role, and conveys the fact that the character doesn’t see the irony. He’s completely convincing; I half expect to read that he murdered several wives.
I’ll choose thee films:
1) ALL ABOUT EVE, because it was the most perfect match of actor with role.
2) A SHOT IN THE DARK, because it’s fun watching Sanders try to keep a straight face while Sellers does his thing.
3) THE JUNGLE BOOK, because it is the best use of the natural feline purr of his voice.
nice choices!
For some reason tonight my phones browser is acting up! I hope this works this time!
After severe internal debate, I have narrowed it down to All About Eve and Rebecca! He’s just so cunning and evil, yet likeable and very attractive. Like a magnet, he draws you in. You know he’s bad but you just can’t help but be drawn to him.
Notable mentions:
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and Lured (with Lucille Ball!)
Tough, but has to be ALL ABOUT EVE. His voiceover alone sets the tone for the treachery that evolves. Also, his character is the only one who betters Eve until tge end. DELICIOUS CAD!!
Aurora
LURED with Lucille Ball, directed by Douglas Sirk. No one else could have played his part as well. If anyone follows @TCM_Party, you know I blather on about this film all the time…just watch it next time it’s on TCM.
Thanks for entering Paula…
And for any CMH Fans that aren’t familiar with @TCM_Party yet — It’s an absolutely wonderful experience… you can tweet along with other fans while watching TCM… 🙂
2 films for me were All About Eve and Never Say Goodbye 1956.
In All About Eve as Addison De Witt he was deliciously Evil. He saw through Eve and made her his possession at the end. He told her he had her number and would own her like a pet and she would obey him. George was wonderful in this part.
As Victor in, Never Say Goodbye he was the friend and later boyfriend of Lisa a young Austrian wife of an American Doctor presumed dead. A misunderstanding between Lisa and her husband cause Lisa to go to her father. But when, she tried to return home they put a barrier wall. She could not return. She eventually turns to her old friend Victor and rejoins their act. Victor tries to help Lisa regain a relationship with the daughter who’s love she was desperate to regain.
Victor was a gifted caricaturist and when, Suzy Lisa’s daughter asks him to sketch her dead mother, he sketches Lisa. Suzy tells Victor, she isn’t my mother but my step mother. Victor helps her understand that Lisa is her mother and needs to tell her she loves her before she loses her again. Victor sacrifices his love for Lisa to give her back to her daughter. First time he played a nice guy. They haven’t showed this film in years. Hope they do again. He was great in it.
May favorite film of George’s is The Ghost & Mrs. Muir! The way he follows after Mrs. Muir you can just tell he wants to “gobble” her up! (I do not have a Twitter account that is why I am posting here.)
One of my all time faves! Thanks for entering and Good Luck 🙂
Rebecca and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir are two of my most favorite movies and he appears in both. I love his voice and he is so good at being likeable even though his character is not. He is a very charming man.
“All About Eve,” because of the smart script and terrific cast. Addison DeWitt is the quintessential Sanders part!
A Shot in the Dark
Hi Laurie, I don’t see your tweet yet. Could you please let me know if/when you tweet OR just comment back here that you don’t have a twitter account. Thanks!
My favorite George Sanders movie is All About Eve. Sanders sets the tone for the movie, intelligent and refined, from the outset as he narrates the opening scene at the Sarah Siddons Society.
This movie is literate and witty. Bette Davis is given full scope to bestow her brilliance on us. And so is George Sanders. Thelma Ritter puts a crack in the villain’s armor with her line “What a story. Everything but the bloodhounds snapping at her rear end.” This movie gives film-goers our first good view of Marylin Monroe. In their her scene at the stairway landing, with Sanders and Davis, unfortunately Bette Davis hardly even looks at Monroe. This movie gives us our best view of Gary Merrill, who delivers a long snarky monolog about ‘the theatre’ early in the story.
But it is Sanders’ sauve Addison DeWitt who, in the film’s climax, finally lowers the boom on Eve Harrington. He provides a masterful delivery in that New Haven hotel room. I wonder if the actors knew what a timeles classic this would turn out to be. Certainly we should all thank Joesph Mankiewicz, who wrote and directed this Tour de Force.