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Jan 29, 2026
The Drama of Celebrity with Sharon Marcus
Summary
As Oscar Season rolls around, Recall This Book looks back to John's 2019 discussion with Columbia University professor Sharon Marcus about The Drama of Celebrity, her tour-de-force account of how stars are born, publicized, and in time devoutly scrapbooked by adoring fans.
They tackle a question at least as old as Sarah Bernhardt: who or what makes a star? Rather than crediting star making to the culture industry, to fans, or to star themselves, Sharon makes the case that all three forces together constitute a celebrity creation machine.
After discussing her archival work on theatrical scrapbooking in Indiana, Sharon pulls from the vaults a marvelous Hollywood memoir, Brooke Haywood’s Haywired. That triggers discussion of the studio system and how its models of celebrity are and are not with us today.
Sharon’s two Recallable Books also capitalize on mid-century notions of celebrity: Mommie Dearest by Christina Crawford and Edie: American Girl by Jean Stein and George Plimpton. John’s choice, The Entertainer by Margaret Talbot, another biographical account written by a star’s daughter, gives a slightly rosier perspective on the family memoir.
Discussed in this episode:
- Sharon Marcus, The Drama of Celebrity (Princeton UP, 2o19
- Daniel Boorstin, The Image (“a person who is known for his well-knownness”)
- Theodor Adorno and Theodore Horkheimer, “Culture Industry” in Dialectic of Enlightenment
- Henry Jenkins, “Textual Poachers“
- Dick Herbdige, “Subculture: The Meaning of Style“
- Mark Twain, Patented Scrapbook Innovator
- Brooke Hayward, Haywire
- Christina Crawford, Mommie Dearest
- Jean Stein, George Plimpton, Edie, American Girl
- Margaret Talbot, The Entertainer
Read the episode here.
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Your Host
Elizabeth Ferry and John Plotz
Free-ranging discussion of books from the past that cast a sideways light on today's world. Recall This Book is hosted by Elizabeth Ferry, Professor of Anthropology at Brandeis University and John Plotz, Barbara Mandel Professor of the Humanities at Brandeis University and co-founder of the Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative.
