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• One significant omission...

  • GS
  • 2018-02-07

  Since she starred in "The Big Show," her own radio show, which gave her career a temporary boost, it might be more accurate to say that her career began to fade by the late 1950s, not the early 1950s. "The Big Show" was NBC's weekly, 90-minute music and variety extravaganza, of unprecedented scale, and ran for fifty-seven episodes over three years, starting in 1950. "The Big Show" was NBC's attempt to recover the share of its audience lost to growing TV viewership, and to CBS luring away NBC's talent, like Jack Benny. At the time, radio show budgets ranged from $700 to $3,000 per epodise, The big show's budget was $30,000 per episode, three times as expensive as the rare "high end" series budgeted at $10,000 per episode. With her sharp wit and inherent nature as an iconoclast, Bankead, as mistress of ceremonies, tended to outshine even the most glamorous gueststars, which included some of the greatest singers, actors, comedians and personalities of the era. Although a hit with critics and a constant subject in print media, The Big Show's audience never grew large enough to justify its price tag. The Big Show's cancellation marked the end of The Golden Age of Radio, but the broadcast firmly established Bankhead as a multi-talented, gracious, humorous personality to a national audience, increased her star power, and presented job offers, that, due to her substance use disorder, decreased as the decade continued...

• One of a kind

  • Jourdan
  • 2014-08-18

  One of a kind, star material (both on and off screen, stage) with the instinct to not only realize how retched Hollywood was, but with the courage to turn her back on it. A person I would have loved to have known. Truly ahead of her time. ... You're not missing much here, Tallulah, but the world misses you.

• Alabama's Bad Girl

  • Spencer
  • 2009-03-09

  Before Madonna kissed Britney, Before Angelina swapped vials of blood with Billy Bob, Tallulah was bringing on the chaos. She lived by her own rules and didn't give a damn what anybody thought of it. Considering the era she lived in, she is to be commended. And yay, she was quite openly bisexual :) We rule. RIP Tallu. We'll party in the next life. :D

• What a Daaaling she was

  • Robert Wilbur
  • 2008-06-03

  What a freespirited person she was along with what an attitude. I believe she was a true person and she said what she thought regardless if printable or not. She mighthave been slightly ahead of her time. A great actress and person, to bad she is not more well know.

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