The Wrath of Blonde: (The Making of Star Trek II, and Different Wild Hollywood Adventures as an Amazon in Outerspace)
Written by: Laura Banks
Paperback | $15.95
Printed by Child Books | 186 Pages
“That is the story of me, a little bit of a no one, pretending to be a any individual, based mostly on the truth that I’ve identified a bunch of somebodies. Okay, not likely. …I see myself in these pages as a shameless namedropper…”
To explain Laura Banks’ latest memoir as “breezy” is doing a disservice to tornadoes in every single place. On this dishy, tell-almost-all stream-of-consciousness recollection of her time in Hollywood, Banks fires off thirty transient chapters by which she may change the topic 5 or 6 occasions in each! It’s a fast learn, and on the middle are a number of chapters detailing her time as a supporting actress on the set of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and her subsequent months-long relationship with its main man, William Shatner. This makes it attention-grabbing studying for Trek followers whose (pointed?) ears are itching for considerably edgy gossip about their favourite celebrities.
Laura Banks’ profession as a slapstick comedian and actress in Los Angeles was simply starting when she was tapped by Nicholas Meyer to exchange Lana Clarkson as “Khan’s Navigator,” a background function that might change her life by bringing her into the Star Trek household eternally. These chapters are loads of enjoyable for anybody who needs to know tidbits about how these types of roles are forged in a Hollywood movie and what life is like on set, interacting with celebrities. What did Banks consider director Nicholas Meyer? How was it working with Montalban? How do you imbue a background character with an inside life? Banks digs into these questions with vigor.
Banks has the excellence of showing in most likely probably the most extensively used promotional picture for the movie, the one with Ricardo Montalban as Khan within the middle, embraced by and embracing two of his most comely followers. Banks is the gal on Montalban’s left, within the gauzy tan shirt.
Laura Banks (R) in a publicity picture for Star Trek II
It was solely after the movie opened and Banks was showing at a Star Trek conference that she met Shatner, and so they started their transient whirlwind relationship. These chapters are juicy and provides some perception into who Shatner was in these days in addition to Banks’ inside life. Whereas Banks guarantees in her introduction to shock and even anger readers along with her outside-the-box opinions, I’m not positive she delivers on that intent. However the anecdotes she relates are enjoyable, generally unusual, and definitely exterior the on a regular basis expertise of most non-Hollywood people.
Banks appears to have a brief consideration span and doesn’t dwell on any matter for very lengthy, however returns a number of occasions to some key themes, like conquering her insecurities, her dislike of holes, and her confusion-with-a-touch-of-bitterness over why she by no means hit it huge in Tinseltown. Alongside the way in which, the reader will admire her insights into the significance of having fun with the life that you’ve got even whereas striving for one thing extra. Another revelations are much less insightful, like the concept that pleasure is pleasing, or that if you’ll be able to suppose constructive ideas on a regular basis, you’ll typically be happier. Nonetheless, I learn the e-book for the Star Trek II background anecdotes and the movie star gossip, and I used to be not dissatisfied in both respect.
The Wrath of Blonde: (The Making of Star Trek II, and Different Wild Hollywood Adventures as an Amazon in Outerspace) is offered now in paperback at Amazon for $15.95.
Banks has written various memoirs and self-help books, together with Embracing Your Large Fats Ass: An Proprietor’s Guide, Breaking the Guidelines: Final-Ditch Ways for Touchdown the Man of Your Goals, a Parody, and Love On-line, a e-book about web relationships. She starred in three B-movies within the Eighties—Wheels of Hearth, Demon of Paradise, and Retreads—and maintains a web site, www.LauraBanks.com along with her filmography and hyperlinks to purchase her books.
This summer time, Banks will likely be signing at various fan conventions together with varied GalaxyCons, Creation’s 57-12 months Mission Las Vegas, Trekonderoga, and Monsterama. She may also be doing stand-up comedy in a number of the similar cities alongside the way in which.
Discover extra information and critiques of Star Trek books at TrekMovie.com.
DISCLAIMER: We could hyperlink to merchandise to purchase on Amazon in our articles; these are personalized affiliate hyperlinks that assist TrekMovie by incomes a small fee whenever you buy by them.