Book review: Madeline Kahn biography looks beyond the laughs - Tulsa World
Performing wasn’t Kahn’s idea of a career anyway, at least not in the beginning. The stage became little Madeline’s means of self-expression, but her mother pushed voice and music lessons. Paula Kahn was a manipulative force throughout Madeline’s life. She drove away her daughter’s birth father and later her adoptive father, then relied on Madeline for money. Her daughter the star seldom said no, even when Paula included bills with a birthday card or expected Madeline to finance a one-woman show to display Paula’s talents, such as they were. Madison connects Kahn’s insecure childhood to her grown-up insecurities onstage and off. “As an adult, Madeline was often wary of people, and not just in the expected way of a star concerned that others will try to exploit her celebrity,” he writes. ” (1972) and “Paper Moon” (1973) and in Mel Brooks’ breakout hits, “Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein,” both in 1974. Nominated for supporting actress Oscars for “Paper Moon” and “Blazing Saddles,” she was pegged as a gifted laugh-getter. Brooks tells Madison, “Intellectually and mentally, she was probably superior to anyone and everyone she worked with, and actually probably had to hide her brilliance a little. Source: www.tulsaworld.com
