Hollywood Undressed: Observations Of Sylvia As Noted By Her Secretary Paperback – September 10, 2010

This book was informative to those interested in early Hollywood. Finding an actual copy from the period is difficult and expensive. I’m glad there is a reprint option for those who would like to read about this time period in early Hollywood.

As a fan of early Hollywood, the title of this book intrigued me. Although the book claims to have been written by Sylvia’s “secretary,” it doesn’t take long to realize the author is Sylvia herself, perhaps with the help of a ghostwriter. Then, one wonders, “Who is Sylvia?” Research quickly reveals Sylvia Ulback was a fitness guru and masseuse to female Hollywood stars during the first three decades of the 1900s.Although I’m familiar with stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood, many of the names mentioned in the book are unfamiliar to me. I recognize names like Jean Harlow, Constance Bennett, Marie Dressler, and others from that era; however, many of the stars mentioned are from the silent era and are virtually unknown today.A quick read, and written in a very breezy style, the book can still be difficult to follow. I’m not certain whether it’s due to the writing style or whether time has taken a toll on understanding. The early chapters discuss interactions with specific stars; later chapters provide advice on exercise, grooming, and diet. It’s interesting to see how beauty habits have changed in 80 years. For example, Sylvia advises a woman to wash her hair no more than twice a month—preferably less.I recommend the book for those who are fans of early Hollywood or interested in beauty routines of the early 1900s. A forward in the book with a brief biography on Sylvia would have been helpful. One can’t help but wonder what repercussions she experienced by betraying the confidences of her renowned clients. From an historical perspective, the book is a gem, and Kessinger Legacy Reprints should be commended for preserving this book by reprinting it.

This book was written by an assistant to Sylvia, who was a masseuse to such early Hollywood names as Constance Bennett, Marie Dressler, Gloria Swanson, Grace Moore, and others. The first part is stories of these stars, some of which are very good and shows a side of Hollywood not seen in other biographies or autobiographies. The second half of the book has some of the diets Sylvia recommended to the various stars. A lot of the advice in the book is still good today.

Enjoyed this look back at beauty trends from the past - a few gem in here that still ring true.

Pretty dumb. Expected more substance...very dated nutrition info.

I've been wanting to read this for years. Very nice reprinting, clean and sturdy. Alas, Sylvia abandons idle gossip in parts II and III in favor of exercise and diet tips; still interesting, but more idle gossip about Hollywood "names" of the period would have been much more satisfying!

Written by Sylvia even though she makes it sound like her secretary wrote it. For some reason, in my head it sounds like the fun narrated Hollywood Newsreels that they used to do (That I've seen on TCM once in a while) Or the short comedy movies they used to do with Robert Benchley doing silly things and they'd have narration (also seen on TCM). Fun to read Part 1. Part 2 is instructional.. some still useful, some not.

I was on a Joan Crawford, 1930s kick and got this one. It's sitting there and I pick it up from time to time, glad to have it but nothing earth shattering. I think Sylvia was a bit nuts but the book is sorta fun.