 It's
not quite as witty as a Porter song (who could equal the incomparable Cole?), but this
thorough biography honors the Broadway musical's worldliest, most intelligent composer by
taking him seriously. Voluminous research buttresses William McBrien's portrait of a
charmed life scarred by tragedy. Born in 1891, Porter left his wealthy family in Indiana
to thoroughly enjoy himself at Yale University in Connecticut, where his sassy songs gave
the Midwestern outsider social clout. Although exclusively homosexual, Porter was
nonetheless devoted to the wealthy widow he married in 1919, and McBrien's narrative of
their 1920s travels through Europe captures the glamorous sheen of their life together.
Porter had some early success with shows like Fifty Million Frenchmen, but his
sustained run of hits began in 1932 with Gay Divorce, continuing through the '50s
and Kiss Me Kate. The author liberally quotes from Porter's deliciously naughty
lyrics, reminding us how corny most show tunes seem when compared to "Love for
Sale" or "Anything Goes." McBrien's painful account of the ghastly
aftermath of a 1937 riding accident, which left Porter in pain that ended only with his
death in 1964, reveals a quiet, uncomplaining stoic whose substance matched his dazzling
style. --Wendy Smith |