First to Leave the Party

"An enchanting collection of stories from the life of philanthropist, art collector and former president of Cineplex Media, Salah Bachir--who through his sheer joy of life, art, and human interaction has captivated some of the most famous people in modern history, including the likes of Marlon Brando, Muhammad Ali, Andy Warhol, and Katherine Hepburn. Salah Bachir, who immigrated to Canada from Lebanon in the 1960s, has been in the movie business for four decades, first as the originator of syndicated in-theatre magazines, and most recently as the president of Cineplex. While this has given him undeniable front-row access to Hollywood's biggest stars, it's Salah's personal charm and kindness, his philanthropy, his overall style (think capes, sashes, pearls, diamonds, etc.), and involvement in the art world that has made him a friend, companion, lover, and/or confidante to everyone from Katherine Hepburn, Paul Newman, Joan Rivers, Mary Tyler Moore, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. to Andy Warhol, Edward Albee, Orson Wells, Aretha Franklin, and Elizabeth Taylor. Collected here in this wonderful book are personal stories of them all, some short, some long, some surprising, others juicy, and all fascinating. Through them we get to know Salah, a larger-than-life character that embodied the worlds he lived in and shaped--the kind of person it would be hard to make up if he didn't already exist."--