Customer Reviews

Betty Garrett and Other Songs: A Life on Stage and Screen

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have always enjoyed Ms. Garrett's work and this book made me love her all the more. Her enduring love affair with Larry Parks, her interesting family, her career and personality made me wish I could have dinner with her or better yet, have her be a houseguest for a month or two! This was a most pleasant, informative read.

A wonderfully honest and engaging book...I have always loved to watch Betty Garrett's work, and reading about it all from her candid and funny perspective was a joy. From the MGM days to Archie Bunker to today, this book provides insights that a lot of others miss. Interesting, too, to read her perspective on the McCarthy madness. I'm an actress just starting out, and Betty's love for the work really inspired me!

This book made me laugh and cry. It was a touching memoir by a great lady, full of the details of an earlier, more innocent Hollywood. The section on McCarthy is chilling.

Betty's wit, wisdom and reflections prove that there's a lot more to her than a pretty face and wise-cracks. Talent, sensitivity and grace make her a beautiful author with something important to say. Show business enthusiasts and historians alike will greatly enjoy her story. And, since her career is enjoying a recent resurgence, we can only hope she'll write a sequel, soon!

If you like reading celebrity autobiographies, and you even have a passing interest in this actress, don't miss this book. It really is a very engrossing read. She speaks of her life in a very honest and forthcoming fashion, and she has had quite an interesting life, the most dramatic part being the blacklisting of her actor husband, Larry Parks, in the 1950's, and her "guilt by association."

Also, if you happen to be a fan of either Lloyd, Beau, and/or Jeff Bridges, you should know that Betty and Larry are/were(Larry is deceased) very close to this family -- Betty is Jeff Bridges' godmother.

So, if you know Betty from her movie work (she tells such a funny story about Frank Sinatra, from when they were filming "On the Town"), her stage work, or her TV work on "All in the Family" and "Laverne and Shirley," I think you will more than appreciate this book.

I hope you read this and enjoy it as much as I did!

I have loved the movies of both Betty Garrett and Larry Parks for years, and now feel that I have read their love story. Betty's descriptions of her multi-faceted career and personal life were written with humor, warmth, and love. She and Larry endured the 'unofficial' blacklist and other obstacles together, and showed what "in good times and in bad" really meant. I admire and adore them both even more now. Her book is a wonderful read and her career isn't even over.

betty garrett was the best in those mgm movies and she could have been so much more famous

I like Betty Garrett very much! From Laverne & Shirley, All In The Family-very funny! I like that the book is her autobiography! I can't wait to read all about the life & times of the lovely Betty Garrett! I also have David L. Lander's autobiography & the unofficial Penny Marshall book! Any one who's a fan of "Laverne & Shirley" e-mail me @: tiff_lisatony7@yahoo.com. We can chat about Betty, Penny, David, Cindy, Michael, Phil, & evrything else related to "Laverne & Shirley".

Just finished the book and wish there were more to read. What a fascinating read and woman. This is someone I would have liked to have met. She's quite candid about her growing up years and years in New York and other cities where she was a chorus girl. She hints about her many "boyfriends" which leads us to believe she was kind of a "party" girl in her earlier years, which is no suprise since most young woman in those and even these days are quite open with their relationships and sexuality.
The book really comes into view with her meeting of Larry Parks. Such an interesting life with him. She doesn't skim on her two boys and the troubles one of them caused. Too bad Betty only made eight films. Wish she would have been featured in a dozen or more, but be thankful that we have ON THE TOWN; TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME and her best, MY SISTER EILEEN.
For a great show biz story of yesteryear, this is a MUST READ.

Betty Garrett has written an interesting book about her life in show business. She was careful not to make this a "tell all" book. Even if she had bad experiences with someone, she did not rake them over the coals. It was interesting to read about what her husband Larry Parks and she went through when the blacklisting in the 1950s made them victims. Ms. Garrett seems like a very nice person who had a long career in show business.