Customer Reviews

The Memory of All That: Love and Politics in New York, Hollywood, and Paris

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Betsy Blair has a lot of interesting stories to tell - she was married to one of the 20th Century's entertainment geniuses (not that we get to hear a great deal about what made him tick), and she survived the infamous Blacklist. She has an unfortunate habit of trying to put a happy face on every situation, however, and the only times her real grit shows through are when she expresses her bitterness (over the way she was shafted in her divorce from Kelly, and in the way she disappeared from view in the Blacklist, for instance). Her anger when she reads through her files from the FBI and the armed forces is palpable. I would have liked to see more of that feist and less of the Pollyanna attitude.

I can understand a woman's need to come into her own and to be independent. After all, Blair was a teenager when she met and fell in love with the older Kelly, and she was a mother before her 18th birthday. She had a LOT of growing up to do. In this disjointed memoir, it is difficult to determine when that growing actually took place. She stayed with Kelly until it was no longer convenient to do so (i.e., when she fell in love with another man after a series of affairs), and then stayed with that man until she found yet another. That doesn't sound terribly "independent" to me.

I might have been able to give the book five stars if it weren't as I said above, disjointed. For instance, at the end of a chapter that has nothing at all to do with it, she describes a charming encounter when, on Coronation Day in London, she, her daughter and her then-husband are making their way through Hyde Park Corner in order to get to their viewing area for the festivities. This is a lovely anecdote about the Londoners making a path for them and serenading them with "Singing in the Rain." The only problem is that the story is told after the chapters dealing with the divorce from Kelly and at the end of a chapter dealing with her living in Paris with her new love. As I say, disjointed.

The stories are compelling and the language is fairly interesting (though the phrase "was, and is" tends to be overused). I just wish it had been put into a more cohesive form so that we could get a better chronological view of Miss Blair's growth, if any, as a person.

Betsy Blair does a wonderful job of taking us inside the Golden Age of Hollywood, an age she says she felt unaccountably lucky to be a part of. So she's not the greatest writer, as several people here have pointed out. So what? If you want great literature, read Proust or James or Wharton.

But if you want to get a feel for what everyday life was like for the people who gave us some of the great cinema of the 20th century, then read this. Also, of course, if you're a fan of the brilliant, incomparable Gene Kelly.

Some of the criticisms in these reader reviews are downright bizarre. Betsy's politics seem to be a big point of contention. Good grief, she was 17 years old when she went to Hollywood. She's supposed to have a sophisticated understanding of Marxism at that age?? As she states repeatedly in the book, she was young and inexperienced and had a lot to learn. The fact that she was smart enough to eventually repudiate Communism while still holding on to her liberal beliefs obviously rankles some reviewers.

Then there's the carping that she was enjoying the good life while claiming to stand up for the downtrodden. In reply, I quote from page 228: "I don't remember being uneasy in the idyllic life I was leading. It was, after all, running in tandem with my left-wing beliefs. I was not clearheaded or clearsighted enough to see that there might be a contradiction there, that perhaps I was uncomfortable about my unearned luxury -- unearned not by Gene, but by me."

Hey, folks, it's called growing up. Blair grew up and wrote this delicious book. As for the claims that she's constantly "name-dropping" -- hello? She lived in a place where famous people lived. They came to her house. They ate at her table. They played charades and ping-pong with her. What's she supposed to do -- pretend all that didn't happen? Use coy terms such as, "a rather well-known actress of the day"? People have names, even famous people. She simply states the facts.

Brava, Betsy Blair. Thank you for letting us take a walk with you down Memory Lane and into a world that has brought so many of us so much delight.

As a film critic and author, I was astonished to read this very self-centered biography of a young woman's "cataclysmic" revelations about her life and loves which were not terribly appealing or revealing. Blair delights in reaching "maturity" at the age of 34 after many, many affairs. She experiences no guilt, especially after her famous husband, Gene Kelly, divorces her on the grounds of "adultery." Furthermore, her life as she describes it, is like a long party, dropping names everywhere.
What she did not tell us, for example, her reaction to her best friend, Jeanne Coyne, marrying Gene Kelly, her ex-husband, would have given readers some "real feelings" and reactions. What we are left with is an anecdotal collection of a politically mixed-up, immature actress, a minor talent who was seduced at an early age by Marxist teachings but does NOT recant...and lingers on her "lost opportunities" as a future film director, again, giving up her artistic premise all for "love" (in this case, her marriage to director Karel Reisz!)
In addition, there is no filmography of her work and although the book is liberally illustrated with photos from Blair's private collection, her p.o.v. about "love and politics in New York, Hollywood & Paris" (what about Madrid & Rome?) is utterly banal. A bleak, dishonest, self-centered memoir from a minor talent without a shred of conscience. Very, very banal...

I loved, loved, loved this book, for several reasons.

First, it distinguishes itself from the hoards of Hollywood memoirs in that it is completely and uttlerly honest -- as honest as the day is long. Betsy Blair seemed bent on telling us a tale of fame, fortune and success, all without the hazy gauze so typical of Hollywood memoirs. Her eye is specific and sharp, her insights into people and places are clever and frequently dead on, and her honesty is so forthright, that she is able to freely admit she is the only one in the story who truly misbehaves.

Second it is a great theatrical tale. Blair, a talented and ambitious young woman, catches the eye of Gene Kelly, she was just 17, he was not much older, while hoofing it up at a New York nightclub. Their subsequent marriage and Gene's rise to movie stardom is magical and dreamy. But Blair knows this well, and she never loses her sense of self. Her ability to see her own life though her eyes, that of a hardworking and insightful actress, and not as someone who was born to win, lends an air of respectability and weight to the book that I very much admired. When the marriage fails, in part because of her of inability to live in such a wonderful cocoon, the sense of poignancy is deep, it also rare in such books.

Her later years, in Europe, as an actress and political activist, are some of the most interesting in the book. To leave one of the world's great movie stars is a feat in and of itself. To build a new and exciting life, as an actress. mother and then wife to one of the great realist film directors, Karel Reisz, makes it a thoroughly modern story, inspirational for all women who dream that both beauty and satisfaction in life can be there for the taking.

First things first: this is not a book about Gene Kelly. It's Miss Blair's memoir and quite an interesting book. The writing is natural and charming, you might find yourself smiling several times as you read along.

The first part about Broadway and (later) Hollywood is about a very young woman awakening to the world, learning her craft and knowing people who will have a strong influence in her life. It also shows how someone living in a comfortable position can identify with less fortunate people and become a communist (thing that seems to bother other reviewers here).

Later, after divorcing Kelly and travelling to Europe we learn about her work with Antonioni, Welles and Bardem (uncle of actor Javier Bardem). The book ends after meeting director Karel Reisz.

I had the chance to meet Miss Blair after the publishing of this memoir and asked her if she'd write a second volume. Unfortunately, she wouldn't: she told me that she had had a perfect happy life with her second husband and thought it would be boring to read.

In any case, enjoy this volume and check her work in Marty, Calle Mayor, Betrayed or A delicate balance, you might be surprised at how good she is in these films. She also worked in The hours playing Ed Harris' mother at the end of the film. You won't be able to see her work in this scene thanks to Julianne Moore's insistence in playing it herself. The scene was finally cut and reshot with Miss Moore in a dreadful and unbelievable aging makeup.

(The British edition adds a new Prologue.)

A forever fan of Gene Kelly, I was eager to learn more about his marriage to Betsy Blair. Alas, she comes across as substantially less than the sum of her parts. I ended up actively disliking her, and gaining a better appreciation of Gene Kelly for putting up with her.

I'm fairly obsessed with Gene Kelly and ordered this book because of the promise of a more accurate biography than some others out there and because of the pictures. There are nice pictures and the first part of the book does reveal what I had hoped to learn about Gene Kelly. Worth the price for that much. Other than that, the book is poorly written, incredibly dull and sophomoric. The author is so incredibly self-involved, conceited and immature, it leaves the Gene Kelly fan somewhat disappointed in his taste in women.

As a fan of Gene Kelly, I admittedly did not buy this book specifically to learn more about his first wife Betsy Blair. If I had, however, I would have found an autobiography heavily padded with name dropping and a great deal of hypocrisy peppered with rambling, incomplete introspective commentary that makes one wonder if, in all her years, Betsy has at all been able to absorb her own life lessons on personal growth.
She begins the very first chapter with recollections of Gene's last days with his third wife Pat that, if one didn't know any better, would paint a miserable picture of a man swallowed up by a snake that was slowly devouring his heart and soul and life. Betsy makes no attempt to hide her contempt for Gene's "new, very young wife" and sets about twisting facts out of context to make Gene appear to be a victim. This does a tremendous disservice to fans, friends and to Gene. "I don't write in bitterness" she claims, after finishing her one sided expose on Gene and Pat.
Expect to find the rest of her memories on life with Gene to fall short in carving out a true picture of the man, embracing all of his facets both charming and notorious. Perhaps out of respect she has given us the impression she knew very little about how difficult and demanding he was to work with..or perhaps out of a genuine lack of understanding of the creative process she removed herself from what his frustrations, concerns and daily mental regimens were really like. This would make sense considering the vast amount of time she gives to talking about the spoils of her own life in Hollywood as the young wife of a famous movie star. Much of her description smacks of a self centered young lady from an early age that had a life filled with opportunity and the trappings of exceptional circumstances, which, I am sure she would argue, was the reason for her slow growing dissatisfactions...they were the result of Gene's fame, not her own.. Yet even with a book that embarks on what should be an interesting journey thru Hollywood in the 40's and 50's, covering the blacklisting process and the left wing communistic politics that she was so heavily into (all the while living in Beverly Hills, buying what she wanted, jet setting around the world on vacations), the book still reads like a flatline. Although at times it does afford one a laugh, such as claiming no bitterness while slamming Patricia Ward, and recalling being hurt by not getting a 50/50 split on communal property by Gene when they divorced..at the same time admitting she "didnt believe in private property." Huh?
Because of her more or less luxurious Beverly Hills lifestyle, her self admitted need for men's attention and adoration outside of her marriage and her hypocritical politics, it is hard to be compelled by the thread of "personal growth and exploration" that runs thru the book. I guess one reason is that I don't know that she has ultimately "grown" at all. She lauds the value of respecting people's privacy for instance, yet does not hesitate to toss out facts out of context to serve her own emotional agenda, subsequently ravaging the reputation of others. It is this that makes me doubt the effectiveness of all her years on the analyst's couch.
While I don't doubt Betsy's affection for Gene, which I think is apparent in this book, there isn't much substance about their life together, and as one of the other reviews here states, there are plenty of holes in the story involving Gene's eventual romantic migration over to her close friend, Jeannie Coyne. Perhaps it was simply inevitable.
Betsy had a modicum of accomplishments in life, but without the name dropping and her marriage to Gene, I don't know what publisher would have accepted this for printing. Perhaps if her own personal story was more compelling, her inner changes more profound, motives and conclusions more fleshed out, it could reach a larger audience. She seems fascinated with herself, indeed..it is simply hard to share that fascination with her.

This book was a gift from a friend who knew how much I admired the talent of the great Gene Kelly. Instead of reading about this amazingly talented visionary, I found a bio of a woman who, while valiantly proclaming herself an intellectual, strings together vapid stories of stars she met, parties she attended and men who adored her. The image she creates is a yet another left leaning limousine liberal with a taste for five star hotels, exotic vacations and Beverly Hills House parties. She may have toasted the Soviet Union on New Year's Eve, but she sure enjoyed those capitalistic goodies. She talks about her concern for the down trodden, but Betsy takes good care of Betsy. The man she calls her "second and eternal hisband" (producer Karel Reisz) she apparently snatched away from his family, which included three small boys. Nice show of concern, Betsy! Pass on this one, folks. If, like me, you are a Gene Kelly fan, you will enjoy renting "Singin' in the Rain" so much more than this tripe.

I am seriously disappointed in both Tutts Booksellers and Amazon. I ordered this book one month ago and have yet to receive it. I have e-mailed the book seller twice and Amazon once...never received one reply, nor my money back. I would have like to have read the book, but apparently that won't happen!