River of No Return: Tennessee Ernie Ford and the Woman He Loved [Hardcover]

Jeffrey Buckner Ford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2008

In 1942 Ernest Jennings Ford married nineteen-year-old Betty Jean Heminger, whom he had met at Victorville Army Air Base in California. River of No Return: Tennessee Ernie Ford and the Woman He Loved is the recounting of their life together, of Ernie's spectacular success as an entertainer, of their growing spiral of self-destruction as his career flourished, and of their two sons' despair as they watched the light slowly fade from their parents' eyes and the joy vanish from their lives. For Betty it was vodka, valium, and tranquilizers. For Ernie, it was beer for breakfast, Cutty for lunch at the club, and whatever later in the day.

In 1954 Tennessee Ernie Ford broke into television on I Love Lucy as Lucy Ricardo's cousin Ernie. In 1955 "Sixteen Tons" became the fastest-selling single in the history of the recording business. From 1956 through 1961, NBC's The Ford Show brought Ernie into 30 million homes every week. Among his many honors were three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame -- for radio, records, and television -- the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

In River of No Return: Tennessee Ernie Ford and the Woman He Loved, their son Jeffrey remembers when his family's joy of being together was infectious, when the promise of every day and the thrill of being at the center of the spotlight was rapturous. It was a time when the name Ernie Ford was in the air and his fame worldwide.

In the final ten or so years before Tennessee Ernie Ford's death, the press and music industry had referred to him as "legendary." This book is, in part, an accounting of the price the Ford family paid for that title and a record of the cost it ultimately exacted from Jeffrey and his brother, who paid the greatest price. It is also the story of a simple man blessed with an extraordinary talent, whose only dream was to live an ordinary life. He walked away from Hollywood at the peak of his career in the hopes of saving his family, only to see his star shine even brighter.

This book is also a portrait of the complex and beautiful woman Ernie fell in love with and married, a brilliant artist in her own right whom the world would never known, whose star might have eclipsed even Ernie's but, instead, slowly faded with time, paling under the weight of the lengthening shadow cast by the man she loved.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. "Ernie Ford was never known for having a passion to succeed," his son deadpans in this masterfully rendered biography of the entertainer, best known for his song "Sixteen Tons," whose lifelong alcoholism and chronic depression drove himself and his first wife to their deaths. Ambition notwithstanding, Tennessee Ernie Ford possessed a winning combination of talent and luck that made him one of the biggest stars in the country, with numerous Top Ten hits and, at the height of his popularity, a weekly television show watched by millions. The younger Ford gives readers an in-depth look behind the curtain, painting a multilayered portrait of the man who hid his pain behind a salt-of-the-earth Everyman pose. The heart of the book is Ford's doomed relationship with his first wife Betty, who would, after more than 40 years of marriage, take her own life. Though storm clouds continually threaten, the Fords' life wasn't all dark; Ford includes colorful anecdotes featuring celebrities like Jerry Lewis and Bob Hope, their neighbor, as well as happy family memories like Disneyland on opening day. Though Ernie recorded hundreds of songs, Ford keeps his dad's career manageable with broad strokes, delving into minutiae only when the topic turns to mega-hit "Sixteen Tons" and the beginning of his gospel period. Ford's ability to stay both honest and impartial make this a compulsively readable story, and a fine model for celebrity bios to come. Even readers unfamiliar with Ford's massive body of work will find the drama, pain and success that marked his life fascinating.
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Review

"Ernie Ford was never known for having a passion to succeed," his son deadpans in this masterfully rendered biography of the entertainer, best known for his song "Sixteen Tons," whose lifelong alcoholism and chronic depression drove himself and his first wife to their deaths. Ambition notwithstanding, Tennessee Ernie Ford possessed a winning combination of talent and luck that made him one of the biggest stars in the country, with numerous Top Ten hits and, at the height of his popularity, a weekly television show watched by millions. The younger Ford gives readers an in-depth look behind the curtain, painting a multilayered portrait of the man who hid his pain behind a salt-of-the-earth Everyman pose. The heart of the book is Ford's doomed relationship with his first wife Betty, who would, after more than 40 years of marriage, take her own life. Though storm clouds continually threaten, the Fords' life wasn't all dark; Ford includes colorful anecdotes featuring celebrities like Jerry Lewis and Bob Hope, their neighbor, as well as happy family memories like Disneyland on opening day. Though Ernie recorded hundreds of songs, Ford keeps his dad's career manageable with broad strokes, delving into minutiae only when the topic turns to mega-hit "Sixteen Tons" and the beginning of his gospel period. Ford's ability to stay both honest and impartial make this a compulsively readable story, and a fine model for celebrity bios to come. Even readers unfamiliar with Ford's massive body work will find the drama, pain and success that marked his life fascinating.

--Publishers Weekly June 16, 2008

Verdict: Tennessee Ernie Ford was loved by millions. Unfortunately, his fame caused overwhelming problems for his wife and two sons. This memoir by Ernie's eldest is recommendable for larger libraries with interest in celebrity biographies.

Background: Jeffrey "Buck" Ford, the oldest son of Ernie and Betty Ford, writes about a life of wealth and privilege. He sensitively remembers the good and bad times of a disintegrating family. Tennessee Ernie Ford began his career in radio and soon became an instant hit. From hosting NBC's Ford Show (1956 61) to gold records (he's best known for his recording of "Sixteen Tons") and guest appearances, Tennessee Ernie became a major star. Growing up in a tumultuous environment took a toll on Jeffrey, his brother, and Ernie, whose wife, Betty, had a difficult time adjusting to Ernie's fame. Betty was a gifted artist who buried her pain in alcohol and prescription drugs. Ford's two sons disappointed him; Betty's attempted suicides and a failing career soon caused Ernie to become an alcoholic. Other biographies cannot emit the raw emotion and intimate details that Jeffrey has presented in this well-written and compelling memoir.

Rosalind Dayen, South Regional Lib., Broward Cty., FL --Library Journal - April 15, 2008 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Cumberland House Publishing; First Edition edition (May 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581826532
• ISBN-13: 978-1581826531
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #301,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sad End for a Great Entertainer, July 12, 2008

By 

Sam Sattler (Spring, Texas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: River of No Return: Tennessee Ernie Ford and the Woman He Loved (Hardcover)

Ernest Jennings Ford was at heart a family man devoutly devoted to his wife and two sons. At the very peak of his Hollywood success, the man who will forever be known as "Tennessee Ernie" Ford, the radio character he created for himself, decided to walk away from all the glamour because of his concern for what the Hollywood lifestyle was doing to his family. The great irony of his life is that Ernie Ford would die in October 1991 under the care of a second wife who was determined to deny his two sons any part of his legacy, financial or otherwise, a woman who even tried to deny them access to their father's funeral.

In River of No Return, Jeffrey Buckner Ford, eldest of the Ford sons, mixes his fond memories of growing up next door to Bob Hope and of the several successful television series that his father hosted with sad recollections of how alcohol and pills ended up destroying both his parents. He speaks frankly of the addictions and dissatisfaction with her life that resulted in his mother's suicide after several earlier attempts had failed, and he speaks just as honestly of how his father failed to do the things that might have saved her life. Perhaps saddest of all is his disclosure of how Ernie Ford's decision to protect his sons by moving them from Hollywood was doomed to failure because of what the boys witnessed in their own home, wherever it might be located.

Betty Jean Heminger met Ernie Ford when he was stationed at Victorville Army Air Base in California, where she worked as a secretary; she was only nineteen years old when they married. Betty Jean, an avid reader and an accomplished artist, was at first content to be labeled simply an entertainer's wife but, as the years went by, she seemed to grow frustrated with her role, turning to alcohol and drugs to get through her day. Ernie and her sons sensed when she was losing control, but though they did their best to protect her from herself, they were not always successful. As the couple grew farther and farther apart, Ernie turned more often to alcohol to ease his own pain, a decision that would eventually lead to liver disease, severe memory loss, and ultimately his death.

But River of No Return is not just about the bad times. Jeffrey Buckner Ford celebrates the good times as well, and his pride in and love for both his parents are evident. He remembers the times when being around his parents was sheer joy, days spent on the set of his father's television shows, his brief encounter with Bob Hope when he crawled through the hedges dividing their property in order to sneak a picture of Mrs. Hope, whom the neighborhood boys insisted swam in the nude in her backyard, and days spent basking in "celebrity" as only the child of famous parents can.

Ernie Ford was a spectacularly successful entertainer, a man with the voice and talent to sing any style of music but who, almost by default due to his "Tennessee Ernie" image, became best known as a country music singer. At the peak of his career, he was world-famous and played to particularly large audiences in England. As so often happens to a singer, today he is probably best-known for a single recording, "Sixteen Tons," which in 1955 became the fastest selling single in the history of the record business. Ernie Ford received numerous honors during his career, but four of them particularly stand out because they reward his decades as an entertainer: the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984, induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1994, and three stars on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame (one each for television, recordings and radio).

Jeffrey Buckner Ford presents the contrast between Ernie Ford's public success and the frustrating failures he experienced in private in what is often a conversationally ironic tone, an approach that makes the sadness of Ernie's life especially vivid. Longtime fans of Ernie Ford are certain to find River of No Return a gratifying experience despite its sad revelations about his personal life. Those not as familiar with Ford as a performer will likely read the book more as the cautionary tale it is but might, at the same time, find themselves compelled to investigate his musical history. They will be better off for having discovered why Ernie Ford is still considered to be an American music legend.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST-READ THAT WILL MAKE YOU SMILE - BUT STILL BREAK YOUR HEART!, May 19, 2008

By 

Henry Z. Jones, Jr. (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: River of No Return: Tennessee Ernie Ford and the Woman He Loved (Hardcover)

Tennessee Ernie Ford was one of the world's most beloved performers - 16 tons of talent who could do it all! In this remarkable book, his son Jeffrey Buckner ("Buck") Ford has written a poignant love letter to his parents, telling their story with unflinching honesty and candor.Their journey together as a family wasn't at all what the world thought it was, showing yet again that life is not always what it seems. The highs, the lows, the joys, and God knows the pains are all here - told in an extremely well-written book that's impossible to put down. I guarantee you'll need some extra Kleenex as you see how the pressures of super-stardom and unbelievable success were too hard to bear and changed them all forever. I can't recommend this book highly enough - truly one of the best books I've ever read!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a surprise!, June 11, 2008

By 

James R. Stewar (Near Tucson, Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: River of No Return: Tennessee Ernie Ford and the Woman He Loved (Hardcover)

The Tennessee Ford Shows were regular viewing events around our home when I was growing up (the day time shows and the history making night time show) in smalltown Circleville, Ohio. Ernie's shows represented the tops in tasteful entertainment for the entire family...and we especially enjoyed the courage it took for him to go against network brass, record executives and sponsors to make it fashionable (and very popular) to sing sacred songs. We were especially excited when family favorite Gisele MacKenzie would make an appearance with Ern (between the daytime and nighttime shows, she appeared four times), and became the only artist other than Ernie to sing the hymn of the week, and even did Ford commercials with Ernie! We only had thoughts of what a happy homelife Mr. Ford must have. How on earth did the dark side of the Ford family remain so covered up for all these years!?? I purchased this revealing book with great caution...I was fearful that I'd be getting another 'parent dearest' type book by a disgruntled relative! The book tells the heartbreaking story of a legend and his family and what booze can do to it and how things can become so ugly and out-of-control, like when Ernie's second wife had the legend's children banned from the superstar's funeral. The image of Ernie lying on air port floors, bleeding and drunk was almost too much for me to imagine or handle, but there it is in all its horrific detail. Although I thought I knew much about Ernie's life, I never dreamed that his 'beloved' first wife, Betty, hadn't died of natural causes. Jeffrey Ford masterfully and tastefull tells the dreadfully exasperating story of a broken family living a lie in the public spotlight...I felt his sons' pain...and I experienced personal pain myself as I tried to reconcile the life of the great entertainer and hymn singer with gory reality, along with Mr. Ford's wondrous achievements that won him a place in The Country Music Hall of Fame. Nothing, not even facing the facts of the real Ernie Ford, his family and life, can take away my grand memories of coming home from school on a daily basis to find my own Mother working in the kitchen and singing along with one of Ernie's dozens of sacred albums. He brought us all so much grand entertainment, personal hope and grand memories, while suffering a living hell of his own. Bless your heart, Ernie Ford, and I wish both your sons a happy life. Thanks, Jeffrey Ford, for a most remarkable and informative book.