Recounts the successful marriage of Shirley Jones and Marty Ingels and describes their respective careers, Shirley's previous marriage to the womanizing Jack Cassidy, and Shirley and Marty's bittersweet romance. Reprint.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Oscar Award-winner Jones first performed at age 20 in 1954 and was married two years later to actor Jack Cassidy, an alcoholic. They had been only recently divorced in 1976 when he died in a fire, and Ingels, a Jewish comic from Brooklyn, began courting Jones. Their story, told in turns with Herskowitz, coauthor with Dan Rather of The Camera Never Blinks, is moving and hysterically funny. Afflicted by acute panic attacks, Ingels had lost a prized TV role, was broke and a loser in the eyes of Cassidy's sons and his own. But the self-assured Jones knew a real lover when she found him; and love did conquer all, including Ingels's severe illness and his step- and own sons. During their marriage of 15 years, Ingels has run a Hollywood talent agency. Photos not seen by PW. First serial to the Star.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Jones, multitalented actress and all-American girl is married to Ingels, neurotic Jewish comic and successful talent agent. In alternating chapters, the two relate their individual lives and the story of their offbeat romance and marriage. Of most interest are Shirley's tales of her discovery by Rodgers and Hammerstein and experiences in Hollywood, as well as her 16-year marriage to Jack Cassidy. Marty's stories of a driven childhood, manic behavior, early success on a 1960s sitcom series, later breakdown on the Tonight show, and agoraphobia which totally incapacitated him, become a bit wearing. This very personal narrative does have some interesting anecdotes and a certain morbid fascination for celebrity-watchers, but it's not a necessary purchase for small-budgeted libraries.
-Marcia L. Perry, Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield, Mass.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
-Marcia L. Perry, Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield, Mass.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A glimpse,
This review is from: Shirley & Marty: An Unlikely Love Story (Hardcover)
This is a wonderful glimpse into the lasting love affair between two people. Critics have said that they would never last. It is almost 30 years and they are still going strong. If you are a fan of Ms. Jones, this is the book for you. It is their words, and their story. A must have for any fan.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
entertaining, heartwarming,page turner - you'll fall in love,
By A Customer
This review is from: Shirley & Marty: An Unlikely Love Story (Paperback)
The amazing story of two people who make each other happy although they are totally opposite. America's sweetheart and the often misunderstood, agoraphoic comedian who won her heart. Told from both sides of the relationship - frenzy and flowers. The writing style is engaging and you'll see people you know - you'll feel like part of the family.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Quirky Stories in Poorly-Structured Autobiography,
By
This review is from: Shirley & Marty: An Unlikely Love Story (Paperback)
There's no doubt that some of the stories involving Shirley Jones and Marty Ingels are unique and interesting--but this autobiography is so poorly structured that you have to plod through the stylistic weaknesses in order to glean the good stuff.
Let's start with the book's title: What is it? The cover says "Shirley Jones and Marty Ingels." Inside it says "Shirley & Marty: An Unlikely Love Story." Then on the copyright page it again says the title is "Shirley Jones and Marty Ingels." That should be the easy part. Amazon says it's "Shirley and Marty" but that's not what the copyright page says. Then the way the book is formated is that co-author Mickey Herskowitz becomes the third-person narrator, interspersed with lengthy quotes from Marty and Shirley. Marty's are denoted by a bunch of dashes before the quote; Shirley's are set apart by a bunch of arrows. They never tell you this at the start of the book--you have to figure it out by yourself. So the start of the book refers to the duo objectively as "them," then suddenly you get Marty or Shirley saying "I." What's even more weird is that sometimes within the Herskowitz narrative he quotes one of them--only to have them have their own separate quoted section a few paragraphs later. Namely, the structure makes no sense--it either should have been a biography written in Herskowitz's voice or an autobiography in the voice of the two subjects. It ends up being a confusing mixture. The first four chapters deal with the start of their "love story," though the love seems very one-sided. Much mention is made of Shirley's first husband Jack Cassidy--so much that it seems this could also be a biography of David Cassidy's actor-father, who is pretty much slammed via demeaning praise (he wasted his great talent, etc.). Marty comes across as a complete nutcase, one who is irrationally devoted to a woman he barely knows. But Shirley is just as odd--she finds him both repulsive and attractive at the same time. Why is she drawn to needy men? Chapters 5 & 6 get into the subjects' childhood--and it's pretty boring. There is so little to these chapters that they could have been left out. Again there's a structure change when we get to Marty's upbringing--suddenly there are subheadings with different "episodes" such as "I. The Gym Class." Why do this here and nowhere else in the book? The rest of the book weaves in stories of the three Cassidy boys that live at home and a little about David, but nowhere near as much as fans would like. At 300 pages it could cut about a hundred and be much more entertaining. The stories get repetitive, lengthy and unnecessary. Marty in particular takes 10 paragraphs to tell a story where two or three would suffice. And he keeps needing to tell us his fear of being in public, which results in him lying on the floor of his home in a fetal position (though it's difficult to swallow that he spent months not going out or even bathing--he had to eat and he certainly had enough money to later buy Shirley expensive gifts). It appears he begs for sympathy but the reader gets so tired of his annoying neediness that after awhile you no longer care. Then there are times when we only hear one person's version of major events between them--leaving the reader to wonder what the other person thinks. It's as if Herskowitz interviewed the two separately, then pieced together stories based on whose he thought was more interesting (which was usually Marty's). But there doesn't seem to be much objective checking into what they are saying is true--after the first few times you hear Marty admit to lying or exaggerating, it makes you question virtually everything he says. Shirley, on the other hand, is almost comatose in her responses to Ingels' mental problems, exhausted but accepting with no real explanation given. Yes there are some fun stories here--but it's not quite the "love story" you expect. There also isn't anywhere near as much inside Hollywood information as should have been included--not many behind-the-scenes stories of their movies or TV shows. In the end you wonder why this ill man was so persistent in embarrassing himself to win her over, and why this quiet rebel woman was so willing to eventually give in when it's obvious she isn't comfortable with him.
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