Customer Reviews

VICKI! THE TRUE-LIFE ADVENTURES OF MISS FIREBALL.

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

 

 

I've always been a fan of Vicki Lawrence and purchased her autobiography knowing I would enjoy it. And I did. It's great to read about how Vicki broke into show business, being discovered at the age of seventeen by superstar Carol Burnett. As a result, Vicki was thrusted into the limelight when she became a regular on Burnett's new variety series in 1967. Vicki writes about her struggles to complete college while being on a hit show and being torn over wanting to quit over her parent's objections. Miss Lawrence also writes about her strained relationship with her mother, who often faked suicide to meet her demands. Vicki also takes us through her successes as a Number One pop artist and gives us behind-the-scene tales of portraying "Mama" on the long-running "Mama's Family" television series. I've read the book twice now and am going for a third. I really enjoyed it.

Autobiographies of famous people are almost always fascinating, for a look behind the scenes and the story of how they got to where they are. Somewhat by accident, I started reading autobiographies of 70's pop culture icons I grew up with, one of which was Carol Burnett. Her story is just amazing, how she grew up with her grandmother in a little one-room welfare apartment while her parents were basically incapacitated alcoholics, and how she made it to UCLA, and then to NYC. Anyway that led to the Vicki book which was also interesting to read for a glimpse inside the world of showbiz. But between Vicki, her Columbia-grad co-writer and Simon & Schuster, they turned out some really bad writing in this book, which I can't understand. I thought the reason to have a co-writer was to edit and professionalize the copy. I didn't think I was going to make it through the whole book because of it but I managed. Anyway, I appreciated reading about her visits to the servicemen in Vietnam and felt bad about her mother's poor mental health. And I'm glad we have some good comedy TV...I'm sure we don't even realize how much good the levity and laughter do for us. I hope to read about Tim Conway & Harvey Korman as well.

I just received an autographed copy of "Vicki!" for Christmas, and I read it in 7 hours. I couldn't put it down! Lawrence has incredible wit and humor in her writing, and frequently makes the reader laugh unexpectedly. It's amazing what a truly adventurous life she has lead! The only negative thing is seeing how horribly she was treated by her cruel sister, mother, first husband, and certain business affiliates. Lawrence not once appeared to be "mean-spirited" to anyone. Instead, she rightfully justified wrongs that were done to her. Otherwise, "Vicki!" is a joy to read, and has more pictures than any other autobiography I have read. From "The Carol Burnett Show" to "Mama's Family" to "Win, Lose, or Draw" to "Vicki!", this book is sure to entertain you for hours on end. I already can't wait for my next reading . . . and take it from me, it *does* make a great gift!

I have always Vicki Lawrence since I was watching the Carol Burnett reruns as a child. I enjoy all the cast members. According to the Booklist review, what a wonderful country for somebody like Vicki to write an autobiography then they don't know too much about her. She was a key player on the Carol Burnett Show for several years. I like her honesty and candidness about her relationship with Carol. She is also very protective about her relationship with other cast members like Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, and Lyle Waggoner. Her relationship with her family is a lot less to be desired though. Her mother pushed her into entering contests despite her lack of interest. Vicki succeeded far beyond her wildest imagination. Carol Burnett was her guardian angel through it all. I am giving the book 4 stars because I would have liked her to elaborate on those years as Mama Harper, her most infamous creation. There is a reason that show lasted 130 episodes and was successful in syndication where network television got it all wrong. I wish they would bring back syndicated comedies like they did in the 1980s. Audiences like myself miss situation comedy just as we miss music videos on MTV. The book was written 1994 after her talk show was cancelled. I have to say that her talk show was more like Rosie or Ellen before they came along. Her pictures showed a good time on the set but not behind the scenes. Vicki, the talk show, would have been successful if the production company had let Vicki handle it her way. Maybe it's because she is a woman that she got screwed around from the business. Her first chapter is that I thought Show Business was supposed to be fun but I think over the years, her personality had to adjust to fit the cruel side of this business. Despite all that, she is in a long term marriage with Al Schultz and the mother of 2 wonderful children like Courtney and Garrett. I don't know what the production company like Group W was thinking when they mistreated Vicki Lawrence. She enjoyed her time as a talk show hostess. Vicki has played many roles over her years, Carol Burnett's sidekick, Mama Harper, Game Show Hostess, and Talk Show Hostess. I feel terrible that a great injustice was done to her. The Vicki show should have lasted longer. She was clearly better than Ellen and Rosie put together. Ellen's show is more like the Vicki show once was except that Vicki is a television legend. She's been around the block a few times. She's funny naturally and sweet too. Maybe she's too sweet for own good, maybe that's the business thought they screw around with her. Anyway, I am glad that Vicki has mended her relationships with Carol Burnett in this book. Carol and Vicki are more like sisters with their conflicts over the years but still remained friends. So Vicki criticizes the business. She has ever right to because if she did not. It would be like saying smooth sailing from her Carol Burnett days to the Vicki talk show. I knew that once Mama's Family was out from under the network control. They would succeed and they did. Mama's Family was the number one sitcom in syndication. It even beat other more popular shows like Tonight Show in the New Orleans market. I only wished she talked about the years on Mama's Family. I am sure that Vicki will write a sequel to her autobiography one day. I am waiting for her to get her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television. She has been nominated for Emmys as an actress, talk show hostess, and game show hostess. Once more, she is one of the most likable people in the business today. She is still doing Mama Harper too. We just can't get enough of both.