Apparently not being satisfied with the first book, this is the late Curtis' second autobiography. Never forgetting a slight, real or imagined, in this volume he settles scores. Since his first wife, Janet Leigh, had passed away by then, he feels free to dissect their marriage and highlight her alleged faults as a wife. (One can't imagine that this endeared him to his daughters by Leigh, including Jamie Lee Curtis.) One gets the impression that Curtis had no real interest in honest reflection nor in seeing things from other people's pov\s. He is the very personification of the self-absorbed movie star.
Curtis traces his early years and his bad relationship with his parents; the tragic deaths of his two brothers -- he never balances his basically successful life with the brother who was placed in a mental institution and eventually wound up homeless and beaten to death -- his determination to make it in Hollywood, and his cinematic triumphs in such as Sweet Smell of Success (arguably his greatest performance) and Some Like It Hot, among others. Curtis doesn't shy away from detailing the years afterward, when he was forced to take virtually any role in any piece of crap just to pay the bills, including alimony and child support. He also writes about his cocaine addiction and his many marriages (at least one wife never gets mentioned at all).
Curtis never lost the chip on his shoulder. Part of this is due to the fact that he never felt he was really taken seriously. Part was also due to the fact that no matter what the role he generally came off as dead-common. This book didn't help him shake off that image.
Verdict: Not a bad read, but it leaves a sour taste. **1/2.
I've bought a lot of books on your recommendation and haven't ever been disappointed.
ReplyDeleteI've always been a fan of Tony Curtis and hope this doesn't put too much tarnish on the image.
Somewhere I've got a box of books with some interesting biographies I'd like to share with you, but so far my search has been fruitless.
Neil, I can't tell you how many books and other things have disappeared, never to be seen again, over the years, even in my small apartment, LOL!
ReplyDeleteAs for Curtis, I don't think this book will tarnish his image as most movie stars are rather self-absorbed (how can they help it?) and when all is said and done they have to be judged by their work. Curtis gave some very fine performances which he will be remembered by.
Glad my recommendations have been on target! Thanks!
Curtis was very flawed and freely admitted he would do anything to get ahead, including the gay casting couch. I appreciate his honesty. He may have started out as just another very pretty face but I agree, he developed into a fine actor in both drama (Sweet Smell of Success) and comedy (Some Like It Hot.) In his later years, he admitted his own bisexual proclivities--and his explanation that actors must be able to flexible and fluid in order to embody the human condition makes sense to me.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading this bio!
-Chris
Curtis does not go into any of that in this autobiography -- gay casting couches or bisexuality --but does mention more than once that he hated being called gay slurs because he was "pretty" and a dancer. In fact, the book makes him out to be relentlessly heterosexual. He may have been more forthcoming in interviews, or at least wanted to seem edgy and/or relevant.
ReplyDeleteHe did an earlier memoir I haven't read (that was also co-authored) and Curtis may have been franker in that book, although I have a feeling he thought this second autobio was meant to counteract the first one, which he may not have liked.