You are What You Read
August 4, 2023
Whether or not this has anything to do with my love for reading, it happened.
I was –in what was called back in those days – a “change of life” baby. When women were starting to hormonally change, they would think that their days of childbearing had passed. Then, a surprise. Like me.
My oldest sister was a freshman in college when the doctor put Mama to bed to rest for the last three months of her pregnancy. Daddy had just bought a set of encyclopedias from a traveling salesman. I feel pretty sure he had to make payments on them. My parents died, neither having possessed a credit card and not owing a cent.
Mama, who was smart as a whip, took advantage of her time of leisure by reading through that set of books. She got to the letter “O” before she delivered. She always said that her voracious reading during my incubation was the foundation of my love of books. I came out of the womb, loving books. I adored that encyclopedia. When I was 13 and got a small horse, I got one book down and read all about horses. Anything that intrigued me, sent me to that set of books on the shelf. I still have them and cherish them.
I always have at least two books going. I particularly love memoirs and biographies. Sheerly by accident, I ran across a recent memoir by one of my childhood favorites.
Do you remember a show called “My Three Sons” with Fred MacMurray? I was such a little girl but I loved it. One of the sons, Robbie, married during one season. Her name was Katie and I thought she was magical.
In real life, her name was Tina Cole and she was a member of a famous entertaining family called the Kings. They had their own variety show though I don’t remember it. I do remember one of their holiday specials.
Tina Cole has written her life’s story called: My Three Lives.
I am thoroughly enjoying it. She is so sunny and happy even during the trials of her life. It’s nice to read of someone who has enjoyed her life. I’m halfway through but I’m already dreading for it to end.
My Three Lives By Tina Cole.
If you like this one then you will also like one published several years ago by Barry Livingston who played the youngest son, Ernie. I loved it. The title is: The Importance of Being Ernie.
November 3, 2023
Robert Evans’ The Fat Lady Sang. This book falls short of Robert Evans’ first memoir called The Kid Stays in the Picture: A Notorious Life.
His first book was so tantalizing that I expected the same from this one but this is about the twilight of his career and not so captivating.
Who is Robert Evans?
He started out as a young actor who was discovered by the film star, Norma Shearer, who reigned as MGM’s queen in the 1920s and 1930s. She was married to Irving Thalberg who was called the “Boy Genius” at MGM in those decades because he created stellar movies. He died in his late ‘30s of a heart defect. I love old Hollywood so one of the most memorable days for me was when Tink took me to the MGM lot where he was doing a sound edit for a series he was running. While he worked, I roamed the streets – Myrna Loy Avenue, William Powell Street. The Thalberg Building on the lot is a gorgeous study in Art Deco. They were very kind and let me come in and see the building. Then, another time, Tink and I stopped in there together.
I digress.
Norma discovered him when she saw him at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The name of that book came from his first role. The director thought he was awful but the head of the studio said, “The kid stays In the picture.”
I highly recommend the first book. It details his career from his acting days to running Paramount Studio where he was responsible for producing Chinatown, Rosemary’s Baby, and one of my favorites, The Godfather. In fact, he almost lost his job over that film because it was bleeding money and looked like a wreck. But he fought for it. I think that The Godfather sequels are the only ones that are as good as the first movie. Especially numbers two and three. Four, not so much, but it did wrap it up in a good way.
Evans was married, four times, two of them to famous women Ali McGraw and Phyllis George, former Miss America. Every page was riveting.
The Fat Lady Sings bravely details his decline with his career and his health. He had a couple of strokes and he candidly shares those battles.
I always say, there are two degrees of Tinker separation to anyone in Hollywood. People can throw me a name and I can (so far) find a Tinker connection and do it pretty quickly.
One time, someone threw out Charlie Sheen and Tink scoffed and said, “Never. You’ll never be able to do it.”
It came to me by the time the words were out of his mouth. I said, “Conchata Ferrell.”
Tink was stunned.
The connection: Conchata starred on L.A. Law when Tink ran the show. Then, she was the housekeeper on Two and A Half Men.
The Tinker connection to Robert Evans? He and his brother owned a clothing company called Evan Picone. Robert left that business to try Hollywood. Tink’s stepmother, Mary Tyler Moore, was famous for her wardrobe on her show in the 1970s. Those clothes were furnished by Evan Picone and given a credit at the end of the show.
If you like Hollywood film history, be sure to grab the first book. The second book I give three stars out of five but five stars to the first.