You may recall that I wrote about my lamentable reading habits a while back. Books that get started and never get finished. As a challenge to myself, I pledged to read a bit more so I could report back to you. So, essentially, I'm assigning myself book reports. Just like back in the third grade.
You will soon discover that my literary tastes are mostly non-fiction. Historical tomes on the Presidency. Baseball discussions. And biographies about Hollywood.
So, it's no surprise that this first Len book report is from the category of the latter. And, believe me, it was easy to read. Some of these show business autobiographies tend to read as fast as greeting cards. I pretty much knocked off Carol Burnett's newest memoir, "This Time Together," on a cross-country flight and a half. Certainly not the record. I recall reading Mary Tyler Moore's autobiography on a flight from NY to LA. She was already cavorting with Rhoda and Phyllis by the time we were over Ohio. The less substance, the quicker the read.
Don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of Carol Burnett. I happen to think that her variety show featured some of the best comedy writing ever on television. I also read her first book published a decade or two ago, "One More Time." That was about her growing up years. A fascinating story.
This follow-up book picks up her life just as her career gets going on Broadway and then on the tube with "The Garry Moore Show." The story is told in short spurts sort of like her own memory drawer. What results is a whole bunch of quick snippets and chapters no more than four or five pages long. If you don't like the story she is telling about Harvey Korman, don't sweat. It will be over in a moment and she'll move onto the next one. The memories are short and sweet and, ultimately, inconsequential. There is nothing even remotely juicy here.
Carol gets a little deeper when she discusses the death of her oldest daughter, Carrie Hamilton. But, what's more noteworthy is what is missing in this tale. Carrie dies of cancer. Done. Over and out. But, everybody in the reading audience knows there is a lot more to tell here. Carrie had been a drug addict for most of her school years. Is this mentioned? Not a word. Is this Carol being guarded about her privacy? Maybe. Or maybe there is more behind it.
A good friend of mine out here in LA chimes in. She knew the Hamilton family during those years as Carrie was a student in her school. And really using and abusing at the time. Indeed, the kid was leaving the academy campus in the middle of the day to do her drug deals. When the parents were approached on this, they did everything but take one ounce of responsibility for the girl's sad plight. It was the school's fault. Indeed, Carol and her husband at the time were in a complete state of denial.
So, years later, when these episodes are not dealt with in this book, you can reason that Carol has still to contend with the demons that her daughter grappled with. In my mind, drug addiction isn't a result of a single external factor, but probably a thousand of them. And home life is undoubtedly somewhere on that list.
Carol also neglected to include one other momentous day in her life. When she was sitting at the next table from me and my writing partner in the Cheesecake Factory one night. Trying to hide behind a pillar with these oversized sunglasses on. It gave us pause to wonder if this was indeed Carol Burnett. But, as soon as we heard the voice...
There's no way you can disguise a true star. And that's why Carol's book couldn't possibly do justice to the incredible amount of enjoyment she has given to all of us over the years.
Dinner last night: BLT at Islands.
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