James Garner (1928–2014)

James Garner has always been one of my absolute most-favorite television actors. Though I was born a little too late to have enjoyed him in Maverick, I consider The Rockford Files to be, perhaps, one of the most perfectly-constructed television series ever made. And James Garner deserves the lion's share of the credit for that. He puts out the impression of gruffness or, as he mentions in his biography, "crochetyness", but underneath it, he's got a warm personality. His autobiography is show more definitely written in his voice -- he shares anecdotes, both positive and negative, from throughout his career. He's blunt but honest about the people whom he has issues with, but cordial and sentimental about the creative types whom he respects. He spends about equal time on his TV and movie careers, but also a large amount of the book covers his personal life outside of the show-biz trappings -- his hard-scrabble youth, his love of both golf and racing cars, and the issues of growing older. I very much enjoyed this book, and recommend it highly to anyone who's a fan of Garner's extensive body of work on screen.

Originally reviewed for my local library's website: http://www.lincolnlibraries.org/depts/bookguide/srec/staffrec12-01.htm show less

James Garner in his own words. Korean War decorated veteran, reluctant actor, and scrappy fighter bucking the Hollywood establishment, Garner has enjoyed a remarkable career spanning over six decades to become the acting equivalent of a national monument.

Garner had a rough start in childhood. He stood up to an abusive stepmother at 14 and then went out on his own after his father left. He got into acting accidentally and learned mostly “on the job”. He had a full life with many show more interesting stories about himself and people he worked with, his experience with car racing and his time on the golf course. I was surprised to learn he had an angry side. He would occasionally punch a guy if he thought he’d done something wrong. He also got extremely angry at his own mistakes on the golf course. Otherwise, he was loyal, honest, respectful and ready to step in and help the little guy who was getting stepped on. It was an enjoyable memoir. show less

I listened to his audio book read by Jim Garner. Love his voice. .......After suffering physical abuse at the hands of his stepmother, Garner left home at fourteen. He became Oklahoma’s first draftee of the Korean War and was awarded with two Purple Hearts before returning to the United States and settling in Los Angeles to become an actor. Working alongside some of the most renowned celebrities, including Julie Andrews, Marlon Brando, and Clint Eastwood, Garner became a star in his own show more right, despite struggles with stage fright and depression. In The Garner Files, this revered actor and quintessential self-made man has stories about Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine, breaking Doris Day’s ribs, having a “heart-to-heart and eyeball-to-eyeball” with Steve McQueen, being “a card-carrying liberal—and proud of it,” etc. I enjoyed learning about James Garner, an actor I've always enjoyed. He seems to have earned the respect of Hollywood. ...........A couple of the chapters on auto racing and golf I had to fast forward through. Way to boring for me but someone else may really enjoy listening to specifics on those subjects. show less

Like the actor himself, this autobiography is charming and smooth, self-effacing and witty. Like most of his film roles, there is not a whole lot of depth involved. He does touch on some emotional points, step-mother was evil on almost a fairytale level and his father a feckless alcoholic, but they are not dwelled upon. For the most part we are left with his love for almost everyone he worked with—even when they had problems he managed a positive spin. For example, Garner got the better of show more fellow race car driver Steve McQueen who for a long time held a grudge. Garner doesn’t fault him for it. Just waited for years for him to come around and he finally did. Impressive is that prowess as a driver—shown off doing most of his own driving in the movie GRAND PRIX and on his ground-breaking TV show ROCKFORD FILES. Despite being a long time fan, I didn’t know about his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement joining in on the 1963 MARCH ON WASHINGTON or about his potentially personally costly lawsuit battling “creative accounting” in Hollywood. Self-effacing on both subjects but I would certainly have liked to know more. Overall a pleasant ramble through an ultimately charmed life. (one extra * for being a fan) show less