Ginger Rogers (1911–1995)

Delightful autobiography from Ginger Rogers. I have always been a fan so I was excited to read about her life in her own words. Had no idea she was a devout Christian Scientist or that she had been kidnapped by her father when she was a baby. Very interesting account of her long career and many movies. Highly recommended.

Ginger Rogers spent many years working on her autobiography, and it reads like she's sitting here telling you all about it. I didn't know much about her before reading this book, didn't realize what a long and accomplished career she had. Her book is witty, engaging, fun, and dramatic, and features a good selection of photos, and an appendix of her various roles on Broadway and in movies. She was a nice lady, and I enjoyed reading about her life. Highly recommended.

I liked the first half as Ginger is making her way from 14 year old Charleston contest winner through the Astaire/Rogers film cycle, but after that, reading about a star in mid-career making film after film that have mostly been forgotten -- can get a bit tedious, at least for me. So I quit - there are too many good books out there and I got what I needed.

I learned many interesting things about Ginger Rogers when I read her autobiography in the summer of 2023. Here are some highlights:

* Networking constantly kept her in the film business.

* So did dating inside Hollywood's social set.

* An aggressive mother as manager helped her become a success.

* Her mother made up most of her contracts with the studios.

* Ginger liked to retreat to nature when she needed to recuperate from her busy schedules in Hollywood.

* This is why she bought and kept a show more remote house in Oregon for more than 50 years, in addition to her Hollywood house.

* She was an amateur artist and a self-made actress.

* She learned on the job to apply her natural talent.

* She was a gifted writer, as her mother was before her.

* She had a gift for storytelling and descriptive language.

* Instead of performing in Dolly and Mame, perhaps she should have written several books.

* She had poor taste in men, so she married many times.

* She dated fellow actors.

* She was introduced to intercontinental travel when she was in her 50s.

* She was a believer in angels and in faith healing through Christian science.

At 500 pages, this was a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining read.

The book made me nostalgic for her films.

Over a couple of Saturdays after reading the book, I binged on Ginger Rogers - Fred Astaire movies from my collection.

She was a great actress, dancer, and writer.

Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ginger-My-Story-Rogers/dp/0061564702 show less