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Summary
Summary
One of Hollywood's great leading men, James Garner boasts a career that spans six decades. Whether known as Bret Maverick, Jim Rockford, or Noah Calhoun, Garner's mass appeal transcends generations, but few know the true story of his life, now told in his intimate memoir of growing up in Oklahoma and making it in Hollywood.
After suffering physical abuse at the hands of his stepmother, Garner left home at fourteen. He went on to become Oklahoma's first draftee of the Korean War and was honoured for his bravery with two Purple Hearts. Garner eventually returned to Los Angeles where his acting career took off. Working alongside some of the most renowned celebrities - among them Julie Andrews, Marlon Brando, Clint Eastwood - Garner became a star in his own right. Despite struggles with stage fright and depression, he threw himself into his work and was known in the public eye as one of the most revered actors of his generation. The Garner Files offers a compelling portrait of the life of a true Hollywood legend and household name as he navigates the turmoil and unpredictability of a life on screen.
Author Notes
Jon Winokur is the author of various nonfiction books, including The Portable Curmudgeon, Zen to Go , and Advice to Writers . He lives in Los Angeles.
James Garner has starred in numerous television shows and films, from Maverick and The Rockford Files to The Great Escape with Steve McQueen and Victor Victoria with Julie Andrews.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Though Garner fans are aging-inevitable, since the star himself is 84-years-old-there are plenty who'll snap up this enjoyable memoir. Having gained a loyal following through TV series such as Maverick and The Rockford Files, and films including The Great Escape and The Notebook, Garner has remained in the public eye for more than six decades. Wherever you fall on the Garner spectrum, there's plenty to love in this book. Garner (or more likely Winokur) has a knack for telling a story and finding the perfect quote to tie it all together. Summing up his difficult childhood, which included an alcoholic father and an abusive stepmother, Garner says he lived through "The Depression. In Oklahoma. In the dust. After that, studio executives don't bother you at all." He fell into acting because "a woman pulled out of a parking space in front of a producer's office" and he pulled in. In describing meeting his wife, Garner says he "fell in love for the first and last time on August 1, 1956." Even if this charming book has some choppy and random moments, it still resembles a conversation with an old friend who loves to tell colorful stories. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
James Garner had the good fortune to be cast in two iconic television roles, one in a long-running series (The Rockford Files), the other in a groundbreaking series (Maverick) that he left after only three seasons, although his work lived on in reruns and viewers' fond memories. The fact that both characters 1970s California private investigator Jim Rockford and Old West gambler Brett Maverick were laid-back adventurers reluctant to engage in roughhousing or violence in plying their trades made them seem extensions of Garner's own apparently easygoing personality. In Garner and Winokur's telling, the actor comes off as likable if a little cynical about fame (his extended rap on autograph seekers is a classic), and the narrative is genuine, candid, and more informative than usual for a Hollywood bio. Winokur, it should be mentioned, is the author of 1987's The Portable Curmudgeon, and his nimble cynicism nicely augments Garner's offhand, slightly world-weary persona and delivery. Between the two, they communicate the pain of Garner's childhood with a stepmother who abused him, his heroic military service, and a climb to acting stardom that surprised Garner as much as anybody. Truly a cut above most actor bios, this is prime stuff for film and television collections. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Garner ages, but his popularity never flags. A 200,000 first printing will get this in the hands of Rockford and Maverick fans across multiple generations. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY:--Tribby, Mike Copyright 2010 Booklist
Kirkus Review
The Big Book of Irony, 2007, etc.) Garner tells his life story with the same wry, self-effacing charm that characterized his classic TV characters: the laidback cowboy Bret Maverick and the down-on-his-heels gumshoe Jim Rockford. Raised in Depression-era Oklahoma by an alcoholic father and abusive stepmother, Garner escaped to Hollywood, got his own hit show (Maverick) before he was 30 and made movies. He has stayed married to the same woman for over 50 years. Fate has, for the most part, been kind: "The only reason I'm an actor is that a lady pulled out of a parking space in front of a producer's office." Along the way, he also spent a hellish season in the Korean War and received two Purple Hearts in Korea--though he claims that he "didn't save anybody but myself." Garner praises mentors such as Henry Fonda and Marlon Brando and offers testier assessments of his late neighbor and competitor Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson ("a bitter, belligerent SOB") and Charlton Heston ("stiff as a board"). He gives great inside dope on the technical demands of making of his racing hit Grand Prix (1966), the sheer physical toll action roles can take on the body and the equally brutal business end of Hollywood, where Garner has survived two legendary you'll-never-work-in-this-town-again run-ins with the studios ("It was like being in business with the Mafia, only Universal didn't need a gun, just a pencil"). The author is also full of contradictions. He doesn't believe in glorifying the military but supports a memorial for Korean War veterans, calls himself a coward but continually points out that he never backs down from a fight and claims not to take acting too seriously ("I have to laugh when I hear actors talking about their art") but clearly knows the craft and respects it. Although he can go on too much about how unaffected and genuine he is, Garner comes across as likable on the page as he does on screen.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
Actor Garner, whose television series Maverick and The Rockford Files endeared him to millions of fans, looks back on his life and career in this candid memoir. He writes about his difficult childhood in Norman, OK, his military service in Korea, and his foray into acting in the late 1950s, a profession that he was at first reluctant to follow. He reflects on his experiences (both good and bad) with costars, his legal conflicts with Hollywood studios, his politics, and his passion for racing cars and golf. Colleagues, friends, and family supply anecdotes in the final chapter. Narrator Michael Kramer effectively captures the actor's easygoing manner and humor. Recommended for Garner fans and those who enjoy celebrity memoirs. ["An enjoyable look into the life of one of our most beloved actors. Recommended for all libraries," read the review of the New York Times best-selling S. & S. hc, LJ Xpress Reviews, 11/10/11.-Ed.]-Phillip Oliver, Univ. of North Alabama Lib., Florence (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Introduction | p. vii |
| "Dear Reader" | p. ix |
| Chapter 1 Growing Up Fast | p. 1 |
| Chapter 2 Korea to Broadway | p. 25 |
| Chapter 3 Maverick | p. 41 |
| Chapter 4 Big Screen | p. 69 |
| Chapter 5 Politics | p. 93 |
| Chapter 6 Racing | p. 101 |
| Chapter 7 The Rockford Files | p. 121 |
| Chapter 8 Golf | p. 149 |
| Chapter 9 Act-ing! | p. 169 |
| Chapter 10 Producing | p. 187 |
| Chapter 11 Love Stories | p. 203 |
| Chapter 12 This Is My Life | p. 211 |
| Outtakes | p. 219 |
| Films | p. 251 |
| Television | p. 265 |
