Life is not a stage : from Broadway baby to a lovely lady and beyond

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Title:

Life is not a stage : from Broadway baby to a lovely lady and beyond

Author:

Henderson, Florence.

ISBN:

9781599953885

Edition:

1st ed.

Publication Information:

New York, NY : Center Street, 2011.

Physical Description:

xvii, 264 p., [16] p. of plates : ill. ; 24 cm.

Contents:

The faith of a child -- Singing for my supper -- Growing up fast -- Wide-eyed and confident -- Wish you were here -- Hitting the road -- The big break -- Yes, I was a virgin! -- The Today show girl -- Do, re, mi -- The girl who came to supper loses her appetite -- The pill -- The "no door act" -- Detours and other digressions -- Hollywood...finally -- Brady-monium -- Good help is hard to find -- Days of wine and roses...and clam chowder and chicken -- Cutting through the layers to the truth -- D-day -- The dragonflies -- The horse stays in the game.

Personal Subject:

Henderson, Florence.

Subject Term:

Television actors and actresses -- United States -- Biography.

Singers -- United States -- Biography.

Added Author:

Brokaw, Joel.

Summary:

A memoir from the actress best known for her role in "The Brady Bunch" describes her poor childhood in rural Indiana, her father's abuse, and her mother's abandonment, as well as her adult issues, including depression and extramarital affairs.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	921 HENDERSON	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

For millions of people around the world, Carol Brady is synonymous with motherhood, but growing up as the youngest of ten children in rural Indiana in the aftermath of the Great Depression, Florence Henderson lived a life quite different from that of the quintessential TV mom she later played on television.
Florence's father was a dirt-poor tobacco tenant farmer who was nearly fifty years old when he married Florence's twenty-five-year-old mother, and was nearly seventy when Florence was born. Florence's childhood was full of deprivation and abandonment. Her father was an alcoholic at a time when there was no rehab or help for the disease. Their home rarely had electricity or running water. When she was twelve, Florence's mother left the family to work in Cleveland and never returned.
Florence opens up about her childhood, as well as the challenges she's faced as an adult, including stage fright, postpartum depression, her extramarital affairs, divorce, her hearing loss, and heart problems. She writes with honesty and wisdom of how her faith and ability to survive has brought her through rough times to a life of profound joy and purpose.

Author Notes

Florence Agnes Henderson was born in Dale, Indiana on February 14, 1934. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts for a year before being cast in Wish You Were Here, a musical comedy about a summer camp for grown-ups. She was then cast as the female lead, Laurey, in the national tour of Oklahoma! Her stage work went on to include the musicals Fanny and The Girl Who Came to Supper on Broadway and the national tour of The Sound of Music.

She is best known as the sitcom mom on The Brady Bunch, which ran from September 1969 to March 1974. She also appeared on the television shows The Bell Telephone Hour, Oldsmobile Music Theater, and The Dean Martin Show. She was the host of Country Kitchen, a cooking show on TNN, for nine years beginning in 1985. She appeared in several feature films including Song of Norway, Shakes the Clown, and For Heaven's Sake. She died from heart failure on November 24. 2016 at the age of 82.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Henderson's depiction of the perfect mother of the perfect family as Carol Brady provided Americans "a cultural icon," but her true upbringing in Indiana as "a small child confronted by the unpleasant side of humanity," devoid of affection, with an alcoholic father, an absent mother, and a home without running water or electricity, taught her "not to be dependent on other people." Her musical talent shone on Broadway while working with Rodgers and Hammerstein, Josh Logan, Noel Coward, and David Merrick. A natural on live television, Henderson charmed Jack Paar, broke new ground as "the Today Show girl" and as the first woman to sub for Johnny Carson. She discusses raising her own family while on the Brady Bunch set; Robert Reed's troubles as actor and closeted gay man; warm friendships and a date with Barry Williams, her Brady Bunch son. In this genuinely introspective narrative, Henderson reflects honestly on the birth control pill as liberation; affairs, including a one-night stand with former New York City mayor John Lindsey; stage fright; and postpartum depression. 16 pages of photos. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

Well, she was right about one thing. Henderson speculates in this memoir that her revelation that she had a brief dalliance with New York City mayor John Lindsay would be the focus of the publicity surrounding the book, and indeed many of the prepublication articles have zoomed in on that episode (which takes up slightly more than a page and is entirely nonscandalous). But the book is not one of those Hollywood bios, the ones with a shocking revelation on every page. It is pretty much what we would expect from Mrs. Brady: the story of Henderson's life as a performer, taking us from her early stage appearances, through The Brady Bunch, and beyond, including her popular spin on Dancing with the Stars. The book is competently written and straightforward, and there are plenty of entertaining showbiz stories and some real eye-openers, such as the surprising fact that Gene Hackman originally tested for the role of Mike Brady. Like its author, the book is likable and engaging, especially for those with fond memories of The Brady Bunch.--Pitt, Davi. Copyright 2010 Booklist

Library Journal Review

Who knew that the actor portraying Carol Brady, the epitome of warm, loving motherhood on The Brady Bunch, grew up dirt poor, the child of an alcoholic, abusive father and a distant, unloving mother who left her family of ten children? But Henderson believes this hardscrabble life and her natural optimism gave her the backbone to pursue her dreams as a performer. With the help of a wealthy local family, Henderson studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and quickly landed the role of Laurey in the touring company of Oklahoma! Other Broadway roles followed as well as a cabaret act and a stint as the "Today Show Girl" in the early days of the Today Show. But it was The Brady Bunch that lifted her into the national consciousness. Henderson is candid about her stage fright, bouts with depression, health problems, and affairs and how hypnotherapy and Dancing with the Stars helped her regain her confidence. Verdict An inspiring story of faith and survival by one of television's beloved performers. Recommended.-Rosellen Brewer, Sno-Isle Libs., Marysville, WA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Introduction	p. xi
Chapter 1 The Faith of a Child	p. 1
Chapter 2 Singing for My Supper	p. 12
Chapter 3 Growing Up Fast	p. 27
Chapter 4 Wide-Eyed and Confident	p. 36
Chapter 5 Wish You Were Here	p. 53
Chapter 6 Hitting the Road	p. 60
Chapter 7 The Big Break	p. 73
Chapter 8 Yes, I Was a Virgin!	p. 88
Chapter 9 The Today Show Girl	p. 98
Chapter 10 Do Re Mi	p. 108
Chapter 11 The Girl Who Came to Supper Loses Her Appetite	p. 116
Chapter 12 The Pill	p. 125
Chapter 13 The "No Door Act"	p. 136
Chapter 14 Detours and Other Digressions	p. 152
Chapter 15 Hollywood... Finally	p. 160
Chapter 16 Brady-monium	p. 170
Chapter 17 Good Help Is Hard to Find	p. 192
Chapter 18 Days of Wine and Roses...and Clam Chowder and Chicken	p. 206
Chapter 19 Cutting Through the Layers to the Truth	p. 220
Chapter 20 D-Day	p. 231
Chapter 21 The Dragonflies	p. 242
Chapter 22 The Horse Stays in the Game	p. 253

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

Library Journal Review

Table of Contents

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