MINNIE PEARL: An Autobiography

by Pearl Minnie with Joan Dew ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 17, 1980

Grand Ole Opry comic Minnie Pearl has had none of the melodramatic ups and downs of such colleagues as Loretta Lynn or Tammy Wynette (Dew's last co-author assignment)--so, except for one surprising and fascinating stretch of socio-theatrical history, this pleasant memoir is pretty much for loyal fans only. Minnie, nÉe Sarah Ophelia Colley from Centerville, Tennessee, dwells on her innocent, idyllic, very un-Minnie-Pearly childhood as the spoiled youngest daughter of a well-bred mother and a successful father (they had the first bathroom in town). Though dubbed a ""plain little thing,"" young Ophelia was determined to become a great dramatic actress, studying Shakespeare at a posh finishing school--but she felt out of place there . . . and was told she'd ruined her voice with cheerleader yelling. And then, family money having run out after the Crash, she needed a job and had to become a ""Sewell girl,"" thus introducing the book's most interesting material: the Sewell Production Company, with its traveling ""coaches"" who brought script, music, and costumes to small towns; directed and choreographed a local, club-sponsored cast for 10 days; played the piano; sold program ads (the toughest job); and put on a single performance for profits shared by the club and the Sewells. Ophelia not only did this gutsy, grueling work for six years--""alone, constantly broke, sometimes mistreated, often scared, never relaxed""--but also became director of the training school for coaches (with mostly hopeless trainees). And among her Sewell stops was desolate, snowbound Sand Mountain, Alabama, where a grudglingly hospitable, cute old lady added much to a comic character that she'd been working on: mountain gal Minnie Pearl. So, when the Sewells closed down and Ophelia had to go home ""broke, an old maid, a failure,"" she did Minnie at local fêtes . . . which led to a call from the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville . . . and instant radio success. True, before Ophelia/Minnie could also succeed onstage, she had to give up her dramatic-actress dreams and really be willing ""to cut loose and act a fool."" But from then it was mostly clear sailing: entertaining WW II troops, tent shows, moving up to network radio, TV (via This Is Your Life), and Opry legend status. Plus: marriage to pilot/businessman Henry, whose understanding helped Minnie to accept childlessness as ""God's will""; and memories of Hank Williams, Elvis, ""best friend"" Roy Acuff, etc. No great drama, then, and only a few Minnie Pearl laughs. But it's certainly presented agreeably enough to please Minnie's following--except for an annoying use of TV analogies (""It was exactly like a scene from Laverne and Shirley"")--and those adventures of a Sewell girl will interest many readers who've never even heard of Uncle Nabob or Grinder's Switch.

Pub Date: Nov. 17, 1980

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1980

Categories: NONFICTION