JAMES GARNER: A Biography

by Raymond Strait ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 22, 1985

Success story of a tall, magnetic, likable charmer who never had the urge to be number one, prefers to hover around number six. But Garner's charm or not, this is a dull book. Garner's father, with whom he lived off and on, had five wives but really could not focus on homelife. His second wife beat young Jim (b. 1928) so often with a spatula that he left home at 14, got jobs all over Oklahoma and Texas, and at 16 joined the Merchant Marine--but found himself an unshakable victim of seasickness. In Korea as an infantryman he earned two Purple Hearts. Back home he took up acting, landed a part in Charles Laughton's road show of The Caine Mutiny. His career nonetheless remained at low flame until a producer noticed his remarkably wry, engaging delivery of some throwaway lines in a TV script. This led to his longtime hit, Maverick, in which he played a charming rake whose specialty was cheating cheaters. TV stardom led to film work, notably opposite Brando in Sayonara, later to artistic success in The Americanization of Emily and Mr. Buddwing. Featured in many ""dogs,"" however, he became adroit at light comedy, a poor man's Cary Grant. His marriage is long-standing, though a few years back it went through a psychiatrist-inspired separation during which he still saw his wife while trying to recharge his exhausted spirit (Garner gave up alcohol at 26 after some hard boozing). His Nichols TV series sank (he thinks it was 10 years ahead of its time) while The Rockford Files has had a twisted financial history that he says destroyed him mentally. It's still in litigation, with Universal Pictures as the heavy. More colorful writing could certainly have helped the Garner story, but, as with Strait's recent Sonja Henie bio, Queen of Ice, Queen of Shadows, the zip is missing--and research is no substitute.

Pub Date: July 22, 1985

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1985

Categories: NONFICTION