LEMMON

by Don Widener ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 13, 1975

Widener wrote and produced an ecological documentary in which Lemmon appeared; Lemmon also cooperated on ""hundreds of hours"" of tapes on which this biography is based. The best words are spoken by Jack although they don't always show up as well in print; Widener on the other hand could dissuade you from reading this early on with lines like ""he would be girded with faultless suavity"" or ""this rosy picture was not without a darkling border."" On the whole the picture is rosy--from an only childhood to Andover to Harvard where Jack always liked to act or play the piano rather than study. On to the stage and those first thin years--the always friendly relationship with Cynthia before their marriage and after its dissolution; Hollywood and almost instant stardom; the overreliance, like his mother, on martinis which suggested Days of Wine and Roses; the five year romance with Felicia, now his wife. Lemmon seems to be, as confirmed here, one of the nicest guys around--a generous co-star--interested in acting qua acting, not those Oscars he won anyway; always very chivalrous even if there are inferences about a ""darkling border"" now just about eliminated. Good copy, rotten writing, and some interlinear conjecture.

Pub Date: Nov. 13, 1975

ISBN: 0595007058

Page Count: -

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1975

Categories: NONFICTION