The Garner Files
A Memoir
Published on 1. November 2011
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-4516-4260-5 (ISBN)
Description
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.
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.
Reviews / Votes
"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...Garner comes across as likable on the page as he does on screen."-Kirkus Reviews "...the narrative is genuine, candid, and more informative than usual for a Hollywood bio...Truly a cut above most actor bios, this is prime stuff for film and television collections."
-Booklist "Laid-back charm and a sense of humor fuel such memories, two qualities shared by the characters Garner often played in a career of 50-plus years...Full of funny stories and observations, The Garner Files offers the kind of clubhouse banter you might expect from a hardworking, successful guy who doesn't take himself too seriously - and doesn't want you to, either."
-Associated Press "James Garner stepped into two of TV's most calcified genres - the western and the detective series - and set a new standard that others have been chasing down since...having made up his mind to write [a memoir]...Garner follows his own heroic dictum: Plenty of self-deprecating, humor, a general air of live-and-let-live, but when it comes down to it, no pulled punches. For Garner fans, The Garner Files is catnip...[Garner] is unfailingly candid about his own desires...it is a fine, frank and fun collection."
-Los Angeles Times "Stand aside for Maverick! Stand aside again for Jim Rockford!...Let this neatly written and well-supplemented little book-all of [Garner's] friends provide relevant stories and fond judgments-set a new standard of integrity for the genre...You could hand this book as a primer on ethics to any young man just reaching the age of choosing his way in life."
-Clive James, The Atlantic "[an] enjoyable memoir...there's plenty to love in this book. Garner...has a knack for telling a story and finding the perfect quote to tie it all together...charming...[It] resembles a conversation with an old friend who loves to tell colorful stories."
-PublishersWeekly.com "James Garner's memoir is as easygoing and plain-spoken as his acting persona...[He] wouldn't have it any other way."
-USAToday.com "The Garner Files is a classic tale of making it in Hollywood fueled...with Garner's good looks, fortune, charm, and sense of humor."
-ChristianScienceMonitor.com "If you buy one cranky celebrity memoir this fall, might we suggest James Garner's The Garner Files?"
-TheAtlanticWire.com "Garner follows his own heroic dictum: Plenty of self-deprecating, humor, a general air of live-and-let-live, but when it comes down to it, no pulled punches. For Garner fans, `The Garner Files' is catnip...it is a fine, frank and fun collection."
-LOS ANGELES TIMES "James Garner's memoir is as easygoing and plain-spoken as his acting persona...[He] wouldn't have it any other way."
-USATODAY.COM "`The Garner Files' is a classic tale of making it in Hollywood fueled...with Garner's good lucks, fortune, charm, and sense of humor."
-CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR "[An] enjoyable memoir...there's plenty to love in this book. Garner...has a knack for telling a story and finding the perfect quote to tie it all together...[It] resembles a conversation with an old friend who loves to tell colorful stories."
-PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Illustrations
1-8pp & 1-16pp b-w insert; b-w endpapers
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
499 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4516-4260-5 (9781451642605)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
11/2011
1st Edition
Simon + Schuster LLC
€13.84
Available for download
Persons
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.
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.