James Garner's not afraid to dish in 'The Garner Files'
He鈥檚 acted alongside Hollywood icons like Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, and Steve McQueen 鈥� as well as Sandra Bullock, Ashley Judd, Rachel McAdams, and Ryan Gosling. Now 83, James Garner is looking back on his 60-plus-year career in a new memoir.
You could say the 鈥淭he Garner Files,鈥� which hits bookstores Tuesday by Simon & Schuster (co-written by Jon Winokur), is a juicy tell-all, classic Hollywood style. It鈥檚 starts with this line, from Mr. Garner: 鈥淪omething funny happens as you get older. You don鈥檛 hold back so much.鈥�
Garner holds up his end of the deal, of 鈥淭he Garner Files鈥�. Among the revelations in his memoir: He smoked pot for most of his adult life and even did cocaine with actor John Belushi. He鈥檚 a 鈥渂leeding heart Democrat鈥� and a huge fan of Adlai Stevenson.
Garner鈥檚 not afraid to dish on his fellow actors, either. In the book, he calls his friend Steve McQueen, of the original 1968 鈥�Thomas Crown Affair,鈥� an 鈥渋nsecure poseur and not much of an actor.鈥� And Charles Bronson, with whom he co-starred in the 1963 movie 鈥�The Great Escape,鈥� 鈥渂itter and belligerent.鈥�
Garner traces his story back to Depression-era Oklahoma, where he describes a hardscrabble childhood followed by a combat stint in Korea. From there, he began starring in movies, gaining recognition playing Bret Maverick in the 1957 TV Western 鈥淢averick,鈥� for which he was nominated for an Emmy. He鈥檚 also known for playing Jim Rockford in the 1970s detective drama, 鈥淭he Rockford Files,鈥� and starring in 鈥淭he Great Escape鈥� and 鈥淭he Americanization of Emily.鈥� More recently, Garner played the father of Katey Segal鈥檚 character on 鈥�8 Simple Rules,鈥� following the death of actor John Ritter.
Like the characters he played, Garner follows a heroic dictum in this memoir, . 鈥淧lenty of self-deprecating humor, a general air of live-and-let-live, but when it comes down to it, no pulled punches.鈥�
, 鈥淔ull 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 鈥� and doesn't want you to, either.鈥�
鈥淭he Garner Files鈥� is a classic tale of making it in Hollywood fueled, write reviewers, with Garner鈥檚 good lucks, fortune, charm, and sense of humor.
听Husna Haq is a Monitor correspondent.
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