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Rating: 
Summary: Spinning Her Wheels
Review: As a fan of Gene Kelly, I admittedly did not buy this book specifically to learn more about his first wife Betsy Blair. If I had, however, I would have found an autobiography heavily padded with name dropping and a great deal of hypocrisy peppered with rambling, incomplete introspective commentary that makes one wonder if, in all her years, Betsy has at all been able to absorb her own life lessons on personal growth.
She begins the very first chapter with recollections of Gene's last days with his third wife Pat that, if one didn't know any better, would paint a miserable picture of a man swallowed up by a snake that was slowly devouring his heart and soul and life. Betsy makes no attempt to hide her contempt for Gene's "new, very young wife" and sets about twisting facts out of context to make Gene appear to be a victim. This does a tremendous disservice to fans, friends and to Gene. "I don't write in bitterness" she claims, after finishing her one sided expose on Gene and Pat.
Expect to find the rest of her memories on life with Gene to fall short in carving out a true picture of the man, embracing all of his facets both charming and notorious. Perhaps out of respect she has given us the impression she knew very little about how difficult and demanding he was to work with..or perhaps out of a genuine lack of understanding of the creative process she removed herself from what his frustrations, concerns and daily mental regimens were really like. This would make sense considering the vast amount of time she gives to talking about the spoils of her own life in Hollywood as the young wife of a famous movie star. Much of her description smacks of a self centered young lady from an early age that had a life filled with opportunity and the trappings of exceptional circumstances, which, I am sure she would argue, was the reason for her slow growing dissatisfactions...they were the result of Gene's fame, not her own.. Yet even with a book that embarks on what should be an interesting journey thru Hollywood in the 40's and 50's, covering the blacklisting process and the left wing communistic politics that she was so heavily into (all the while living in Beverly Hills, buying what she wanted, jet setting around the world on vacations), the book still reads like a flatline. Although at times it does afford one a laugh, such as claiming no bitterness while slamming Patricia Ward, and recalling being hurt by not getting a 50/50 split on communal property by Gene when they divorced..at the same time admitting she "didnt believe in private property." Huh?
Because of her more or less luxurious Beverly Hills lifestyle, her self admitted need for men's attention and adoration outside of her marriage and her hypocritical politics, it is hard to be compelled by the thread of "personal growth and exploration" that runs thru the book. I guess one reason is that I don't know that she has ultimately "grown" at all. She lauds the value of respecting people's privacy for instance, yet does not hesitate to toss out facts out of context to serve her own emotional agenda, subsequently ravaging the reputation of others. It is this that makes me doubt the effectiveness of all her years on the analyst's couch.
While I don't doubt Betsy's affection for Gene, which I think is apparent in this book, there isn't much substance about their life together, and as one of the other reviews here states, there are plenty of holes in the story involving Gene's eventual romantic migration over to her close friend, Jeannie Coyne. Perhaps it was simply inevitable.
Betsy had a modicum of accomplishments in life, but without the name dropping and her marriage to Gene, I don't know what publisher would have accepted this for printing. Perhaps if her own personal story was more compelling, her inner changes more profound, motives and conclusions more fleshed out, it could reach a larger audience. She seems fascinated with herself, indeed..it is simply hard to share that fascination with her.
Rating:
Summary: A VERY CASUAL BIOGRAPHY WITH NO REAL INSIGHT OR DEPTH
Review: As a film critic and author, I was astonished to read this very self-centered biography of a young woman's "cataclysmic" revelations about her life and loves which were not terribly appealing or revealing. Blair delights in reaching "maturity" at the age of 34 after many, many affairs. She experiences no guilt, especially after her famous husband, Gene Kelly, divorces her on the grounds of "adultery." Furthermore, her life as she describes it, is like a long party, dropping names everywhere.
What she did not tell us, for example, her reaction to her best friend, Jeanne Coyne, marrying Gene Kelly, her ex-husband, would have given readers some "real feelings" and reactions. What we are left with is an anecdotal collection of a politically mixed-up, immature actress, a minor talent who was seduced at an early age by Marxist teachings but does NOT recant...and lingers on her "lost opportunities" as a future film director, again, giving up her artistic premise all for "love" (in this case, her marriage to director Karel Reisz!)
In addition, there is no filmography of her work and although the book is liberally illustrated with photos from Blair's private collection, her p.o.v. about "love and politics in New York, Hollywood & Paris (what about Madrid & Rome?) is utterly banal. A bleak, dishonest, self-centered memoir from a minor talent without a shred of conscience. Very, very banal...
Rating:
Summary: A VERY CASUAL BIOGRAPHY WITH NO REAL INSIGHT OR DEPTH
Review: As a film critic and author, I was astonished to read this very self-centered biography of a young woman's "cataclysmic" revelations about her life and loves which were not terribly appealing or revealing. Blair delights in reaching "maturity" at the age of 34 after many, many affairs. She experiences no guilt, especially after her famous husband, Gene Kelly, divorces her on the grounds of "adultery." Furthermore, her life as she describes it, is like a long party, dropping names everywhere.
What she did not tell us, for example, her reaction to her best friend, Jeanne Coyne, marrying Gene Kelly, her ex-husband, would have given readers some "real feelings" and reactions. What we are left with is an anecdotal collection of a politically mixed-up, immature actress, a minor talent who was seduced at an early age by Marxist teachings but does NOT recant...and lingers on her "lost opportunities" as a future film director, again, giving up her artistic premise all for "love" (in this case, her marriage to director Karel Reisz!)
In addition, there is no filmography of her work and although the book is liberally illustrated with photos from Blair's private collection, her p.o.v. about "love and politics in New York, Hollywood & Paris" (what about Madrid & Rome?) is utterly banal. A bleak, dishonest, self-centered memoir from a minor talent without a shred of conscience. Very, very banal...
Rating: 
Summary: a rare, lively and moving tale
Review: I loved, loved, loved this book, for several reasons. First, it distinguishes itself from the hoards of Hollywood memoirs in that it is completely and uttlerly honest -- as honest as the day is long. Betsy Blair seemed bent on telling us a tale of fame, fortune and success, all without the hazy gauze so typical of Hollywood memoirs. Her eye is specific and sharp, her insights into people and places are clever and frequently dead on, and her honesty is so forthright, that she is able to freely admit she is the only one in the story who truly misbehaves. Second it is a great theatrical tale. Blair, a talented and ambitious young woman, catches the eye of Gene Kelly, she was just 17, he was not much older, while hoofing it up at a New York nightclub. Their subsequent marriage and Gene's rise to movie stardom is magical and dreamy. But Blair knows this well, and she never loses her sense of self. Her ability to see her own life though her eyes, that of a hardworking and insightful actress, and not as someone who was born to win, lends an air of respectability and weight to the book that I very much admired. When the marriage fails, in part because of her of inability to live in such a wonderful cocoon, the sense of poignancy is deep, it also rare in such books. Her later years, in Europe, as an actress and political activist, are some of the most interesting in the book. To leave one of the world's great movie stars is a feat in and of itself. To build a new and exciting life, as an actress. mother and then wife to one of the great realist film directors, Karel Reisz, makes it a thoroughly modern story, inspirational for all women who dream that both beauty and satisfaction in life can be there for the taking.
Rating:
Summary: "I Love Lucy" without the humor.
Review: The above detailed reviews all match my own opinions of this book,
and are generally better written than the book. What a ditsy dame!
The Hollywood frou-frou is from an old fan magazine, or some
such automatic input. Her perceptions of herself are just as
vague and silly. One would only read this in desperation to
try to find out more about Gene Kelly, genius of the dance.
Slim pickings indeed! And not even an "as told to" entry.
This book is without value on any level.
Rating: 
Summary: YOU LEARN THE RESULTS OF YOUR ACTIONS IN THIS STORY
Review: This autobiography is really in two parts; part one is while Betsy is married to Gene Kelly and part two is when she leaves the U.S. to live in Paris. As a young girl she attends classes in New York about Karl Marx and the Communist philosphy which "takes" for her lifetime and the result is favorable while married to Gene Kelly, but disastrous as far as her professional life is concerned. Her personal life is good at all times. Betsy is an accomplished woman of the world, but must live with her political choices.
Rating:
Summary: YOU LEARN THE RESULTS OF YOUR ACTIONS IN THIS STORY
Review: This autobiography is really in two parts; part one is while Betsy is married to Gene Kelly and part two is when she leaves the U.S. to live in Paris. As a young girl she attends classes in New York about Karl Marx and the Communist philosphy which "takes" for her lifetime and the result is favorable while married to Gene Kelly, but disastrous as far as her professional life is concerned. Her personal life is good at all times. Betsy is an accomplished woman of the world, but must live with her political choices.
Rating:
Summary: Betsy Blair is a born writer!
Review: This is an absolutely brilliantly written book. If you're looking for a bio of Gene kelly, this isn't it. But if you want to read about an endlessly fascinating woman, run to the bookstore. Totally beguiling!
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