Fonda: My Life As Told To Howard Teichmann

Description for FONDA: MY LIFE AS TOLD TO HOWARD TEICHMANN by Howard Teichmann:

The triumphs and tragedies of Henry Fonda's private life are as dramatic and astounding as his celebrated career. He had had five wives, two of whom, Frances Brokaw, mother of Jane and Peter, and movie star Margaret Sullavan, committed suicide. His friends number among the greats of Hollywood, Broadway, and Washington and include Jimmy Stewart, Lucille Ball, and the Kennedys. His stage and screen career has spanned over five memorable decades, and he is unquestionably one of America's greatest actors.

Now for the first time, Henry Fonda tells the extraordinary story of his life and loves, his films and plays, his children and friends---in a frank, revealing, anecdotal book drawn from 200 incredible hours of candid conversation with noted biographer and playwright Howard Teichmann. With great warmth and affection, he speaks of his youth in Nebraska (where Marlon Brando's mother induced him to take up acting), of being down and almost out in Depression-stricken New York with roommate Jimmy Stewart, and of his experiences in the Navy during World War II. With him we relive the highlights of his fabulous career, his glory days in Hollywood and Broadway, and his unforgettable performances---such as the roles he played in "Mister Roberts," "The Grapes Of Wrath," Young Mr. Lincoln", "War And Peace," and even his newest movie, "On Golden Pond", with Katharine Hepburn (whom he had never met before) and daughter Jane. He talks with candor and tenderness about the five women he married---the two whose lives ended so tragically; Susan, mother of his adopted daughter, Amy; Afdera, his Italian "Countess"; and the lovely Shirlee, his present wife. He looks with pride upon Jane and Peter, who have become stars in their own right despite their stormy upbringing, and frankly reveals what they felt toward him as children and what they feel now.

Audiences identify Henry Fonda with total integrity. Fellow professionals revere his craftsmanship and commitment. These powerful qualities come to play in this spellbinding autobiography of a mulitdimensional figure who has become a legend in his own time. FONDA is as honest, as thoughtful, as fascinating, as wryly witty, as entertaining as the man him himself. It is irresistible reading.