Status
Available
Publication
New Harvest (2012), Edition: First Edition, 352 pages
Description
From her humble roots in the Bronx to "Laverne and Shirley" and her unlikely ascent in Hollywood, the beloved actor and director tells the story of her incredible life.
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User reviews
LibraryThing member karieh
Pretty much without exception, I love the movies that Penny Marshall has directed. She helps create films with humor and heart – ones that I’ve watched again and again.
When I saw she had written a memoir, I couldn’t resist getting it. I was hoping that it would either be wonderfully,
Instead, “My Mother Was Nuts” is an interesting read, but I was disappointed. At time the book feels like a laundry list of names and places and events. The beginning, which of course focuses on her childhood – and of course, her mother, was the best part. As she describes herself as a child, the reader gets more depth. Before her life becomes so noteworthy, it is more relatable. She is funnier, too, as she looks back at the child she used to be.
“I came home from school on day when I was fifteen, and my mother surprised me with the news that she and my father were getting a divorce. She said it matter-of-factly, as if it was on her list of things to tell me before dance class, and in fact, it was. She didn’t give me a chance to ask any questions. “Decide who you want to live with,” she said. “Him or me.” “Do I have to decide now?” I asked. “Yes,” she said. “And take out the garbage on your way out.”
Despite, or perhaps because of the title of this story – Penny’s mother has an incredible influence on who she becomes and the life she pursues. Her dance classes were given by her mother. “I do know that I got way more out of my mother’s insufferable dance classes than I ever realized.” “Those classes I hated so much had given me a Plan B and a lifetime of confidence. But like most people, I needed to live most of my life before I could look back and understand how lucky I was to have been tortured.”
Once she enters show business, the book loses much of its heart. As amazing as the people and events and places that are part of her life are – the way she describes them seems flat. We see what is happening around her, but we don’t get much of how Penny feels/felt. We learn what she did, but not really why or how. It was paragraphs like this that lost me as a reader.
“I guess this was what I’d call my CEO period. I was friendly with Paul Allen, David Geffen, Barry Diller, and Ronald. All of them had private jets and yachts. It was nice. You just don’t meet many people who call you up and say, “Come with me to Germany tomorrow. We’ll go on the jet. I want to look at a yacht.” True, that would be nice. And amazing, and thrilling…as would directing “Big” and “Awakenings’ and giving birth to a daughter and getting married and divorced. And motorcycling around Europe with Art Garfunkel. And getting diagnosed with cancer. And being robbed by ninjas.
There is so many amazing things that the reader is told about in this book. But the experience is like being shown a series of pictures, with little or no detail. Penny Marshall’s movies have such heart, they touch on such a wide range of genuine emotion…that I just wish the story of her amazing life did too.
When I saw she had written a memoir, I couldn’t resist getting it. I was hoping that it would either be wonderfully,
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sarcastically funny or give me insight into who this incredible woman is and how she found her way into acting and directing.Instead, “My Mother Was Nuts” is an interesting read, but I was disappointed. At time the book feels like a laundry list of names and places and events. The beginning, which of course focuses on her childhood – and of course, her mother, was the best part. As she describes herself as a child, the reader gets more depth. Before her life becomes so noteworthy, it is more relatable. She is funnier, too, as she looks back at the child she used to be.
“I came home from school on day when I was fifteen, and my mother surprised me with the news that she and my father were getting a divorce. She said it matter-of-factly, as if it was on her list of things to tell me before dance class, and in fact, it was. She didn’t give me a chance to ask any questions. “Decide who you want to live with,” she said. “Him or me.” “Do I have to decide now?” I asked. “Yes,” she said. “And take out the garbage on your way out.”
Despite, or perhaps because of the title of this story – Penny’s mother has an incredible influence on who she becomes and the life she pursues. Her dance classes were given by her mother. “I do know that I got way more out of my mother’s insufferable dance classes than I ever realized.” “Those classes I hated so much had given me a Plan B and a lifetime of confidence. But like most people, I needed to live most of my life before I could look back and understand how lucky I was to have been tortured.”
Once she enters show business, the book loses much of its heart. As amazing as the people and events and places that are part of her life are – the way she describes them seems flat. We see what is happening around her, but we don’t get much of how Penny feels/felt. We learn what she did, but not really why or how. It was paragraphs like this that lost me as a reader.
“I guess this was what I’d call my CEO period. I was friendly with Paul Allen, David Geffen, Barry Diller, and Ronald. All of them had private jets and yachts. It was nice. You just don’t meet many people who call you up and say, “Come with me to Germany tomorrow. We’ll go on the jet. I want to look at a yacht.” True, that would be nice. And amazing, and thrilling…as would directing “Big” and “Awakenings’ and giving birth to a daughter and getting married and divorced. And motorcycling around Europe with Art Garfunkel. And getting diagnosed with cancer. And being robbed by ninjas.
There is so many amazing things that the reader is told about in this book. But the experience is like being shown a series of pictures, with little or no detail. Penny Marshall’s movies have such heart, they touch on such a wide range of genuine emotion…that I just wish the story of her amazing life did too.
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LibraryThing member brainella
Eh. What should I have expected when Amazon says, "Hey, buy this book for $3.99." This book was a self-indulgent, name-dropping, drug-laced trip down memory lane. And none of it was that interesting. The sad attempts at humor were not humorous. It made my opinion of celebrities go down
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significantly, considering they are all narcissistic babies. Dang. Get over yourself. Bah. Show Less
LibraryThing member Daiseyb
If Penny Marshall ever writes one more word I want to read it. I loved this book. She writes like she is sitting and talking to you in her living room. I only wish she had time and space to write down more stories of her life. What a wild ride she has had. Just the number of people she knows and
Great stories and a fun and easy read. May Penny live another 68 years and write about them all again.
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the stories of all the things she has done is fascinating to me. But, even with all the big names and famous people in her life Penny is so down to earth and "normal" that you feel like if she met you she would invite you to lunch or let you stay at her house if you needed to.Great stories and a fun and easy read. May Penny live another 68 years and write about them all again.
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LibraryThing member phyllis2779
Very enjoyable memoir. I enjoyed both the section on growing up in NY because that's where I grew up and also her discussion of her experiences in television and movie-making. I wasn't a fan of Laverne and Shirley but I liked her movies, especially A League of their Own.
LibraryThing member fist
I should stop reading showbiz memoirs. Invariably, I tend to find them boring and self-serving and the authors self-centered name-dropping control freaks. But probably that's the kind of person that makes it to the top of the showbiz career ladder (Joan Rivers, if you're reading this, you're the
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exception - I loved your latest book. But then you didn't exactly make it to the very pinnacle of showbiz, did you). In this case, I disliked Penny Marshall and her book even more than usual. Almost every sentence in this book serves either to exonerate her for mishaps to her costars or to indicate that she has been right all along, trying to make the reader believe that her career was a combination of nepotism (she'll admit to that) and sheer luck. I enjoyed the first chapters on growing up in the Bronx with a showbiz mom, but after that the narrative became too sloppy, with its baby boomer navel-gazing and focus on people that were allegedly big in the '70s but have since had little relevance (to me, at least). To avoid. Show Less
LibraryThing member mirikayla
Putting back on the to-read list for now; I guess I'm just not in the mood.
LibraryThing member Becky.Brown
HILARIOUS BOOK! Marshall wrote this book in a way that captivated my attention to the details of her life. There are so many interesting things that have happened to her that no one really knows about.
LibraryThing member cherybear
Not surprisingly, this is a funny, irreverent book by Penny Marshall, mostly about her life. Not overly well written, and kind of stream of consciousness, but an easy enjoyable read.
LibraryThing member ownedbycats
Really enjoyed this book!!!
LibraryThing member jamespurcell
Reader's accent was a turnoff. May try book at another time
LibraryThing member NewsieQ
Born in the Bronx to a mother who owned a dance studio, Penny Marshall has been in show business almost her entire life. Known best for her role as Laverne in Laverne and Shirley, she became a well-respected movie director, specializing in lighthearted and uplifting stories -- Jumpin' Jack Flash,
This memoir is also lighthearted, mostly humorous and somewhat uplifting … if you don’t count drug use, promiscuous sex, and an overuse of the F-word. Ms. Marshall never goes into detail about those events in her life, but doesn’t try to hide them, either. Ms. Marshall is obviously NOT an introspective person and, therefore, the book is not as insightful as most memoirs. It's an easy read, and not too taxing, A friend at our non-fiction book group recommended this book. She said "it has its moments." A few.
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Big, Awakenings, A League of Their Own, Renaissance Man, The Preacher's Wife, and Riding in Cars with Boys. She has not directed since 2001.This memoir is also lighthearted, mostly humorous and somewhat uplifting … if you don’t count drug use, promiscuous sex, and an overuse of the F-word. Ms. Marshall never goes into detail about those events in her life, but doesn’t try to hide them, either. Ms. Marshall is obviously NOT an introspective person and, therefore, the book is not as insightful as most memoirs. It's an easy read, and not too taxing, A friend at our non-fiction book group recommended this book. She said "it has its moments." A few.
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LibraryThing member wbwilburn5
Quite good. She writes interestingly, but there were a few unexplained gaps too.
LibraryThing member micahmom2002
Funny memoir of Penny Marshall that spans her childhood and acting and directing career. A light, enjoyable read.
LibraryThing member LyndaInOregon
Marshall's memoir will be of most interest to people who remember "LaVerne & Shirley", "All in the Family" and "Happy Days". She tells some interesting stories, but nothing is particularly earth-shaking.
If you're looking for the tale of a kid growing up with a wonderful, wacky family (as the title
For whatever reason, Marshall and her brother Garry (creator of "Happy Days", director of "The Princess Diaries" and "Runaway Bride", among others) grew up to be major players in the entertainment industry of the 1970s and 80s. Her ramble down Memory Lane, via SNL and other hotspots, will amuse but not particularly engage the reader, and her inside stories of films like "Big", "A League of Their Own", and "Jumpin' Jack Flash" may send you off to Netflix to revisit them.
If you're looking for the tale of a kid growing up with a wonderful, wacky family (as the title
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would seem to imply), you're going to be disappointed. The parents Marshall describes were angry, bitter people, locked in a marriage that had gone far past loveless. One wonders why, even in the divorce-rare era of mid-Century America, they didn't simply move to end the conflict.For whatever reason, Marshall and her brother Garry (creator of "Happy Days", director of "The Princess Diaries" and "Runaway Bride", among others) grew up to be major players in the entertainment industry of the 1970s and 80s. Her ramble down Memory Lane, via SNL and other hotspots, will amuse but not particularly engage the reader, and her inside stories of films like "Big", "A League of Their Own", and "Jumpin' Jack Flash" may send you off to Netflix to revisit them.
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LibraryThing member quiBee
Interesting enough memoir about the life of an actress and director who seems to have been connected by family, marriage, relationships or friendship with just about all the major actors and players of Hollywood and America in general for decades.
Probably 2.5 stars.
Probably 2.5 stars.
LibraryThing member knahs
A great read!
LibraryThing member MHanover10
I love Penny Marshall and have loved her since first seeing her in Laverne & Shirley. This is a very entertaining book read by Penny herself. I thought it might be hard with her thick accent but it wasn't. She read it with passion getting emotional when talking about her Mom's death and 9/11. It
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was really interesting to hear about the behind-the-scenes of the movies she directed and also the Laverne & Shirley show. If you like Penny then you will enjoy this. I recommend grabbing the audiobook. It will bring Penny directly to you. Show Less
LibraryThing member reader1009
nonfiction/biography (comic actress/director)
a lighthearted look back at the accomplishments of a funny lady.
a lighthearted look back at the accomplishments of a funny lady.
LibraryThing member c_why
What a pain in the ass this woman is. Her Personal Assistant could have taken a collection of her daily agendas & put this boring, name-dropping, super-superficial thing together. I got it because of the title, and yes, Penny's mother was an interesting kook. The rest of it . . . snoresville. The
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Hollywood scene a total drag -- but perfect for Ms. M. (I've never seen one instant of Laverne & Shirley, thank god). But I always need an inconsequential book to read for a few minutes before I sleep, while my brain shuts down. Boy, was this ideal. Show Less
LibraryThing member foof2you
Probably one of the best auto biographies that I have read in a long time. Penny Marshall tells stories and names names which I really enjoyed. There are many stories in this book about her life before she became famous and after.
LibraryThing member kaulsu
This book was a lot of fun! Marshall included the names of every person she ever met! A good listen and brought plenty of smiles. I need to re-watch some of her movies now…
LibraryThing member yvonne.sevignykaiser
I listened to the audio version of this book which is read by the author.
I learned quite a bit I did not know about Penny Marshall: She was on the Jackie Gleason Show, she was in commercials, she really did not plan to be an actress let alone direct films.
Her brother Gary Marshall, which I did
If you like Hollywood bios this is worth the read or a listen.
I learned quite a bit I did not know about Penny Marshall: She was on the Jackie Gleason Show, she was in commercials, she really did not plan to be an actress let alone direct films.
Her brother Gary Marshall, which I did
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know she was related to Gary, is the one who opened the doors to get her career going. I loved her in Laverne and Shirley and have enjoyed the many films she has directed.If you like Hollywood bios this is worth the read or a listen.
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LibraryThing member zot79
I would have liked to have given this at least 4 stars. It was worth it to hear Penny describe growing up in New York and how she made her wonderful television shows and movies. I generally liked her attitude about life and people. On the other hand, her voice, which is both wonderful and awful to
Another 1/2 star comes off because of all the name and place dropping and partying and travel. I get it. She hangs out with amazing people. She's got money to burn and friends with private jets. She likes to party. It still makes it difficult to identify with her. Since she also feels obligated to not leave anyone out, there are many boring litanies of names, which are a drag for the listener who only knows who about half of those folks are. Even Penny sounds bored.
All-in-all worth a listen (or a read), if you're a fan. If you're not, don't bother.
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listen to, sometimes made it hard to discern what she was saying. There were also times where this experienced actress telling us about her life sounded like she was just reading a boring text. I knocked off 1/2 star for that. Another 1/2 star comes off because of all the name and place dropping and partying and travel. I get it. She hangs out with amazing people. She's got money to burn and friends with private jets. She likes to party. It still makes it difficult to identify with her. Since she also feels obligated to not leave anyone out, there are many boring litanies of names, which are a drag for the listener who only knows who about half of those folks are. Even Penny sounds bored.
All-in-all worth a listen (or a read), if you're a fan. If you're not, don't bother.
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2012
Physical description
352 p.; 9 inches
ISBN
9780547892627