Ginger Rogers, "My Story"

The first to honor this as-yet desolate little place on the web is Ginger Rogers' 450-pages-long autobiography, simply called "My Story". Now, Ingrid Bergman's book is also called "My Story". Ava Gardner's book? Also "My Story". Despite its outer simplicity, the popular title is infinitely interesting, considering the fact that it takes on a different tone depending on who is doing the storytelling.

For actress Ginger Rogers, it is more like a selection of little stories that make up the one long story of her life. The book itself is lengthy, choppy, and perhaps even random at times. Interesting anecdotes are sprinkled throughout and appear most unexpectedly in the midst of rather uninteresting details, such as a list of the cast in a given film. (She does this often, in fact, listing all the actors in a movie before informing us about her particular experience.) While she may have a lot to say, the organization is not so appealing with its obstruction of a smooth reading. General comments about this actor being "nice" and that actor also "nice," struggle hard to stay in one's memory, whereas the abundance of words describing the astonishingly ungentlemanly conduct of Bill Holden on the set, or the shocking monstrosity called bullfighting do rather well to remain in the brain. It seems that the negatives outweigh the positives in this particular story.

While Ginger Rogers' outlook on life is made perfectly clear, accomplishing the remarkable goal of any autobiography, it is slightly regretful that the tone merely comes across as that of a girl rather than of a woman. Optimistic, simple, cheerful, romantic, Ginger Rogers fails to analyze herself, her friends, or reasons for events that occurred in her life -- such as her marriages or divorces. Nonetheless, from this fact one can understand that all her stories and comments on the people in her life, whether positive or negative, have been told entirely in good humor, like an enthusiastic child. There is no bitterness, just small wounds and offenses that have hurt her cheerful, simple self who only wants to be happy and in love.

*A Christian Scientist -- which I am not, by the way -- may find the events of this book intriguing. Incidents of healing and otherwise religious faith (i.e. miracles) are outlined from time to time, also assisted by clearly Republican views. I must admit that, as a fiercely anti-Christian as well as anti-Republican individual, I found such portions of the book distasteful. But it is her story, and I for one am certainly not going to object to her telling us her own religious and political views in a book about herself.

Not the best story in the world, but a must for fans of the talented actress, dancer, singer and artist who did indeed excel in many of her creative endeavors.
RATING: 3/5