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65th out of 174 books
—
18 voters
The Garner Files: A Memoir
After suffering physical abuse at the hands of his stepmother, Garner left home at fourteen. He became Oklahoma’s first draftee of the Korean War and was awarded with two Purple Hearts before returning to the United States and settling in Los Angeles to become an actor. Working alongside some of the most renowned celebrities, including Julie Andrews, Marlon Brando, and Cli...more
Hardcover, 273 pages
Published
November 1st 2011
by Simon & Schuster
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Reading this book was a special experience in that I felt as though I was reading the words of an old friend or more to the point the words of a member of the family. In many respects James Garner is like family as he has been welcomed into our home for as long as I can remember. He is that rare actor with whom we develop that special relationship that makes him seem like family. While we might enjoy watching the movies of Brando, DeNiro and others they do not convey that warmth and humanity tha...more
This book qualifies as a highly recommend. Mr. Garner is all that hoped he was and way beyond. This man's life has been amazing and an example to all about LIVING life and not giving in/up. Though we all feel/do that sometimes, he is a reminder that being here on this planet Earth is the toughest school around. He has been and still is a great teacher and a good student. Read it as soon as you can and then give it to a friend to read too. Thank you Mr. Garner for a wonderful gift in this book an...more
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Shortly after finishing Hitch-22 I noticed a blog post praising The Garner Files. Apparently I'm in a memoir-reading mood, because I went for it. And I'm glad I did. Garner's writing isn't to be compared to Hitchens', but it has its own clear style that gets across the man's modesty and competence. He seems to generally avoid saying good things about himself (his appearance, for example, only referred to when others taunt him for being a "pretty boy") and he stresses the workmanlike aspects of h...more
I've always liked James Garner's laid back, amiable, and slightly grumpy set of characters that he has essayed over the years, and reading this auto-bio was a bit of a random pick. I was only slightly disappointed with the book only because I wanted more insight, or at least anecdotes about the various film and television he worked on. Don't worry, there is some but I always want a bit more. Garner seems like a pretty nice guy, and comes from some unbelievably humble beginnings. My own bias come...more
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I'm a Garner fan. I've always enjoyed his slow, casual style. As an actor, he comes across as very natural and likeable. His memoirs reveal a charming (maybe even quiet) guy with a lot of no-nonsense rules of life, married to one woman, leading a responsible life.
Though his views on a few things are certainly different than mine, he accepts responsibility, takes calculated risks, and fights for what he believes is right. There is not a lot of dishing on people, other than a few conservatives he...more
Though his views on a few things are certainly different than mine, he accepts responsibility, takes calculated risks, and fights for what he believes is right. There is not a lot of dishing on people, other than a few conservatives he...more
The Garner Files: A Memoir by James Garner and Jon Winokur is an excellent celebrity memoir. It reveals Garner to be a man of integrity. He is socially conscious, politically liberal, very opinionated, and he doesn’t hesitate to voice his opinions when they matter. Although he has been very successful in television and movies, he came from a dysfunctional family that struggled to provide a home for him. His mother died when he was very young and his father was not very attentive to him and his b...more
The Garner Files: A Memoir by James Garner and Jon Winokur reflects back on the leading man's personal life and career. You'll read about Garner's scrappy upbringing in Norman, Oklahoma and his unintentional start in show business. There are details of his time spent playing the gambler Brett Maverick on the hit TV western Maverick and his iconic private detective Jim Rockford on The Rockford Files--the two TV roles he's most closely associated with. For more dedicated fans of TV history, you'll...more
James Garner is part of the very small group of 1950's actors that had great success both in television and movies (Clint Eastwood is probably the other), and his memoir focuses on his career. His married life was relatively free from drama - he has been married to the same woman for over 50 years, so it makes sense that he spends the vast majority of his story on the TV shows and films he made, who he worked with, and how he challenged studios and networks who attempted to cheat him out of his...more
I was interested in reading this autobiography by James Garner for a couple of reasons. The first, I love THE ROCKFORD FILES. Growing up, it was always one of my favorite shows and I stream an episode on Netflix every so often--it's still a terrific show. It's held up very well through the decades and I learned a couple of the reasons why after reading Garner's take on the show and what he was trying to do on it. The second reason is pretty simple--Garner is a proud Oklahoman as am I. He's also...more
It took me over a month to finish reading this book even though it's only a little more than 200 pages long. I don't know why I checked out this book; I didn't consider myself a huge fan, but I can say I'm glad I read it.
My problem with the book was that he left the best stuff for last. I thought he spent too much time explaining and describing what it's like to be a race car driver and a golfer. I thought that stuff could have been edited or put at the end of the book. I appreciated his honest...more
My problem with the book was that he left the best stuff for last. I thought he spent too much time explaining and describing what it's like to be a race car driver and a golfer. I thought that stuff could have been edited or put at the end of the book. I appreciated his honest...more
My Review of “The Garner Files”
By Jim Suva
I finished reading The Garner Files. I highly recommend this book to everyone. Jon Winokur has done an excellent job with James Garner in writing one of the best memoirs I have ever read.
It tells a wonderful story of Mr. Garner’s life, that shows a man who lives by a basic code of what is right. He is just a regular guy doing what he feels is best and fair for himself and other people. It is so nice to read about a person who is honest about his life and...more
By Jim Suva
I finished reading The Garner Files. I highly recommend this book to everyone. Jon Winokur has done an excellent job with James Garner in writing one of the best memoirs I have ever read.
It tells a wonderful story of Mr. Garner’s life, that shows a man who lives by a basic code of what is right. He is just a regular guy doing what he feels is best and fair for himself and other people. It is so nice to read about a person who is honest about his life and...more
I know I watched every episode of Maverick because it was on before my bedtime, and our household was permanently tuned in to Warner Bros. westerns. I wasn't that into Rockford Files, but my wife was, so I did my grad school homework while she watched,and saw enough of the episodes to understand why it was a hit. I have seen nearly all Garner's movies, some time and again, but I had no idea how much I would like and respect the man behind the screen until I read this book. You get the inside sco...more
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Dec 06, 2011
Richard
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Movie lovers
Recommended to Richard by:
I read a review
I think it is interesting that Mr. Garner did not think he had "gone Hollywood", and yet much of his story is about golfing all over the world; owning a stable of race cars and driving in races around the world; rubbing elbows with the rich and famous; and spending a really lot of time playing golf with the pros and other celebrities. I guess when you get a big enough payday to be able to take several months off and play, it's the only thing to do.
I did learn a lot of things about him I did not...more
I did learn a lot of things about him I did not...more
1 like · like · see review
Reading "The Garner Files" James Garner's long awaited memoirs written with Jon Winokur is like being in the room with Jim having a "one on one" conversation. Jim's voice comes through loud and clear (Very loud when the need arises). Having spent two years on the set of "The Rockford Files" I can attest that Jon Winokur does an excellent job of letting Jim do the talking. Jim's wonderful sense of humor, dry wit and yes his shyness comes through revealing a man who in my opinion is so good at his...more
Jim has always been one of my favorite actors. Born in 65, I grew up watching "The Rockford Files" every Friday night with my dad. I remember seeing "Support Your Local Sheriff" at the horrible old Metro movie theater in Abilene, TX, when I was pretty small and--in junior high--I got hooked on watching "Maverick" on the late-night reruns.
This book is a fun way to re-live Jim's life and career. Even when he's telling about the painful parts, he manages to do it in a warm way that sometimes makes...more
This book is a fun way to re-live Jim's life and career. Even when he's telling about the painful parts, he manages to do it in a warm way that sometimes makes...more
There are some forms of entertainment that we want to surprise us. Others give us pleasure by being exactly what we expect them to be. "The Garner Files" is a case of the latter. James Garner's voice rings very clearly in the pages, and his personality does not disappoint either.
He discusses his difficult childhood, his youth and military experiences, his early years as an actor, his miserable time as a Warner Brothers contract player (where he gained fame on "Maverick"), his film and TV career,...more
He discusses his difficult childhood, his youth and military experiences, his early years as an actor, his miserable time as a Warner Brothers contract player (where he gained fame on "Maverick"), his film and TV career,...more
Public library copy.
Fascinating real-life insight and observations, a must-read for any James Garner fan. What a great actor and fine man both professionally and personally. His book reads as though he actually wrote the words or was recorded by a device of some sort as he gave dictation. I was surprised he never blamed his temper flareups from his addiction to pot as he admitted to being a heavy marijuana user. He certainly seemed to know well enough that he has an alcoholic gene, so I would sa...more
Fascinating real-life insight and observations, a must-read for any James Garner fan. What a great actor and fine man both professionally and personally. His book reads as though he actually wrote the words or was recorded by a device of some sort as he gave dictation. I was surprised he never blamed his temper flareups from his addiction to pot as he admitted to being a heavy marijuana user. He certainly seemed to know well enough that he has an alcoholic gene, so I would sa...more
“The Garner Files, A Memoir” by James Garner and Jon Winokur, published by Simon & Schuster.
Category – Biography/Memoir
I remember Jim Garner but I remember him more as Bret Maverick, Jim Rockford, and Bob Hendley (the scrounger) from “The Great Escape”.
This is a very revealing story of his early life and how he got into show business. As he says in his memoir, he is his own man, and has proved it over and over again. He stuck to his convictions and never wavered, whether it was in his person...more
Category – Biography/Memoir
I remember Jim Garner but I remember him more as Bret Maverick, Jim Rockford, and Bob Hendley (the scrounger) from “The Great Escape”.
This is a very revealing story of his early life and how he got into show business. As he says in his memoir, he is his own man, and has proved it over and over again. He stuck to his convictions and never wavered, whether it was in his person...more
3 likes · like · see review
This is a book I have eagerly anticipated. I have been a fan of James Garner my entire life. I loved him in all the various Maverick productions and I grew up watching him as Rockford. He always played the reluctant hero not the superhero type, and although this is not usually what little boys typically think of when they are thinking of heroes, I still enjoyed him tremendously. Mr. Garner has always been a private person and not one to try to stay in the spotlight so it was with a bit of surpri...more
Usually, I'm not much of a autobiography person unless I'm really interested in the person. I find that the person writing will ramble on about their lives or will try to plant a juicy tidbit just so the sales will be better. However, this proved me wrong. I really enjoyed this book!
I liked that James Garner laid it out there, warts and all. There were parts of his story that I somewhat expected (like his movie, tv roles, and co-stars), but there was quite a bit that I was surprised by ... some...more
I liked that James Garner laid it out there, warts and all. There were parts of his story that I somewhat expected (like his movie, tv roles, and co-stars), but there was quite a bit that I was surprised by ... some...more
Much credit to ghost writer Jon Winokur, whose deft hand did exactly what it was supposed to do. He made sure we didn't notice the writing, and based on James Garner's sentiments about acting, making it look easy is a skill the star appreciates.
As for the material, Garner's life story and career are littered with interesting anecdotes that seem to flow stream-of-consciousness style into one another, around umbrella topics like his popular TV shows, his love for racing, and his experiences as a p...more
As for the material, Garner's life story and career are littered with interesting anecdotes that seem to flow stream-of-consciousness style into one another, around umbrella topics like his popular TV shows, his love for racing, and his experiences as a p...more
James Garner is an irascible curmudgeon, and I ended up liking him even more than I did before I read the book. He has lived an extraordinary life and still maintained his ordinary-ness.
There were many interesting stories of Hollywood under the studio system, and how Jim helped to break up that system into the one that exists today. I had no idea that he had gone to the March for Freedom in Washington DC and was there for Dr. Martin Luther King Junior's famous "I have a dream" speech. He goes i...more
There were many interesting stories of Hollywood under the studio system, and how Jim helped to break up that system into the one that exists today. I had no idea that he had gone to the March for Freedom in Washington DC and was there for Dr. Martin Luther King Junior's famous "I have a dream" speech. He goes i...more
James Garner's memoirs are an interesting and gossipy read. Sentences are short and declarative: you'll have a hard time findin one over 10 words.
The 10-point guide to writing scripts for Garner's gambler character, "Maverick" are a high point of the book:
Cowardly would be too strong a word to apply to Maverick. 'Cautious' is possible more accurate, and certainly more kind. When the two brothers went off to the Civil War, their old Pappy said to them: 'If either of you comes back with a medal,...more
The 10-point guide to writing scripts for Garner's gambler character, "Maverick" are a high point of the book:
Cowardly would be too strong a word to apply to Maverick. 'Cautious' is possible more accurate, and certainly more kind. When the two brothers went off to the Civil War, their old Pappy said to them: 'If either of you comes back with a medal,...more
Mr. Garner does a fair job of filling us in on the background of his life and the fun of his Hollywood career. He does little to tell us much beyond his casual working relationships. He gets poetic about golfing and racing. He admits to a bit of a wild temper early in life, and generally backs up the image he cultivated as Maverick and Jim Rockford, giving his readers the feel-good read they had hoped for.
Behind this carefully drawn image, however, is a rather blunt, coarse, shallow sort of acto...more
Behind this carefully drawn image, however, is a rather blunt, coarse, shallow sort of acto...more
May 14, 2012
Susan
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
no one
Recommended to Susan by:
library shelf
Shelves:
memoir-biography
At the beginning, Garner says he hesitated to write an autobiography because he didn't feel he had much to say. He should have stuck with that thought.
I've been a James Garner fan for as long as I can remember. I hope to continue to enjoy the characters he plays. Unlike him, I will not write off the people I disagree with out of hand.
The writing is not very strong. An interesting problem, given that Garner uses a co-author. Not sure what he did. I guess that could be a scary thought. You can def...more
I've been a James Garner fan for as long as I can remember. I hope to continue to enjoy the characters he plays. Unlike him, I will not write off the people I disagree with out of hand.
The writing is not very strong. An interesting problem, given that Garner uses a co-author. Not sure what he did. I guess that could be a scary thought. You can def...more
Yes. I realize I just gave this five stars. (The French do not believe in five stars. The highest they'll go is four. Which is silly. That's an even number. Not only are odd numbers funnier, they are also able to break ties. But I digress.)
This book is great. (I know I'm a huge James Garner fan. Yes. I. Am. - It might have something to do with how he reminds me of my dad. I don't know. I just love him. Don't question. Accept.)
This is great. This is as if the reader is sitting with Mr. Garner and...more
This book is great. (I know I'm a huge James Garner fan. Yes. I. Am. - It might have something to do with how he reminds me of my dad. I don't know. I just love him. Don't question. Accept.)
This is great. This is as if the reader is sitting with Mr. Garner and...more
Never being a huge Garner fan, I'm not sure exactly why I read this book - except it was there! Like most bios I read, I expected to start it, put it down about 1/4 the way through, read a thriller, pick it up again and get half way through, read another thriller etc... However, I read it without picking up another book which does say something for the book.
James Garner seems like a really nice guy with a sense of humor. I enjoyed his book because it wasn't just a list of his movies and his awa...more
James Garner seems like a really nice guy with a sense of humor. I enjoyed his book because it wasn't just a list of his movies and his awa...more
My "love affair" with James Garner is an unwavering one. As a child of the 80s, it was his laughing and sexy characters of the very early sixties that made me have the most horrible crush on him, that has never gone away and never shall. He was a beautiful man, with a velvety voice that was at once as seductive as Eartha Kitt's and yet as comforting as putting on your grandfather's flannel shirt. And, he voiced very early on in his book what I have always felt about the core of most of his chara...more
I got this book from the library for my husband, who is a big James Garner fan (me, too!). Of course, I decided to also have a look at it and read through it also. I began with the photos, notes from family and friends, and then the chapter on The Rockford Files. My husband watches the reruns all the time when he can. We had not realized he also made 8 Rockford Files movies - perhaps we were not aware since we did not have cable at the time, and have not run across them on TV movies.
Then I began...more
Then I began...more
Nov 24, 2011
Suzanne
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone
Recommended to Suzanne by:
No one - read it because it was James Garner
Shelves:
memoir
I have been a James Garner fan since the original Maverick. I also belonged to his fan club for 50 years - until we ALL had to retire, including Jim! - and it was fantastic. Jim is known for being nice to his fans, but we were special to him. If found out you were a member, he treated you almost like family. He was always such fun.
I never expected him to write a memoir because he is such a private person, but when I found out he did I couldn't wait to read it. I was certainly not disappointed! T...more
I never expected him to write a memoir because he is such a private person, but when I found out he did I couldn't wait to read it. I was certainly not disappointed! T...more
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