Book Review: Inside Inside
James Lipton certainly has lived a colorful life: actor, lyricist, writer, producer (both Broadway and TV), choreographer, and pimp. Yes, pimp.
In Inside “Inside”, Lipton blends personal memoir with professional anecdotes to relate a life rich with experience. By focusing on the development of his signature show, Inside the Actors Studio, he relates the history of the Stanislavski method of acting and how it has nurtured the talents of many of our most famous actors, directors, dancers, and singers. When I started reading Inside, I knew absolutely nothing of Lipton’s past, so it came as quite a surprise that this apparently staid gentleman has had such a varied career. With his trim beard and cerebral brow, he looks like the last person to be securing clients for French prostitutes, but evidently in his younger days, that is exactly what he did.
There is also his early acting days when he bounced from acting class to ballet class to live radio (on The Lone Ranger).
Actor, writer, producer, raconteurThen there are the Broadway days, adapting The Man Who Came to Dinnerinto a musical, which apparently showed much promise, but had an unfortunately abbreviated run due to personal tragedy in the lead actor’s life. It wasn’t until decades later that the musical was performed as it was originally written.
Then in the 1970s and 80s, he plunged into TV producing, including the first broadcast of the presidential inauguration celebration for Jimmy Carter. That led to many years producing Bob Hope specials.
Then there is his involvement with The Actors Studio, helping to create a degree program for actors, writers, and directors. From there he launched Inside the Actors Studio on the Bravo network to feature interviews with famous alumni of the Studio, along with other performers. Apparently the show has so much clout that it has influenced Oscar nominations and wins.
So, Lipton’s memoir is packed full of curious episodes, but what holds it together is the thread of the Actors Studio. He weaves together themes of talent, personal history, and professionalism, not only his own but that of his many guests. He lovingly writes of each guest, sharing periodic anecdotes to illustrate his point about talent and craft.
Overall, the memoir is entertaining, but at times his erudite language could use a bit of pruning. A little judicious editing could have corrected some of the hyperbole (e.g., every actor who appeared on Inside seems to have been a professional coup). Also, at times it seemed as though Lipton was single-handedly responsible for every great advancement in each project. Certainly, he holds up many, many people as his heroes – he wouldn’t be where he is without them – yet frequently he relates running into a snag of a problem then picking up a phone and calling in a favor from some important personage, and everything gets resolved. How much clout does he actually have?
Evidently, a lot. Despite his low-key intellectualism, he is a high-powered player. I’ve learned that appearances can be very deceiving.
In Inside “Inside”, Lipton blends personal memoir with professional anecdotes to relate a life rich with experience. By focusing on the development of his signature show, Inside the Actors Studio, he relates the history of the Stanislavski method of acting and how it has nurtured the talents of many of our most famous actors, directors, dancers, and singers. When I started reading Inside, I knew absolutely nothing of Lipton’s past, so it came as quite a surprise that this apparently staid gentleman has had such a varied career. With his trim beard and cerebral brow, he looks like the last person to be securing clients for French prostitutes, but evidently in his younger days, that is exactly what he did. There is also his early acting days when he bounced from acting class to ballet class to live radio (on The Lone Ranger).
Actor, writer, producer, raconteurThen there are the Broadway days, adapting The Man Who Came to Dinnerinto a musical, which apparently showed much promise, but had an unfortunately abbreviated run due to personal tragedy in the lead actor’s life. It wasn’t until decades later that the musical was performed as it was originally written.Then in the 1970s and 80s, he plunged into TV producing, including the first broadcast of the presidential inauguration celebration for Jimmy Carter. That led to many years producing Bob Hope specials.
Then there is his involvement with The Actors Studio, helping to create a degree program for actors, writers, and directors. From there he launched Inside the Actors Studio on the Bravo network to feature interviews with famous alumni of the Studio, along with other performers. Apparently the show has so much clout that it has influenced Oscar nominations and wins.
So, Lipton’s memoir is packed full of curious episodes, but what holds it together is the thread of the Actors Studio. He weaves together themes of talent, personal history, and professionalism, not only his own but that of his many guests. He lovingly writes of each guest, sharing periodic anecdotes to illustrate his point about talent and craft.
Overall, the memoir is entertaining, but at times his erudite language could use a bit of pruning. A little judicious editing could have corrected some of the hyperbole (e.g., every actor who appeared on Inside seems to have been a professional coup). Also, at times it seemed as though Lipton was single-handedly responsible for every great advancement in each project. Certainly, he holds up many, many people as his heroes – he wouldn’t be where he is without them – yet frequently he relates running into a snag of a problem then picking up a phone and calling in a favor from some important personage, and everything gets resolved. How much clout does he actually have?
Evidently, a lot. Despite his low-key intellectualism, he is a high-powered player. I’ve learned that appearances can be very deceiving.
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