Arlene Francis: A Memoir

by Arlene Francis

Arlene A Memoir [Mar 15, 1978] Arlene Francis

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Media Tie In, Tv, Memoir

204 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 1978

About the author

Arlene Francis was an actress, radio and television talk show host, and regular panelist on the game show What's My Line?

Reviews

[Kit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arlene is as eloquent and articulate as ever and my love for her knows no bounds. From describing her yearning to become a great actress to detailing her experiences in radio and television, her stories about her life are both amusing at times and heartfelt. I read her earlier book about charm, but this one has just as much in it. It's a shame she isn't as well known today as she deserves to be.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Light, fluffy and very interesting - much like Ms Francis. She admits to mostly leading a charmed life and the book overflows with the bubbly feeling of that. With her life in the theatre, movies and television she had met most of the big names of the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's. There are some fun stories, some poignant stories but overall it was a story of the life of a very popular star who wasn't a superstar but was well loved.

[Winter Sophia Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, Charming, Fascinating & Witty! An Exciting Read! I Loved It!

[Mediaman · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you love Arlene Francis and are looking for great stories from her career, this will probably disappoint you. It's filled with snobby elitist bragging about her upscale private life filled with New York City partying, lots of servants, abandoning her son for her career, while not even mentioning a couple of her best-known projects.

There's only a thin chapter on What's My Line, but a much larger section on her partying with other rich arrogant highbrows. She completely skips her one successful theatrical movie (absolutely zero in the book about "The Thrill of It All" with Doris Day) but gives detailed info on trips abroad or places she lived, and her dramatic number of accidents, including one that came with a large lawsuit against her.

There were things I didn't know about, such as her first husband (a network television executive, who she divorced for no other reason than she was bored) and her second husband actor Martin Gabel (who she describes negatively at times despite claiming they were in love to the point that they never argued). Her description of Gabel, who also appeared on "What's My Line," is that he was "born to be a bachelor" and happiest to be alone "shooting the breeze with the boys." Sounds like code for him being gay.

Most shocking is when the couple have a newborn son and Arlene rushes off to do a play in New York, abandoning her baby with the admittedly inept father and their home staff. My jaw dropped, realizing that this wasn't just the sweet motherly type I had seen on TV but instead a rich woman who had no trouble choosing a role thousands of miles away where she wouldn't have to be responsible for raising her kid. A few years later the couple would decide it was "best" to then send the son off to boarding school and act like that was totally normal.

Francis proudly brags "I am a liberal Democrat" and suggests she didn't get along with costar Dorothy Kilgallen because "she is a conservative Republican." After reading about Arlene's lifestyle and choices I don't think she should be bragging about being liberal.

In the end this felt like she was just putting on paper things to please her high society friends, to convince them that she was nothing like the lowly viewers that were her fans.

I'll still watch What's My Line reruns (hundreds of episodes are on YouTube) but will no longer think of her as a witty conservative grandmother type that's always sweet and honest, because this memoir reveals Arlene Francis simply loved putting on a show more than having a real life.

[Vikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I always wondered what Arlene Francis did. She did radio, Broadway, some movies and about 25 years of What's My Line? This book really told what television and New York were like in the 1940s and 1950s. I've always thought Arlene Francis was so charming and found she had written a book on charm also. Someday I will read that.

[Tahnee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I waited weeks for this book to arrive, and I was far from disappointed. If you adore the delightful Miss Francis as I do, you wont be either. It is so funny, warm and lovingly written, reading it makes you feel like Arlene's close friend. If you are a fan of hers, even a slight fan, read this book. You get to know a lot more about her than just reading about her on the internet, not just about her stage, movie and television career, but herself as a person.

Also, the rare, personal pictures are a big treat.

[Rick Segers · Rating 4 out of 5]

What you saw in Ms. Francis is what you will find in this book. She was a popular star of TV and the stage who never quite cracked Hollywood though she did make some movies. This book touches on personal and professional life and features some of the key personalities of NY society in the 40's, 50's and 60's.

[Lorna Badeo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun and endearing book! Arlene's warmth and charm are not lost on paper. If possible, she makes you love her even more.

[Kaitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very fast read, but it was fun. What's My Line fans should definitely pick this up!

[Mandy Huot · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. I enjoyed it a lot! Although you could tell her memory was a bit scattered, it covered all parts of her life, both on and off the screen and also offered plenty of pictures.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only book about Arlene, by Arlene.