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Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood
In this laugh-out-loud funny and inspiring autobiography, one of Hollywood’s best-loved comediennes muses about movies, men, motherhood, and MS In a book that is at once Hollywood hilarious and personally moving, Teri Garr, star of such classic films as Young Frankenstein, Oh God!, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Mr. Mom, and Tootsie, for which she received an Academy Award nomination, writes about her life with the same wit and warmth that have won the hearts of fans for over three decades.From sipping Cokes with Elvis Presley to hangin’ with the Beatles; from her secrets to succeeding in Hollywood without losing her sanity, to dealing with the fear, anxiety, and denial of being plagued by mysterious physical problems that eluded diagnosis for over twenty years—the insights in Speedbumps, while always couched in Garr’s trademark humor, are honest, heartfelt, and often profound. “The driven comedian tells (almost) all…[and] she’s as dizzily funny as ever.”—Entertainment Weekly “Garr sticks to the truth whether it’s hysterically funny, or, at times, heart wrenching. Read this book, it’s a lesson in courage.”—Mel Brooks
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 3, 2005
35 people are currently reading
334 people want to read
About the author
Teri Garr
8 books3 followersTerry Ann Garr, known as Teri Garr, was an American actress. Known for her comedic roles in film and television in the 1970s and 1980s, she often played women struggling to cope with the life-changing experiences of their husbands, children or boyfriends. She received nominations for an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award for her performance in Tootsie (1982), playing a struggling actress who loses the soap opera role of a female hospital administrator to her male friend and acting coach.
Garr was raised primarily in North Hollywood, California. She was the third child of a comedic-actor father and a studio costumier mother. In her youth, Garr trained in ballet and other forms of dance. She began her career as a teenager with small roles in television and film in the early 1960s, including appearances as a dancer in nine Elvis Presley musicals. After spending two years attending college, Garr left Los Angeles and studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York City. She had her breakthrough appearing in the episode Assignment: Earth of Star Trek in 1968.
After gaining attention for her 1974 roles in Francis Ford Coppola's thriller The Conversation and Mel Brooks's comedy horror Young Frankenstein, Garr became increasingly successful with major roles in Carl Reiner's comedy Oh, God! and Steven Spielberg's science fiction film Close Encounters of the Third Kind (both 1977) and The Black Stallion (1979). In the 1980s, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her comedic role as an acting student in Sydney Pollack's romantic comedy Tootsie, and enjoyed leading roles in Coppola's musical drama One from the Heart (1982), Mr. Mom (1983), and Firstborn (1984). She later acted in films such as Martin Scorsese's black comedy After Hours (1985), Let It Ride (1989), Dumb and Dumber (1994), Prêt-à-Porter (1994), Michael (1996) and Ghost World (2001).
Garr's quick wit and charming banter made her a sought-after guest on late-night shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman. On television, she took a guest role as Phoebe Abbott in the sitcom Friends (1997–98). In 2002, Garr announced that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the symptoms of which had affected her ability to perform. She retired from acting in 2011 and died in 2024.
Garr was raised primarily in North Hollywood, California. She was the third child of a comedic-actor father and a studio costumier mother. In her youth, Garr trained in ballet and other forms of dance. She began her career as a teenager with small roles in television and film in the early 1960s, including appearances as a dancer in nine Elvis Presley musicals. After spending two years attending college, Garr left Los Angeles and studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York City. She had her breakthrough appearing in the episode Assignment: Earth of Star Trek in 1968.
After gaining attention for her 1974 roles in Francis Ford Coppola's thriller The Conversation and Mel Brooks's comedy horror Young Frankenstein, Garr became increasingly successful with major roles in Carl Reiner's comedy Oh, God! and Steven Spielberg's science fiction film Close Encounters of the Third Kind (both 1977) and The Black Stallion (1979). In the 1980s, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her comedic role as an acting student in Sydney Pollack's romantic comedy Tootsie, and enjoyed leading roles in Coppola's musical drama One from the Heart (1982), Mr. Mom (1983), and Firstborn (1984). She later acted in films such as Martin Scorsese's black comedy After Hours (1985), Let It Ride (1989), Dumb and Dumber (1994), Prêt-à-Porter (1994), Michael (1996) and Ghost World (2001).
Garr's quick wit and charming banter made her a sought-after guest on late-night shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman. On television, she took a guest role as Phoebe Abbott in the sitcom Friends (1997–98). In 2002, Garr announced that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the symptoms of which had affected her ability to perform. She retired from acting in 2011 and died in 2024.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
November 14, 2009
Thoroughly enjoyable. Very funny at times. Also a bit on the sad side. For about the first half of the book she talks growing up in kind of a gypsy way, always traveling from here to there - her parents were old vaudevillians. And I think her mother kind of ran a rooming house in Hollywood area, where other old vaudevillians came to stay. Her mother had been a dancer and Teri started her early career that way. She talks about her movies. Other reviewers have noted that she doesn’t go into that much detail. I think she goes into enough detail.
The real point of the book is the disease and how it can be sneaky. She had one symptom of MS or another for twenty years before she was finally diagnosed. Meanwhile, there were rumors going around for all those years that she had MS which she couldn’t confirm. People asked her if she wasn’t sad or mad. I imagine it was a relief to finally get a diagnosis. That finally means that you can take some action. Eventually, they persuaded to go out on a speaking tour to tell people about MS. And she found that talking to people not only helped them to know that they weren’t alone but it also helped her.
I really like when she talked about allowing herself 20-minute pity parties. She’d set the timer and when it was up it was time to get on with things. And it’s nice to know that I am not the only one who has played FreeCell for hours at a time. Order out of chaos.
So I found it a pretty enjoyable book.
Mel Brooks called it “a lesson in courage.”
The real point of the book is the disease and how it can be sneaky. She had one symptom of MS or another for twenty years before she was finally diagnosed. Meanwhile, there were rumors going around for all those years that she had MS which she couldn’t confirm. People asked her if she wasn’t sad or mad. I imagine it was a relief to finally get a diagnosis. That finally means that you can take some action. Eventually, they persuaded to go out on a speaking tour to tell people about MS. And she found that talking to people not only helped them to know that they weren’t alone but it also helped her.
I really like when she talked about allowing herself 20-minute pity parties. She’d set the timer and when it was up it was time to get on with things. And it’s nice to know that I am not the only one who has played FreeCell for hours at a time. Order out of chaos.
So I found it a pretty enjoyable book.
Mel Brooks called it “a lesson in courage.”
September 21, 2024
I very much enjoyed this book. Teri's sense of humor, her stories about becoming an actress and how difficult it is to get noticed and get roles, her honesty about her personal life and her frankness about the Multiple Sclerosis she must live with add up to a heartfelt and highly readable account of a person to be admired.
November 2, 2024
The amazing Teri Garr tells all. In 2002 Teri went on Larry King and for the first time announced she had MS. For about 20 years she had the symptoms of the disease such as feeling weak, falling a lot, loss of strength, which affected her walking. (I watched on YouTube her every appearance (30) on Letterman. In the 2000s you see her walk is different. Her last two appearances 2006-2008 she could barely walk and could not use her right arm.) She started feeling the symptoms after making the movie Tootsie. 1982! She had lots of doctors over about 20 years telling her it was not MS. Anyway she learned to live with it and later help bring awareness to the disease doing talks and fundraising events.
She started as a dancer and was in 9 Elvis movies. She had a lot of talented friends met through acting classes and through other friends. Jack Nicholson, Buck Henry, Steve Martin, Rob Reiner, Albert Brooks.
She eventually worked with most of the top directors as well!
She did not have very much luck with men over the years, sadly. One man she lovingly called $hi# in the book was cheating on her so she went to his house and busted all his windows with a hammer while he was in the house in the phone.
She adopted a baby girl who she loved very much ((she’s 32 or so now).
I bought this book about a year ago but did not read it till Zi just found out Teri had just passed away at 79. I’m so glad I read it as it’s funny, candid, amazing, and shows how strong she was!
A highly recommended read.
She started as a dancer and was in 9 Elvis movies. She had a lot of talented friends met through acting classes and through other friends. Jack Nicholson, Buck Henry, Steve Martin, Rob Reiner, Albert Brooks.
She eventually worked with most of the top directors as well!
She did not have very much luck with men over the years, sadly. One man she lovingly called $hi# in the book was cheating on her so she went to his house and busted all his windows with a hammer while he was in the house in the phone.
She adopted a baby girl who she loved very much ((she’s 32 or so now).
I bought this book about a year ago but did not read it till Zi just found out Teri had just passed away at 79. I’m so glad I read it as it’s funny, candid, amazing, and shows how strong she was!
A highly recommended read.
May 20, 2008
I really enjoyed this book. I first read it after I was diagnosed with MS. The first part was ok but for me it was very personal when further into the book she discusses her MS. I could relate all to well. I recomend this book for anyone who is or knows someone diagnosed with MS. Her insight is dead on.
February 12, 2021
I wouldn't say this autobiography of Teri Garr's life was particularly 'laugh out loud funny' as the publisher's review claims, but I did find it an easy, breezy pleasurable read with amusing aspects. Garr has lead an interesting life and achieved much due to her energy, sheer will, enthusiasm and ambition. She is quite inspiring and a role model for many young women who have dreams and aspirations. Her personal life has suffered somewhat as so often happens when women have to make a choice between family/love and career. Eventually, she did make it work, but unfortunately has been side-tracked by persistent and mysterious health problems that plagued her throughout her life without much help from the myriad of doctors and health professionals that she encountered along the way. It wasn't until she was well into her middle ages that she was finally diagnosed with MS and at that point, her life took a hard turn in direction as she devoted herself to educating and supporting fellow sufferers from this challenging disease.
This book was written several years ago and we are left at the point in her life when she is coming to terms with her new reality but where she is still able to physically fulfill her commitments albeit at a reduced level of capability. I wonder how she is doing these days, and wish her the best in her endeavors.
This book was written several years ago and we are left at the point in her life when she is coming to terms with her new reality but where she is still able to physically fulfill her commitments albeit at a reduced level of capability. I wonder how she is doing these days, and wish her the best in her endeavors.
January 5, 2020
I always liked Teri Garr. She was wonderful in Young Frankenstein and Tootsie, but I mostly remember her from her appearances on Late Night with David Letterman in the '80s, which she talks about in the book. She worked really hard to get to the top in Hollywood, then rumors about her having multiple sclerosis derailed her career, which is a shame. (She did have it, but when the rumors started, she didn't have a diagnosis yet--it took about 20 years for her to get a diagnosis!)
June 1, 2017
My reasoning for choosing to read this book was to educate myself about one's feelings and or take on living with MS. I knew of Teri from some of her movies and always liked her personality. I liked listening to her reading the audio version of this book because I felt like I understood more so of her mood/feelings on things. She is so likable and funny and has such a positive look on things, which only made me like her more. What an interesting upbringing she had! Also I had no idea on so much of what she did in her career.
She doesn't try to educate you on the medical side of MS but only on how it affects her and her life with it thus far. In my reading on the disease so far I realize how much still wasn't known or treatment not yet done, just since she had written this book. I did find this book helpful in what I was looking for and enjoyed hearing her tell about her life.
She doesn't try to educate you on the medical side of MS but only on how it affects her and her life with it thus far. In my reading on the disease so far I realize how much still wasn't known or treatment not yet done, just since she had written this book. I did find this book helpful in what I was looking for and enjoyed hearing her tell about her life.
March 19, 2015
I Love Teri Garr.
I can't imagine anyone not liking Teri Garr... not anyone I'd like to know, anyway. This book is a wonderful visit with her. She's lovable as ever, with lots to say, all of it good natured, good humored and totally worthwhile. The audiobooks version brings the added value of hearing her talk to you - comfortably engaging and charming. Time spent with Teri is always a pleasure, and I would like more. I'm sure she has more stories. Get the book, the e-book and the audiobook. Highly recommended.
I can't imagine anyone not liking Teri Garr... not anyone I'd like to know, anyway. This book is a wonderful visit with her. She's lovable as ever, with lots to say, all of it good natured, good humored and totally worthwhile. The audiobooks version brings the added value of hearing her talk to you - comfortably engaging and charming. Time spent with Teri is always a pleasure, and I would like more. I'm sure she has more stories. Get the book, the e-book and the audiobook. Highly recommended.
July 23, 2017
was surprised at her vanity and lack of perspective. slight dish but not enough depth.
November 5, 2024
I'm sad that I didn't read her autobiography before she died. Teri Garr has always been one of my favorite famous people and she was in many films and TV shows I love. Her book "Speedbumps" goes into all that and shows us how she was, and wasn't, that ditzy mom character she played so often. Of course, she also tells us of her medical struggles with multiple sclerosis (MS). I was afraid that part of the book would not be as interesting as the backstage antics, but I actually learned a bit about MS and how unpredictable it can be. It is a quick read but full of good stories.
August 25, 2017
Think of Teri Garr, and likely it’s as the outspoken girl next door, the slightly off-kilter girlfriend, wife, or mother—characters she played in Tootsie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Young Frankenstein. Even when Garr is playing it straight, as in Mr. Mom and Oh God!, Garr endows her portrayals with an offbeat edge. And there’s another facet to Garr’s characters—a distinct idealism, an ethical pragmatism often challenged by extraordinary events. Faced with the incongruous (Mr. Mom), the unfair (Tootsie) and the inexplicable (Close Encounters), her characters, as carefree or conventional as they might be, demand a certain fairmindedness. Like Jimmy Stewart in It’s a Wonderful Life and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Garr’s characters have similarly unshakable principles that conflict with events around them. Look beneath the apparently zany young woman and you’ll find a fierce idealist who expects a certain justice from the world—a persona that turns out to be much like Garr herself.
There’s ample evidence of this deeper layer in Garr’s 2005 memoir, Speedbumps: Flooring it Through Hollywood. You find it in the backstory of her many roles, her meticulous character studies, and in her takes on life, art, and of course, the actor’s life. Given Garr’s presence in film, especially in films of the seventies and eighties (a period in which it’s difficult to find a film she doesn’t appear in), it’s fascinating to discover the layers beneath this much admired and popular actress and comedienne.
Read the rest at Litstack, here: http://litstack.com/litstack-rec-spee...
There’s ample evidence of this deeper layer in Garr’s 2005 memoir, Speedbumps: Flooring it Through Hollywood. You find it in the backstory of her many roles, her meticulous character studies, and in her takes on life, art, and of course, the actor’s life. Given Garr’s presence in film, especially in films of the seventies and eighties (a period in which it’s difficult to find a film she doesn’t appear in), it’s fascinating to discover the layers beneath this much admired and popular actress and comedienne.
Read the rest at Litstack, here: http://litstack.com/litstack-rec-spee...
July 29, 2013
Laugh out loud funny, just like some of the characters Garr plays on the big screen. Most of the book is typical Hollywood autobiographical fare, with the exception of Garr's challenges with MS (including the twenty years she spent trying to find a diagnosis for her symptoms). An easy read that left me with a bad taste in my mouth for the way Hollywood treats people with illness/disability. It was unsettling to learn that people like Garr often have to actively hide their symptoms for fear of not getting work (many of Garr's symptoms led people to believe she was drunk and when her illness was disclosed as MS - publicly "outed" by an associate - she had to fight to prove her illness wouldn't interfere with the making of movies).
April 22, 2014
I didn't know much about Teri Garr, except that she was in Tootsie, and played Phoebe's mother on Friends. It turns out she started out as a dancer, and was a back-up dancer in 7 or 8 Elvis movies. I didn't realize she was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress in Tootsie, which ultimately went to her cast mate, Jessica Lange. And then she devotes quite a bit of the book to her 20 year struggle to find out that she has MS. I didn't know that the disease goes into remission, which is why it took her so long to get a definite diagnosis.
February 15, 2016
A pleasant memoir from a star who is obviously also a very pleasant person. I read this book because I was looking for her experience with Multiple Sclerosis. She managed to deliver to me to some degree and I am happy that I read her memoir. Her MS was a sneaky attacker, undiagnosable for years; that experience helped me with mine and gave me a perspective I needed at this point in my life with MS.
September 14, 2015
Still enjoying famous people reading to me in my car. It is Teri's turn. Teri Garr is one of those actresses that I remember as a kid in showing up all the time as a cool movie mom. I always have admired her. I had no clue she danced in Elvis's films, though I did know that she appeared in The Monkees' movie "Head". Her memoir was nice. She did a lot of great work. I had no clue that she has M.S., but she appears to have a great attitude towards her disease.
November 3, 2017
This book was a delight; Teri Garr is so funny, and oh so clever!
If you listen to it on audio, you get to listen to Teri Garr for 6 whole c.d.’s ☺ I appreciate her positive and upbeat attitude, and I adore her on film. One thing she said, “I set a timer for 20 minutes, and then I feel really sorry for myself and then when the timer goes off I move on.” I think that’s pretty good advice.
Note to Teri Garr – More please, as in another book, please.
If you listen to it on audio, you get to listen to Teri Garr for 6 whole c.d.’s ☺ I appreciate her positive and upbeat attitude, and I adore her on film. One thing she said, “I set a timer for 20 minutes, and then I feel really sorry for myself and then when the timer goes off I move on.” I think that’s pretty good advice.
Note to Teri Garr – More please, as in another book, please.
Read
April 29, 2021So profoundly moved by clip of Garr’s final letterman appearance—the former sexpot has been ravaged by multiple sclerosis, she’s ushered to her seat by the host as shaffer and the band in a moment of inspiration perform “isn’t she lovely?”.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, great bedtime reading
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, great bedtime reading
March 7, 2020
I've read a few autobiographies in the past year, and this was one of my favorites. Teri Garr was one of my favorite actors to watch and cheer on thru the years. The book totally has her voice, and is very human. I definitely recommend to folks who know her work.
December 15, 2008
This is a nice gentle introduction to MS. If you have a friend or familiy member who is diagnosed with MS, this will help you grasp part of what they are dealing with.
December 18, 2014
Che commento vuoi fare ad una autobiografia?
Adoro la donna, per questo volevo sapere tutto di lei.
Coraggio determinazione ironia forza.
Le auguro tutto il bene di questo mondo perché lo merita.
Adoro la donna, per questo volevo sapere tutto di lei.
Coraggio determinazione ironia forza.
Le auguro tutto il bene di questo mondo perché lo merita.
February 7, 2017
Really enjoyed the book, a delight read by Teri. The last couple of chapters where Teri describes how she copes with MS by giving and receiving support to others with the disease is inspiring.
May 25, 2025
Four stars for a great memoir by a beloved actress, two stars for sloppy editing. Teri Garr was one of the best comedic actresses and dancers of the Boomer generation, and when she recently passed away I had to go back and re-watch “Young Frankenstein” and “Tootsie” — she was absolutely luminous and just so sweet and funny. I also remember her as such a ray of sunshine as a repeat guest on the Johnny Carson show — so gorgeous, vivacious and clever, always interesting.
Then I found this book and looked forward to learning more about her background. And wow, I’d like to know who edited this, how much they got paid to overlook so many mistakes, and what they were possibly smoking. It’s nothing new that Hollywood actresses from a certain era tend to lie about their age, and yes Garr struggled with multiple sclerosis in her later years which could have caused some confusion. But I’m pretty sure your average freshman English major would have caught some of the many math errors throughout the book.
Wikipedia and Census records say Garr was born in late 1944, which is confirmed when Teri writes that she was 11 years old when her father died in mid 1956. But then she shaves 5 years off of her age by claiming to have been “39.999 years old” in 1989 when she got baby fever and started thinking about her biological clock. Later she describes a bit part on “Friends” where she played Lisa Kudrow’s mother, and says if she had really been her mother, she would have had to given birth to Kudrow at age 10. No. She would have been 19, as Kudrow was born in 1963. These are only two of many examples.
She also repeatedly refers to ‘80s fashion designer Fabrice as “Frabrice” — while mocking the “hideous” dress she wore to the Oscars when she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in “Tootsie” (which sent me to Google to see if it really was that bad; it wasn’t). She also describes her co-star as “the insufferable Jessica Lange” several times, but we never find out why. Would I ever love to know that back story!
But what a life she led. This is a beautiful and honest memoir of a brave girl who grew up poor, studied to be a ballerina, ended up being a go-go dancer and starlet on hit TV shows like “Shindig” and “That Girl,” and later worked with some of the most important actors and directors in Hollywood. Despite her many failed relationships, she ended up getting her happy ending when she adopted a daughter later in life. Rest in peace, Teri, and God bless.
Then I found this book and looked forward to learning more about her background. And wow, I’d like to know who edited this, how much they got paid to overlook so many mistakes, and what they were possibly smoking. It’s nothing new that Hollywood actresses from a certain era tend to lie about their age, and yes Garr struggled with multiple sclerosis in her later years which could have caused some confusion. But I’m pretty sure your average freshman English major would have caught some of the many math errors throughout the book.
Wikipedia and Census records say Garr was born in late 1944, which is confirmed when Teri writes that she was 11 years old when her father died in mid 1956. But then she shaves 5 years off of her age by claiming to have been “39.999 years old” in 1989 when she got baby fever and started thinking about her biological clock. Later she describes a bit part on “Friends” where she played Lisa Kudrow’s mother, and says if she had really been her mother, she would have had to given birth to Kudrow at age 10. No. She would have been 19, as Kudrow was born in 1963. These are only two of many examples.
She also repeatedly refers to ‘80s fashion designer Fabrice as “Frabrice” — while mocking the “hideous” dress she wore to the Oscars when she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in “Tootsie” (which sent me to Google to see if it really was that bad; it wasn’t). She also describes her co-star as “the insufferable Jessica Lange” several times, but we never find out why. Would I ever love to know that back story!
But what a life she led. This is a beautiful and honest memoir of a brave girl who grew up poor, studied to be a ballerina, ended up being a go-go dancer and starlet on hit TV shows like “Shindig” and “That Girl,” and later worked with some of the most important actors and directors in Hollywood. Despite her many failed relationships, she ended up getting her happy ending when she adopted a daughter later in life. Rest in peace, Teri, and God bless.
March 20, 2020
Teri's memoir is a lot like David Niven's memoirs. That is both a good and a bad thing. Good in the sense that the book is funny, light-hearted & entertaining, just like Niven's. Both Teri & David had lots of famous friends and it's interesting to read about them as well.
The downside of a light-hearted memoir is that you don't really learn anything about the writer, it's all surface. Oh, they might mention negative events - divorce, alcoholism, sexual abuse - but it's presented in a very off-hand, listen-to-my-wacky-story-about-my-spouse-cheating-on-me sort of way. The 3 sentences concerning Teri's molestation at the age of 8 was jarring. I understand if you don't want to delve deeply into such an upsetting incident (though why write a memoir if you don't plan to examine your life?). I think such a pivotal event in one's life deserves a bit more than that. Her brushing aside of the abuse certainly helps explain her later issues with men and relationships.
Teri is like your funny work colleague or college acquaintance who is super fun to go to brunch with, or to grab a cocktail with. Where she struggles is in forming deeper attachments. She does mention those issues - in a jovial, casual sort of way - so she is aware of those behaviors that push people way. It's hard to tell from the memoir how self-aware she is. She comes across as very smart, very quick, so I think she is self-aware but chooses not to focus deeply on herself.
I would have preferred more stories about the making of Young Frankenstein, since it's one of my favorite movies, but that's a quibble. On the whole, it's a fine read & worth checking out if you want to read a lighter memoir.
The downside of a light-hearted memoir is that you don't really learn anything about the writer, it's all surface. Oh, they might mention negative events - divorce, alcoholism, sexual abuse - but it's presented in a very off-hand, listen-to-my-wacky-story-about-my-spouse-cheating-on-me sort of way. The 3 sentences concerning Teri's molestation at the age of 8 was jarring. I understand if you don't want to delve deeply into such an upsetting incident (though why write a memoir if you don't plan to examine your life?). I think such a pivotal event in one's life deserves a bit more than that. Her brushing aside of the abuse certainly helps explain her later issues with men and relationships.
Teri is like your funny work colleague or college acquaintance who is super fun to go to brunch with, or to grab a cocktail with. Where she struggles is in forming deeper attachments. She does mention those issues - in a jovial, casual sort of way - so she is aware of those behaviors that push people way. It's hard to tell from the memoir how self-aware she is. She comes across as very smart, very quick, so I think she is self-aware but chooses not to focus deeply on herself.
I would have preferred more stories about the making of Young Frankenstein, since it's one of my favorite movies, but that's a quibble. On the whole, it's a fine read & worth checking out if you want to read a lighter memoir.
August 15, 2017
Confession time. One of my first young crushes was not Farrah Fawcett, it was Teri Garr. "Close Encounters," "Tootsie," "Mr. Mom" and of course, "Young Frankenstein"...I was head over heels. Needless to say, I was thrilled to have the chance to read her autobiography and learn more about her life. Also having recently read Mel Brook's short book about the making of "Young Frankenstein," this was a natural next read.
I learned and came to appreciate so much about Teri Garr's journey and struggles that I had not known. Reading her journey from being the child of gypsy-like, entertainment industry parents, to dancing her heart out in the background of teenie bopper movies, to becoming an Oscar-nominated actress, to finding herself marginalized within her own industry because of a diagnosis of MS and then discovering a new calling as an advocate for those sharing her illness, was fascinating, humorous and eye-opening. Along the way, she shares some terrific stories about Elvis, the Beatles and Mel Brooks. Who could resist that?
I learned and came to appreciate so much about Teri Garr's journey and struggles that I had not known. Reading her journey from being the child of gypsy-like, entertainment industry parents, to dancing her heart out in the background of teenie bopper movies, to becoming an Oscar-nominated actress, to finding herself marginalized within her own industry because of a diagnosis of MS and then discovering a new calling as an advocate for those sharing her illness, was fascinating, humorous and eye-opening. Along the way, she shares some terrific stories about Elvis, the Beatles and Mel Brooks. Who could resist that?
February 20, 2025
For me, and this is rare, a great read and autobiography. So many of them are sad, disappointing or downright depressing! This one is NOT that. You do get to see her childhood and wanting to be a classical dancer. She was never into acting. But as time went on she did commercials and then auditions for plays and eventually movies.
All the usual hard luck, hard life story. Very good reading and always with humor. Man oh man, I got to hear her career story of plays and movies, but they never dominated HER story. A very intimate and honest story of a true perhaps forgotten gem in our cinematic history.
Her real struggle was with MS, multiple sclerosis. But she only really gets into that about half way through the book but she hints at it before then. No profanity too. Short chapters too!
This is the kind of book that when it ends you are sad it ended.
All the usual hard luck, hard life story. Very good reading and always with humor. Man oh man, I got to hear her career story of plays and movies, but they never dominated HER story. A very intimate and honest story of a true perhaps forgotten gem in our cinematic history.
Her real struggle was with MS, multiple sclerosis. But she only really gets into that about half way through the book but she hints at it before then. No profanity too. Short chapters too!
This is the kind of book that when it ends you are sad it ended.
March 16, 2017
I've always liked Teri Garr as an actress. She's funny and charming.
And I really liked her as an author. She's open and honest and funny. She talks about her entire life in show-business, and her struggles with MS (multiple sclerosis).
She sometimes go over things too quickly - I would have loved to read more about certain things - but as a whole, I truly enjoyed this book. She's had an incredible life, and she met a lot of interesting people, and I love her attitude towards life.
Now after reading this, I love Teri Garr even more, and I couldn't recommend enough this little, charming book.
And I really liked her as an author. She's open and honest and funny. She talks about her entire life in show-business, and her struggles with MS (multiple sclerosis).
She sometimes go over things too quickly - I would have loved to read more about certain things - but as a whole, I truly enjoyed this book. She's had an incredible life, and she met a lot of interesting people, and I love her attitude towards life.
Now after reading this, I love Teri Garr even more, and I couldn't recommend enough this little, charming book.
December 18, 2021
She’s a funny, funny lady. Despite her discussions about her struggles with MS, her humor still shines through.
Teri allows nothing in life to get her down. She embraces the positive side of life and never gives up.
I loved learning about her stint on the Sonny and Cher Show, her movies with Elvis, how she spent an entire evening with the Beatles, and her platonic relationship with Steve Martin. This is not a “ downer” read and the way it’s written, it seems like you and Teri are visiting and sharing a cup of afternoon tea.
Teri allows nothing in life to get her down. She embraces the positive side of life and never gives up.
I loved learning about her stint on the Sonny and Cher Show, her movies with Elvis, how she spent an entire evening with the Beatles, and her platonic relationship with Steve Martin. This is not a “ downer” read and the way it’s written, it seems like you and Teri are visiting and sharing a cup of afternoon tea.
March 25, 2025
I loved this book. Frank and funny, but gentle on the occasional a**h**** she encountered (except for the hammer episode, but he had it coming). Many hilarious moments and mayhem. I won’t give away any good parts, but highly recommend it. She had gumption throughout her life, courage in the face of MS, and kept a positive attitude throughout. I found this book after she passed away last year and heard a rerun of a radio interview. Unfortunately, it appears to be out of print. I bought an *expensive* used library copy on Amazon (signed!). Very glad I did.
March 12, 2025
I only learned of this autobiography when it was mentioned in her obituary; I'm sorry I didn't know of it before. Entertaining, a little superficial and prone to name-dropping in talking about her movie career, but her discussion of her experience with multiple sclerosis, including the protracted diagnosis, redeemed it.
February 25, 2025
When I slected this book, I didn't realize that it was written in early 2000s. Guess it was re-released following her death. She was in interesting woman. Sad and somewhat mystifying that it took doctors so long to diagnose her MS.
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