Customer Rating: 
Summary: Last of the Hollywood Icons
Comment: Sometimes Hollywood biographies are grating. You spend so much time reading about the author's family that you begin wondering if the the book is about them or someone else. Thankfully there are those written like Robert Wagner's.
Robert Wagner, to be honest, isn't someone I would run to TCM to see him in one of his roles, but he does represent a different era of Hollywood, and he does a fine job of reflecting on that world in his book.
His brief tidbits and reminisces about Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart and Frank Sinatra (among others) helps to reinforce the image of the movie-elite of the late 40s and 50s, and he shares enough to let you know he was part of that parade.
The book is well-written and an interesting read although you get a sense that his roles were easily found and success always around the corner. For those always wanting to know,he certainly pours out his heart regarding his marriage to Natalie Wood...so much so that you have to wonder what his other wives might be thinking... and although his explaination about her death may be true, it seems sadly incomplete. Perhaps there is no more to say.
Wagner's book is not a thinking man's (or woman's novel). If anything, he might be a bit self-indulgent, but it is entertaining and comfortable to read. Thankfully he stays true to writing about himself and the people around him, and doesn't bore you with studio politics and ramifications.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Gentleman all the way
Comment: I recently purchased this book for my Kindle after downloading a delightful sample. I was deciding between Mr. Wagner's book or Tony Curtis' book - and I am pleased that I chose the former.
I didn't know a whole lot about Robert Wagner or his life story except for the usual bits about his marraiges and television programs (which I must confess I had no interest in watching when they were on). But I must say that I could not put this book down and finished it within 3 days because it was so interesting.
I don't want to ruin anything for another reader out there, but allow me to tell you that Mr. Wagner was no boy scout but he is also no braggert. He will tell you many fine tales about the women and the men of his profession that he had the pleasure of knowing and working with, without including embarrassing or lurid details. How refreshing! The names - Fred Astaire, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, David Niven, and on and on - are just mind boggling. Old Hollywood, New Hollywood - you name it, they're all in here.
I did not realize that he had been a part of the movie industry for so many years and had been involved in so many different aspects of the business. I just never paid him much mind and he pretty much flew under the radar of other higher wattage stars. Now I can't wait to find one of his movies on television so that I may pay him the attention he should have received sooner.
The book is very engaging and his style will make the reader feel right at home, which I suspect is exactly the way he wanted it to turn out. He is a very classy man (and not to mention dropdead gorgeous!) and I am so happy to have discovered this story to recommend to others.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Wagner's Life Could Make a Great Book, But This Isn't It
Comment: Despite the title, Robert Wagner wastes the pages of his autobiography by failing to open up his heart. He comes across as a smug rich kid who is out of touch with his emotions, who over-praises almost everyone he ever worked with and over-condemns the hard-working father who gave him everything.
Wagner grew up a little rich kid in Los Angeles, hanging around with the children of famous stars. Yet Wagner reveals almost nothing of himself in his younger years--instead he spends about 50 pages slamming his father, the man who gave him everything he had. His dad even allowed him to skip college and paid for a year of RJ living on his own while the son tried to make a movie career. The thanks the dad gets is Wagner putting him down every chance he gets.
Wagner pretends to open up about his love life and his weak early screen presence, but it's mostly false modesty with few details to any description that he gives. He doesn't really explain how he lost his virginity at age 12 and then glosses over his scenes with Marilyn Monroe. The only conclusion the reader can come to is that Wagner doesn't really want to reveal himself--he just wants to tell stories about the people he has met. And even those stories are mediocre--either he can't remember details or he is hiding an awful lot.
The book is page-after-page of name dropping to the point of the reader screaming "stop telling us about the famous people you know and start telling us about yourself and what makes you tick!" Overall very disappointing because he pretends to share "pieces of his heart" but really only gives you a scripted screen-version of his life story.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Best for those with long memories
Comment: I've been a fan of Robert Wagner's for long enough that I remember almost all the movies he's done, as well as every television series in which he's appeared. This book will be most appreciated by people like me, who have long memories for old (and some not so old) movies and the many older stars he discusses. [Would anyone under 40 even know who Barbara Stanwyck was?]
The most appealing aspect of the book is the casual way Wagner gives insights into Hollywood, the privileged lives of actors and the business of movie making. His tone is often ironic and wry, and he often manages to suggest much while saying little. For example, after a one-night stand with Anita Ekberg results in a ruined article of clothing, he notes that the time with her would have been worth ruining an entire wardrobe. Period. That's it - no smarmy descriptions, no details that would make the reader uncomfortable. Instead, this sets the reader's imagination free. By the way, he also provides offhand comments about males in Hollywood, dropping information casually about affairs, practical jokes and "OK Freddy" that are laugh out loud.
If you are looking for the inside scoop on his marriages, you are destined to be disappointed as RJ uses many positive adjectives but gives few details about his own feelings or those of his wives. Some stories about special birthday parties, conflicts with movie-making but no dissing here. It seemed to me that he didn't want to say anything about his children's mothers that would make them uncomfortable, showing that he is both a gentleman and a decent human being.
An enjoyable book and one hard to put down.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Comment: I have always been a fan of Robert Wagner. The way the book was written is how I expected it to be. The book flowed along really well. I enjoyed getting to know alot of famous celebrities (most of them are now deceased) through RJ's memories. There was a good combination of elements in the book from knowing the people he dated and who other people dated, etc.
Summary: Last of the Hollywood Icons
Comment: Sometimes Hollywood biographies are grating. You spend so much time reading about the author's family that you begin wondering if the the book is about them or someone else. Thankfully there are those written like Robert Wagner's.
Robert Wagner, to be honest, isn't someone I would run to TCM to see him in one of his roles, but he does represent a different era of Hollywood, and he does a fine job of reflecting on that world in his book.
His brief tidbits and reminisces about Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart and Frank Sinatra (among others) helps to reinforce the image of the movie-elite of the late 40s and 50s, and he shares enough to let you know he was part of that parade.
The book is well-written and an interesting read although you get a sense that his roles were easily found and success always around the corner. For those always wanting to know,he certainly pours out his heart regarding his marriage to Natalie Wood...so much so that you have to wonder what his other wives might be thinking... and although his explaination about her death may be true, it seems sadly incomplete. Perhaps there is no more to say.
Wagner's book is not a thinking man's (or woman's novel). If anything, he might be a bit self-indulgent, but it is entertaining and comfortable to read. Thankfully he stays true to writing about himself and the people around him, and doesn't bore you with studio politics and ramifications.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Gentleman all the way
Comment: I recently purchased this book for my Kindle after downloading a delightful sample. I was deciding between Mr. Wagner's book or Tony Curtis' book - and I am pleased that I chose the former.
I didn't know a whole lot about Robert Wagner or his life story except for the usual bits about his marraiges and television programs (which I must confess I had no interest in watching when they were on). But I must say that I could not put this book down and finished it within 3 days because it was so interesting.
I don't want to ruin anything for another reader out there, but allow me to tell you that Mr. Wagner was no boy scout but he is also no braggert. He will tell you many fine tales about the women and the men of his profession that he had the pleasure of knowing and working with, without including embarrassing or lurid details. How refreshing! The names - Fred Astaire, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, David Niven, and on and on - are just mind boggling. Old Hollywood, New Hollywood - you name it, they're all in here.
I did not realize that he had been a part of the movie industry for so many years and had been involved in so many different aspects of the business. I just never paid him much mind and he pretty much flew under the radar of other higher wattage stars. Now I can't wait to find one of his movies on television so that I may pay him the attention he should have received sooner.
The book is very engaging and his style will make the reader feel right at home, which I suspect is exactly the way he wanted it to turn out. He is a very classy man (and not to mention dropdead gorgeous!) and I am so happy to have discovered this story to recommend to others.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Wagner's Life Could Make a Great Book, But This Isn't It
Comment: Despite the title, Robert Wagner wastes the pages of his autobiography by failing to open up his heart. He comes across as a smug rich kid who is out of touch with his emotions, who over-praises almost everyone he ever worked with and over-condemns the hard-working father who gave him everything.
Wagner grew up a little rich kid in Los Angeles, hanging around with the children of famous stars. Yet Wagner reveals almost nothing of himself in his younger years--instead he spends about 50 pages slamming his father, the man who gave him everything he had. His dad even allowed him to skip college and paid for a year of RJ living on his own while the son tried to make a movie career. The thanks the dad gets is Wagner putting him down every chance he gets.
Wagner pretends to open up about his love life and his weak early screen presence, but it's mostly false modesty with few details to any description that he gives. He doesn't really explain how he lost his virginity at age 12 and then glosses over his scenes with Marilyn Monroe. The only conclusion the reader can come to is that Wagner doesn't really want to reveal himself--he just wants to tell stories about the people he has met. And even those stories are mediocre--either he can't remember details or he is hiding an awful lot.
The book is page-after-page of name dropping to the point of the reader screaming "stop telling us about the famous people you know and start telling us about yourself and what makes you tick!" Overall very disappointing because he pretends to share "pieces of his heart" but really only gives you a scripted screen-version of his life story.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Best for those with long memories
Comment: I've been a fan of Robert Wagner's for long enough that I remember almost all the movies he's done, as well as every television series in which he's appeared. This book will be most appreciated by people like me, who have long memories for old (and some not so old) movies and the many older stars he discusses. [Would anyone under 40 even know who Barbara Stanwyck was?]
The most appealing aspect of the book is the casual way Wagner gives insights into Hollywood, the privileged lives of actors and the business of movie making. His tone is often ironic and wry, and he often manages to suggest much while saying little. For example, after a one-night stand with Anita Ekberg results in a ruined article of clothing, he notes that the time with her would have been worth ruining an entire wardrobe. Period. That's it - no smarmy descriptions, no details that would make the reader uncomfortable. Instead, this sets the reader's imagination free. By the way, he also provides offhand comments about males in Hollywood, dropping information casually about affairs, practical jokes and "OK Freddy" that are laugh out loud.
If you are looking for the inside scoop on his marriages, you are destined to be disappointed as RJ uses many positive adjectives but gives few details about his own feelings or those of his wives. Some stories about special birthday parties, conflicts with movie-making but no dissing here. It seemed to me that he didn't want to say anything about his children's mothers that would make them uncomfortable, showing that he is both a gentleman and a decent human being.
An enjoyable book and one hard to put down.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Comment: I have always been a fan of Robert Wagner. The way the book was written is how I expected it to be. The book flowed along really well. I enjoyed getting to know alot of famous celebrities (most of them are now deceased) through RJ's memories. There was a good combination of elements in the book from knowing the people he dated and who other people dated, etc.