In Spite of Myself

September 8, 2008
Fans of Plummer's acclaimed Shakespearean performances or his stately film roles, from Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music
to the Klingon General Chang in Star Trek VI
, may not recognize him in this breezy, bawdy memoir. Plummer drinks and parties his way through a six-decade career; beds starlets, prompters and wardrobe girls; and endures countless mid-performance indignities and pratfalls. (Lesson repeatedly learned: actors and stagehands should not get drunk right before the show.) Plummer is ebullient, a bit hammy (“I cried myself to sleep for weeks,” he sobs, after his dog Toadie dies), full of canny insights into the actor's craft and prone to occasional stabs of self-reproach over his own failed marriages, aloof parenting and unjustified tantrums. Throughout, he's an enchanting observer of the showbiz cavalcade, drawing vivid thumbnails of everyone from Laurence Olivier to Lenny Bruce and tossing off witty anecdotes (“George C. Scott turned up at our doorstep one morning at 4:30 a.m. looking most sinister and as usual dripping blood from head to toe”) like the most effortless ad libs. The result is a sparkling star turn from a born raconteur for whom all the world is indeed a stage. Photos.

October 15, 2008
Born in Toronto to a privileged family, Plummer, with all of his Shakespearean acting credits, could easily be mistaken for a product of jolly old England. He had some lucky breakshis youthful charm held him in good stead, and he was able to hone his craft until he became a well-established actor. His memoir is humorously self-deprecating but decidedly formal and florid (for example, he writes, "very few paid heed to a would-be Eulenspiegel, whose merry pranks had the consistent habit of backfiring"). The book is more of a challenge than the usual celebrity memoir. Plummer's habit of inserting verse is annoying, and, considering the length of the book, an index would have been appreciated. Overall, this is a detailed record of a distinguished acting career and a life well lived. He knew "everyone," and he dishes the dirt. His section on the making of "The Sound of Music" (which he called "S&M") is worth the whole read. Recommended for all libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/08.]Rosellen Brewer, Sno-Isle Libs., Marysville, WA

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2008
In this large and enthusiastic memoir, Plummer tellsof hisprivileged Canadian upbringingand hiseventual career success as an internationalstar of stage and screen. Born in Toronto in 1929 to a wealthy and socially prominent family (his great-grandfather was Sir John Abbott, Canadas third prime minister), Plummer caught the acting bug early. Thanks to his influential mothers interest in theater and opera, young Plummer found himself exposed to every important actor or singer to hit town. By his late teens, he was acting in amateur productions and enjoying Montreals decadent (at the time) nightlife, and, thanks to his social connections, he was hanging out with visiting American actors. Soon he moved to New York and acted in the New York summer circuit, eventually earning television roles. His promising career was nearly sidelined, though, when he found himself drafted (as a resident alien) for the Korean War. A bout of hepatitisgave him a reason for a discharge, and then hefully focused on his career, which took off with a number of high-profile Broadwayturns that ultimately led to starringfilm roles. An enjoyable read, packed with anecdotes and amusing stories from a life in show business, this book belongs on any librarys film or theater shelves.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)