I grew up in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County. Just a stone’s throw from the Hollywood studios, Hollywood Blvd, Sunset Blvd, Beverly Hills and Malibu Beach.
I’m a few years older than Ron Howard. Burbank, where he grew up is about a 15 min. drive from where I grew up. Over the years I’ve had occasion to spot a number of actors, whether at restaurants near my home or who have lived in my neighborhood and even on the golf course. And speaking of golf courses, now that I’m a retired person, I do some volunteer work which has included a few celebrity charity golf tournaments, where I’ve had the opportunity to chat briefly with many actors and sports figures. Once as a volunteer black jack dealer at the Malibu Country Club I had the opportunity to chat with Charles Martin Smith, who has been mentioned several times in this book. I wish that I could have read this book prior to meeting him so i would had much more to talk with him about. When I was younger I dated a girl whose entire family worked in some aspect of the movie industry. From adolescence through early adulthood, my primary care physician was the father of a very well known comedic actor. My nephew currently works as a “grip” for a movie company. What I’m trying to say is, because of where I live you can’t help but be exposed to this industry in some way.
I only mention all this because I probably have a different appreciation for the events and familiarity of locations in this book than many readers. I’ve actually seen, and in some cases spoken to some people mentioned in the book. Though I’m hardly a Hollywood insider and I’m not a working actor, once when I was giving an out-of-town guest a tour of Hollywood, we stopped to observe a “location shooting” for a movie. We were approached and asked if we were interested in doing a small “walk-on”, without pay of course. That was fun and exciting for my friend.
Ok, i apologize for going on so long about myself. What impressed me most about the Howard family was their work ethic and family bonds. While that had a lot to do with their respective successes, it was also the many connections made on the way up which included those with successful actors, directors and producers. This business is built on connections. It’s the ultimate cronyism and nepotism business. To become the success that he is today, Ron Howard was privileged to work with top talent in the industry and get invaluable advice. While it’s somewhat of a cliche that actors jokingly say “What I really want to do is direct”, Ron knew early on that’s where he belonged. And, since he has achieved that goal, he has created some of history’s most memorable movies. I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot about the Howard family. It’s refreshing to know that it’s possible for a child actor to achieve success as an adult in the movie industry untainted by drugs and recklessness. I want to thank Ron and Clint for their forwardness and honesty in the writing of this memoir.
The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family
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Last update: 09-28-2024
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