| From Publishers Weekly An Oscar-winning screenwriter and the last surviving member of the Hollywood Ten， LardnerDwho passed away only 13 days ago takes the title for his slender memoir from his famous reply to the chairman of the House Un-American Activities Committee. "I could answer，" he said when asked if he had ever been a member of the Communist Party， "but if I did I would hate myself in the morning." Responding with humor when others would be indignant is one of Lardner's most appealing characteristics， along with his refusal to exaggerate the importance of the Hollywood blacklist. While quietly elucidating the professional harm and personal suffering experienced by screenwriters， directors and actors denied employment for more than a decade， the author also comments， "My nine months in prison is hardly to be compared to， say， the punishment endured by Andrei Sakharov or Nelson Mandela"Dnot even， he adds， to the struggles of civil rights activists. This levelheaded perspective is also notable in passages on the physical indignities of old age where Lardner， 85， remarks of treatment for his many ailments， "The best you can hope for is essentially a stay of execution." In addition to his political life， the author sketches his screenwriting career， whose highlights include Woman of the Year in 1942 and MASH in 1970， and briefly profiles his famous father， Ring Lardner Sr.， his mother and three brothers. Most of this material will not be new to readers of his previous book， The Lardners (1976)Dindeed， some of it is word for word the sameDbut a new generation of film buffs and others interested in the McCarthy era will probably be just as charmed by Lardner's wit and unpretentiousness as their parents were. (Jan.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information， Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From Booklist The only thing wrong with this book is that it's a memoir and not a full-blown autobiography. Lardner was a two-time Academy Award winner--he won the best original screenplay award for Woman of the Year and best adapted screenplay award for MASH--and a member of the "Hollywood Ten，" the group of writers and directors who went to jail rather than name names to the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). In this book， he easily blends sketches of his famous father， which almost belie the popular notion of the man， with those of his student days in Moscow and anecdotes of his Hollywood and blacklist years. In fact， the book's title comes from his response to the infamous HUAC question: Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party? Lardner assesses his Communism and that of some of the others who also went to jail; he also places the testimony of still others in context (though by no means exonerating them). Lardner， who died on 31 October at age 85， remained as opinionated as ever， offering his views on aging， the auteur theory of filmmaking， his colleagues' work， his own unproduced screenplays， and the revival of the religious right in America. In the best tradition of entertainment， this book leaves you wanting more， but sadly， it's the final fade-out for Ring. Frank CasoCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. See all Editorial Reviews |
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