Only Make Believe: My Life in Show Business

“Only Make Believe” is Howard Keel’s much-anticipated book. Billed as an autobiography, it is, in fact a memoirs, co-written with mystery author Joyce Spizer Foy.

The book is basically a collection of memories in chronological order. He starts at the beginning of his life and details his rough childhood, including his father’s alcoholism and suicide, and his unhappy relationship with his brother. The book moves on through his early influences and various jobs, then gains momentum with his early successes. The later years are less detailed. His widow Judy writes the last chapter, covering his final illness and death, bringing the story of his life full circle.

Memoirs are a tricky business. Celebrities are often not great writers, hence the use of ghostwriters to “fill in the gaps” or to organize the text. Howard, by all accounts, was a great, gregarious storyteller. The book reads like a long visit spent listening to him reminisce about his life. The text is salty and frank, Howard quick to praise or damn in turn. It does not, however, have the flow of the autobiography it is billed as. Many times, it reads more as a listing of events, cast and crew, with a “good experience/bad experience” tacked on at the end of the paragraph. Details setting the scene, connecting the individual stories, or providing background are all in short supply. Ms. Spizer Foy may have had her hands tied to not “mess with it” or simply deemed it enough, as is. I want to have a feel for the world they lived in, not just a cast listing, so I prefer a smoother narrative flow.

Some readers will be shocked by his language and some of the content. Howard is very honest about his lack of marital fidelity and the array of women he slept with is impressive. He even gives each a kind rating! Few remain anonymous, so this is definitely a “kiss and tell” type book. For those with younger HK fans, I would not recommend this book until they are older. It is most certainly “adult.” Still, he is almost invariably kind about each of the women, including his ex-wives. Why he chose to detail each of his sexual conquests questionable. In other aspects, he seems to be the consummate gentleman, so “telling all” seems a bit out of character. Perhaps it was thought sex would spice up the book and sell better? Nonetheless, the list is impressive and does paint an important facet of his character.

As far as personal matters, like the ex-wives, don’t expect much information. Family gets very little space. His disintegrating marriages are mentioned, of course, but few details come out. The lives of his exes and his children are only briefly touched on, if at all. This book is about his career and his own private life, not that of his family. When so much detail is spent chronicling every show he did, every job he had, every woman he slept with however, the omissions of his family life are glaring. He obviously loved his kids, even if his marriages were not always fulfilling. Leaving out this crucial aspect of his life is a bit disappointing.

Another disappointment is the photo section. Almost all are stock studio promotional pictures from his films. There are only two personal photographs of his family. Even his first wife is represented by a studio portrait. Since this is such a personal book, and because he knew so many famous and interesting people, you really expect more personal photos to be used. Again, the focus is on the career more than the personal life.

This is a must-have for devoted HK fans. One really gets the feeling of having “heard” him. While the brevity and lack of flow are annoyances, the reader has the feeling that he really wrote this himself. Often times, with ghostwritten autobiographies, the star’s own words are regulated to a few paragraphs, glaringly different in style from the polished text of the professional writer pretending to be them. These attempts always look shoddy and impersonal. The ghostwriting in this book is seamless, each paragraph written in his unique, bluff voice. While it is not technically as good as it should have been, fans will definitely enjoy this “long visit” with their hero. It is a warm and pleasant tribute to a gifted talent and an earthy gentleman.