Star of TV's longest-running World War II series,
"Combat!", Rick Jason has conquered television, stage, and
film in a career that spans five decades. In his
autobiography,
Scrapbooks of My Mind
, Rick provides an
intimate look at Hollywood's star machine, sharing his
unique perspective and memories of MGM, 20th Century Fox,
and the other big studios in their heydey. Rick J
Star of TV's longest-running World War II series,
"Combat!", Rick Jason has conquered television, stage, and
film in a career that spans five decades. In his
autobiography,
Scrapbooks of My Mind
, Rick provides an
intimate look at Hollywood's star machine, sharing his
unique perspective and memories of MGM, 20th Century Fox,
and the other big studios in their heydey. Rick Jason
recounts with wit and humor his youth in Depression-era New
York and his WWII army life, where he narrowly escaped
imprisonment at Fort Leavenworth. From Broadway in the '40s
to Hollywood in the '50s, Rick worked beside the stars of
the day: Orson Welles, Jayne Mansfield, Hume Cronyn, Linda
Darnell, Ricardo Montalban, Charles Bronson, and more! He
shares behind-the-scenes stories of his film and TV work,
especially on "Combat!" with co-star Vic Morrow. A feast
for fans, this autobiography captures Rick Jason's taste
for life, as he even shares his favorite recipes.
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I loved reading about Rick Jason's life. Yes, about 4 months ago I had no idea who he was or that he would become important to me, but he has. The book reads as though he's just sat down with you, him with his glass of wine or a martini, me with a notebook and eyes all aglow like some young teenybopper. He tells how he grew up in New York, served in WWII (although never went overseas), then became an actor. He did quite a few films, then went to television where he spent 5 years as Lieutenant Ha
I loved reading about Rick Jason's life. Yes, about 4 months ago I had no idea who he was or that he would become important to me, but he has. The book reads as though he's just sat down with you, him with his glass of wine or a martini, me with a notebook and eyes all aglow like some young teenybopper. He tells how he grew up in New York, served in WWII (although never went overseas), then became an actor. He did quite a few films, then went to television where he spent 5 years as Lieutenant Hanley on the show Combat! Never thought I'd be interested in a 1960's show about WWII, but there you go.
Rick didn't have an easy, fall-into-his-career type life, like so many of the autobiographies you read. He worked for everything he got, and doesn't gloss over the times he made mistakes. He got to work with the likes of Orson Wells (and makes a comment about never meeting your hero--the hero might not stand up to close scrutiny). He seemed to make it through with charm and grace, though.
I highly recommend listening to a recording of his voice before reading the book--then you can get the sound of his marvelous deep tones in your head as you read.
The book made me very sad in one respect--Rick Jason apparently committed suicide a few months after it was published. From the book there is no hint that he was anything but a lover of life, looking forward to learning anything he could, even still doing guest appearances on tv shows and the like as the opportunities arose. I can only assume something tragic happened (cancer?) that made him decide it would be better to go join his two friends from Combat that had preceeded him into the next life. He was 77.
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