Barbra Streisand - an American singer, actress, director and producer - is an extraordinary talent and one of the few EGOT winners (Emmy Grammy, Oscar, and Tony). In this memoir, which is almost 1000 pages long, Barbra details her life and career, and she deserves to win a writing award as well. I read the book and listened to the audiobook, excellently narrated by Barbra - which has the added treat of song clips.
Barbra has sometimes been mischaracterized as being a difficult diva because she's a perfectionist who wants all the things she's involved with (albums, concerts, television specials, movies, tours, etc.) to be the best they can be. It seems evident this 'misunderstanding' is due to a woman succeeding in a man's world.
As Streisand said in a 1992 speech:
A man is commanding - a woman is demanding.
A man is forceful - a woman is pushy.
A man is uncompromising - a woman is a ball-breaker.
A man is a perfectionist - a woman's a pain in the ass.
He's assertive - she's aggressive.
He strategizes - she manipulates.
He shows leadership - she's controlling.
He's committed - she's obsessed.
He's persevering - she's relentless.
He sticks to his guns - she's stubborn.
If a man wants to get it right, he's looked up to and respected. If a woman wants to get it right, she's difficult and impossible.
If he acts, produces, and directs, he's called multitalented. If she does the same thing, she's called vain and egotistical.
And so on.
Moreover, Barbra names names, calling out the professionals who gave her a hard time because of the 'boys club', and other people - journalists, fellow performers, movie crews, etc. - who maligned her because they wanted publicity, or were jealous or resentful.
Now that I got that off my chest, I'll say a bit about the book.
Barbra (née Barbara) was born in Brooklyn in 1942, and lost her beloved father Emanuel when she was a toddler. Afterwards, Barbra's mother Diana married Louis Kind, a mean man who called Barbra ugly. Barbra's mother didn't protect or nurture her, and Barbra looked for 'mothering' elsewhere. Thus a neighbor, Tobey Borookov, who took care of Barbra after school; and a woman named Muriel Choy, who owned a Chinese restaurant where 12-year-old Barbra took orders, became surrogate mothers to the future superstar.
Barbra Streisand as a child
Barbra Streisand's parents, Emanuel and Diana
Barbra Streisand and her mother Diana
Barbra soon became a sought-after performer, though her looks were the subject of much chatter. Barbra was described as an amiable anteater, a myopic gazelle, and a seasick ferret, and several people advised her to get a nose job and cap her teeth. Barbra refused, thinking, "It was too much of a risk. And who knew what it might do to my voice."
Barbra was an iconoclast with respect to her clothing as well, and her entire wardrobe was straight out of thrift shops. She writes, "I couldn't believe the beautiful clothes you could find there....velvet dresses from the 1920s, an elegant turn-of-the-century coat made of Battenberg lace, a printed taffeta bed jacket".....much better than anything in department stores. In fact, Barbra continued to patronize thrift stores after she became successful - sometimes to find clothing for performances or movies. Moreover, Barbra often designed the outfits for her films and shows, which were made to her specifications.
Barbra got a big break when she was cast in the 1962 Broadway musical, 'I Can Get It For You Wholesale', in which she played a lovelorn secretary called Miss Marmelstein. This is also where Barbra met her first husband, actor Elliot Gould, with whom she had her son Jason.
Barbra Streisand and her first husband Elliot Gould
Barbra Streisand and Elliot Gould with their baby Jason
During rehearsals for 'I Can Get It For You Wholesale', Barbra's staging suggestions irritated director Arthur Laurents, who yelled at her. Barbra writes, "I put my head down, hiding my face with my hair. I had two personalities, in a way...one was the street kid who was not going to take any shit from anybody, and the other was the little girl who was very vulnerable and easily hurt."
Barbra tells lots of great stories about this period, during which she met some of the people who would be important in her life. These include Barbra's lifelong friend, producer Cis Corman; her long-time manager Marty Erlichman; renowned songwriter Jule Styne; lyricists Marilyn and Alan Bergman; talent agent Ray Stark; and many others.
After 'I Can Get It For You Wholesale', Barbra's next big role was Fanny Brice in the Broadway musical 'Funny Girl'....after which Barbra also starred in the 1968 movie 'Funny Girl.'
Barbra reveals everything you'd ever want to know about these productions. Here's a bit of gossip: During rehearsals for the Broadway show 'Funny Girl', Barbra got involved with her married co-star Sydney Chaplin. When Barbra broke up with Sydney, he made it his business to CONSTANTLY whisper nasty comments ON STAGE during the Broadway show, which greatly disturbed Barbra.
In addition to acting, Barbra was also releasing albums, doing television specials, and more. Barbra was a perfectionist in all her endeavors, and when describing films, albums, television programs, tours, and concerts, Barbra explains every thought she had and every move she made in meticulous detail. One might think this would be boring, but I found it quite interesting.
For instance, Barbra - being an art collector - decided her 1996 television special 'Color Me Barbra' would start out in an art museum. Barbra writes, "The first act opened with me walking through the museum, dressed like a Victorian parlor maid in a dark green velvet dress (which I had found in Filene's Basement) with a white apron....And then I would go into various rooms and 'become' various paintings as I sang various songs...We had only thirty-six hours to complete this extremely complicated sequence, with many set-ups and costume changes."
Following 'Funny Girl', Barbra was cast in the 1969 film 'Hello Dolly', directed by Gene Kelly. Barbra was always eager to learn and she constantly peppered Kelly with questions. In fact, Barbra would ask questions of EVERYONE involved with the movie, including the cinematographer, cameramen, art director, production designer, costume designer, prop person, editor, etc.....AND she would make suggestions. Barbra made many additional films, and would usually follow this routine of questions and suggestions. This helped Barbra learn to become a director herself, but also added to her reputation as a diva.
After many trials and tribulations, Barbra finally got to make the 1983 film 'Yentl', which she co-produced, starred in, and directed. This was a dream come true for Barbra, and she was very thoughtful about every detail of the movie. Barry Gibb (of the Bee Gees) - who wrote songs and recorded music for the film - observed, "[Barbra] was a hard worker. She'd work from morning till late into the night...But we did have to lock her up when the food came, because she always wanted to eat. We had to keep her away from the food so she'd keep singing!" (In case you want to know, Chinese food is Barbra's favorite.) Here's another bit of gossip: Barbra's 'Yentl' costar Mandy Patinkin, who was married, expected to have an affair with Barbra during the filming, and behaved VERY badly when this didn't happen.
Barbra Streisand, Amy Irving, and Mandy Patinkin in 'Yentl'
In fact, Barbra seems to have been a siren for many men, who either wanted to be Barbra's friend or her lover. Thus Barbra mentions friendships and/or romances with numerous famous men, including Omar Sharif, Anthony Newley, Warren Beatty, Pierre Trudeau, Marlon Brando, Ryan O'Neal, Jon Peters, Prince Charles (now King Charles), Don Johnson, Peter Matz, Paddy Chayefsky, James Newton Howard, Andre Agassi, Richard Baskin, Pat Conroy, Bill Clinton, Shimon Peres, and others. And of course, Barbra is married to James Brolin, a handsome fellow with good hair and good teeth. To add to Barbra's charm, she's also a dog lover, and she even cloned her sweet Coton de Tuléar Samantha after the pooch passed away.
Following 'Yentl', Barbra produced, directed, and starred in 'The Prince of Tides' (1991) and 'The Mirror Has Two Faces' (1996).
As usual, Barbra discusses everything you'd want to know about these two films, and the narratives are fascinating.
For example, for the 'The Prince of Tides' - which is about troubled siblings, with flashbacks to when they were children - Barbra describes planning a water scene: "I had to hire children who were good swimmers, as well as being able to act. As they pop up to the surface, I wanted bright morning light, so we needed an arc light on the tank. And the camera was there to catch the ripples on the water...which dissolve into waves that roll onto another shore and reveal grown up Tom, playing with his own children in the late afternoon light of the present day....I did a lot of thinking about the visual in each scene, working out the most natural transition from one place to another."
Scene from 'The Prince of Tides'
It's scandalous that Barbra never won an Academy Award for directing, an honor women have (mostly) been locked out of since the early days of the Academy.
In addition to all of Barbra's other accomplishments, she's created a number of philanthropic foundations, and contributes to scads of worthy causes. For instance, Barbra established the Emanuel Streisand Building for Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center; the Streisand Foundation, which supports a wide variety of causes, and more.
Barbra Streisand and Bill Clinton at the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center
Additionally, since she's very political, Barbra has hosted, entertained at, or contributed to fundraisers for numerous people, such as Daniel Ellsberg - who was on trial for leaking the Pentagon Papers; Bella Abzug - the feminist icon; Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and many others. In fact, Barbra became close friends with Bill Clinton's mother Virginia, who was like a surrogate mother to Barbra.
Barbra Streisand and Bella Abzug
Barbra Streisand and Virginia Clinton Kelley
Barbra is very open and shares lots of personal details about herself. By way of illustration, the superstar writes about her fractious relationship with her mother - who was jealous of Barbra's success; how much she's always missed her father; her discomfort with people envying her; her intense stage fright; her discomfiture with performing in public; her tendency to be late; her avoidance of photo shoots; her antipathy to people who lie to her; her reluctance to give interviews; her love of food and restaurants; the pleasure she gets from renovating and decorating her homes; her love for her son Jason; her beautiful wedding to James Brolin (LOTS of good food there); her siblings, Roslyn and Sheldon; people she's worked with; her friends; and more.
Barbra Streisand with her son Jason Gould
Inside Barbra Streisand's home
Barbra Streisand and her second husband James Brolin
Barbra's body of work is enormous and she's received innumerable honors, awards and accolades. Barbra mentions many of these in her book, which also contains snippets from her journals, excerpts from letters she's received, clippings from reviews, love notes, photos, and more.
Barbra Streisand is one of a kind, and still going strong.
Barbra's first ambition was to be an actress, and - starting in her teens - Barbra would peruse 'Show Business' (a performing arts magazine), looking for opportunities. Barbra got minor acting roles here and there, but her career really started with singing gigs in nightclubs when Barbra was eighteen.
Barbra soon became a sought-after performer, though her looks were the subject of much chatter. Barbra was described as an amiable anteater, a myopic gazelle, and a seasick ferret, and several people advised her to get a nose job and cap her teeth. Barbra refused, thinking, "It was too much of a risk. And who knew what it might do to my voice."
Barbra was an iconoclast with respect to her clothing as well, and her entire wardrobe was straight out of thrift shops. She writes, "I couldn't believe the beautiful clothes you could find there....velvet dresses from the 1920s, an elegant turn-of-the-century coat made of Battenberg lace, a printed taffeta bed jacket".....much better than anything in department stores. In fact, Barbra continued to patronize thrift stores after she became successful - sometimes to find clothing for performances or movies. Moreover, Barbra often designed the outfits for her films and shows, which were made to her specifications.
Barbra got a big break when she was cast in the 1962 Broadway musical, 'I Can Get It For You Wholesale', in which she played a lovelorn secretary called Miss Marmelstein. This is also where Barbra met her first husband, actor Elliot Gould, with whom she had her son Jason.
Barbra Streisand and her first husband Elliot Gould
Barbra Streisand and Elliot Gould with their baby Jason
During rehearsals for 'I Can Get It For You Wholesale', Barbra's staging suggestions irritated director Arthur Laurents, who yelled at her. Barbra writes, "I put my head down, hiding my face with my hair. I had two personalities, in a way...one was the street kid who was not going to take any shit from anybody, and the other was the little girl who was very vulnerable and easily hurt."
Barbra tells lots of great stories about this period, during which she met some of the people who would be important in her life. These include Barbra's lifelong friend, producer Cis Corman; her long-time manager Marty Erlichman; renowned songwriter Jule Styne; lyricists Marilyn and Alan Bergman; talent agent Ray Stark; and many others.
Barbra Streisand and her friend Cis Corman
Barbra Streisand and her manager Marty Erlichman
Barbra Streisand and songwriter Jule Styne
Barbra Streisand and lyricists Marilyn and Alan Bergman
Barbra Streisand and her agent Ray Stark
After 'I Can Get It For You Wholesale', Barbra's next big role was Fanny Brice in the Broadway musical 'Funny Girl'....after which Barbra also starred in the 1968 movie 'Funny Girl.'
Barbra reveals everything you'd ever want to know about these productions. Here's a bit of gossip: During rehearsals for the Broadway show 'Funny Girl', Barbra got involved with her married co-star Sydney Chaplin. When Barbra broke up with Sydney, he made it his business to CONSTANTLY whisper nasty comments ON STAGE during the Broadway show, which greatly disturbed Barbra.
Barbra Streisand and Sydney Chaplin
In addition to acting, Barbra was also releasing albums, doing television specials, and more. Barbra was a perfectionist in all her endeavors, and when describing films, albums, television programs, tours, and concerts, Barbra explains every thought she had and every move she made in meticulous detail. One might think this would be boring, but I found it quite interesting.
For instance, Barbra - being an art collector - decided her 1996 television special 'Color Me Barbra' would start out in an art museum. Barbra writes, "The first act opened with me walking through the museum, dressed like a Victorian parlor maid in a dark green velvet dress (which I had found in Filene's Basement) with a white apron....And then I would go into various rooms and 'become' various paintings as I sang various songs...We had only thirty-six hours to complete this extremely complicated sequence, with many set-ups and costume changes."
Following 'Funny Girl', Barbra was cast in the 1969 film 'Hello Dolly', directed by Gene Kelly. Barbra was always eager to learn and she constantly peppered Kelly with questions. In fact, Barbra would ask questions of EVERYONE involved with the movie, including the cinematographer, cameramen, art director, production designer, costume designer, prop person, editor, etc.....AND she would make suggestions. Barbra made many additional films, and would usually follow this routine of questions and suggestions. This helped Barbra learn to become a director herself, but also added to her reputation as a diva.
After many trials and tribulations, Barbra finally got to make the 1983 film 'Yentl', which she co-produced, starred in, and directed. This was a dream come true for Barbra, and she was very thoughtful about every detail of the movie. Barry Gibb (of the Bee Gees) - who wrote songs and recorded music for the film - observed, "[Barbra] was a hard worker. She'd work from morning till late into the night...But we did have to lock her up when the food came, because she always wanted to eat. We had to keep her away from the food so she'd keep singing!" (In case you want to know, Chinese food is Barbra's favorite.) Here's another bit of gossip: Barbra's 'Yentl' costar Mandy Patinkin, who was married, expected to have an affair with Barbra during the filming, and behaved VERY badly when this didn't happen.
Barbra Streisand, Amy Irving, and Mandy Patinkin in 'Yentl'
Barbra Streisand and Mandy Patinkin in 'Yentl'
In fact, Barbra seems to have been a siren for many men, who either wanted to be Barbra's friend or her lover. Thus Barbra mentions friendships and/or romances with numerous famous men, including Omar Sharif, Anthony Newley, Warren Beatty, Pierre Trudeau, Marlon Brando, Ryan O'Neal, Jon Peters, Prince Charles (now King Charles), Don Johnson, Peter Matz, Paddy Chayefsky, James Newton Howard, Andre Agassi, Richard Baskin, Pat Conroy, Bill Clinton, Shimon Peres, and others. And of course, Barbra is married to James Brolin, a handsome fellow with good hair and good teeth. To add to Barbra's charm, she's also a dog lover, and she even cloned her sweet Coton de Tuléar Samantha after the pooch passed away.
Barbra Streisand with Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
Barbra Streisand with actor Ryan O'Neal
Barbara Streisand with her long-time beau Jon Peters
Barbra Streisand chatting with Prince Charles
Barbra Streisand with 'Miami Vice' actor Don Johnson
Barbra Streisand with tennis star Andre Agassi
Barbra Streisand with Israeli President Shimon Peres
Barbra Streisand and her dog Samantha
As usual, Barbra discusses everything you'd want to know about these two films, and the narratives are fascinating.
For example, for the 'The Prince of Tides' - which is about troubled siblings, with flashbacks to when they were children - Barbra describes planning a water scene: "I had to hire children who were good swimmers, as well as being able to act. As they pop up to the surface, I wanted bright morning light, so we needed an arc light on the tank. And the camera was there to catch the ripples on the water...which dissolve into waves that roll onto another shore and reveal grown up Tom, playing with his own children in the late afternoon light of the present day....I did a lot of thinking about the visual in each scene, working out the most natural transition from one place to another."
Scene from 'The Prince of Tides'
It's scandalous that Barbra never won an Academy Award for directing, an honor women have (mostly) been locked out of since the early days of the Academy.
In addition to all of Barbra's other accomplishments, she's created a number of philanthropic foundations, and contributes to scads of worthy causes. For instance, Barbra established the Emanuel Streisand Building for Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center; the Streisand Foundation, which supports a wide variety of causes, and more.
Barbra Streisand and Bill Clinton at the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center
Additionally, since she's very political, Barbra has hosted, entertained at, or contributed to fundraisers for numerous people, such as Daniel Ellsberg - who was on trial for leaking the Pentagon Papers; Bella Abzug - the feminist icon; Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and many others. In fact, Barbra became close friends with Bill Clinton's mother Virginia, who was like a surrogate mother to Barbra.
Barbra Streisand and Virginia Clinton Kelley
Barbra is very open and shares lots of personal details about herself. By way of illustration, the superstar writes about her fractious relationship with her mother - who was jealous of Barbra's success; how much she's always missed her father; her discomfort with people envying her; her intense stage fright; her discomfiture with performing in public; her tendency to be late; her avoidance of photo shoots; her antipathy to people who lie to her; her reluctance to give interviews; her love of food and restaurants; the pleasure she gets from renovating and decorating her homes; her love for her son Jason; her beautiful wedding to James Brolin (LOTS of good food there); her siblings, Roslyn and Sheldon; people she's worked with; her friends; and more.
Barbra Streisand with her son Jason Gould
Barbra Streisand with her brother Sheldon and sister Roslyn
Inside Barbra Streisand's home
Barbra Streisand and her second husband James Brolin
Barbra's body of work is enormous and she's received innumerable honors, awards and accolades. Barbra mentions many of these in her book, which also contains snippets from her journals, excerpts from letters she's received, clippings from reviews, love notes, photos, and more.
Barbra Streisand is one of a kind, and still going strong.
If you're a Streisand fan, this is a must read. Very good book. Higly recommended.
Rating: 4.5 stars
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