STARSTRUCK

4 stars out of 5

Especially if you're a fan of old movies, no doubt you're familiar with the author, a long-time and well-respected Hollywood historian and film reviewer. At our house, one of his movie guides is always near the TV remote and opened frequently to check his rating of a movie we're watching or, more often, identify one of the actors whose face is familiar but the name just won't come.

This book, subtitled "My Unlikely Road to Hollywood," brings to light how Maltin came to be what and who he is, starting with his childhood - and clearly, while he certainly was the recipient of some good fortune along the way, he also took full advantage of every opportunity. For the most part, this memoir presents his experiences and impressions of the "stars" he's come to know and love as well as those he met only briefly. For someone my age (for the record, Maltin is seven years younger than I), that is, in and of itself, a treat; for instance, I relished reading about my cowboy hero Roy Rogers and his also-a-star wife, Dale Evans.

There's a lot of reminiscing about Walt Disney, and while I'm really not a fan of the Disney empire itself, I'll never forget coming home from school to watch my favorite Mickey Mouse Club episodes on our little black-and-white TV (a show that gets mentioned herein). The section on the Playboy Manson and its owner, Hugh Hefner, is a bit eye-opening as well. Still others he's met and interviewed who stood out in his mind (and mine) include Lena Horne, John Wayne, James Stewart and Jerry Lewis. 

Overall, the book is very much an exercise in name-dropping; but again, if you love Hollywood old-time style, it's a real trip down memory lane (though I'll caution readers who may be looking for "dirt" on celebrities to look elsewhere). I also enjoyed learning about Maltin himself, his supportive wife Alice and their daughter Jessie. It was an enjoyable excursion for me as well, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Starstruck by Leonard Maltin (GoodKnight Books, October 2021); 400 pp.