Include Me Out: My Life from Goldwyn to Broadway

I really enjoyed Granger's autobiography, but it seems he held back on a lot on his own personal life, and confined things to his acting and professional life. I thought the end of the book was nothing but places, names and dates, as if he got tired of telling his story and wanted to end it. That's no reason not to read this, though. Lots of juicy stories and interesting people along the way.

The late actor tells the story of his life, but more than that, he gives us a picture of what it was like to be at the center of what he characterizes as three golden ages: The Golden Age Of Movies, The a Golden Age Of Television and The a Golden Age of Theatre. He moved from one to the next, to the next and was successful in all three arenas.He was a man who. in so many ways, had it all. Yet he continued to work toward toward perfecting his craft. He walked away from a successful career and a contract with the Samuel Goldwyn Studios to move to New York to study acting. He was soon in demand as a leading man in the major live television dramas of the day.He also sought out opportunities in live theatre, in drama, musicals and comedy. He worked the main stem, off Broadway, Repertory, Stock and once, Dinner Theatre. He tried it all and came to know and work with some if the very best and some who were not so good.He has stories about them all, Dietrich, Merman, Quinn, Bancroft, Garland, Rogers and Hammerstein.... And many more. They are here, and for some, it is warts and all. But even at their worst, the people in Granger's life are never the butt of speculation or gossip for gossips sake.Farley Granger led an interesting life. He writes with a humility and generosity that appears to be genuine. Mr. Granger was a very nice guy.Oh, and any speculation about the man's sexuality ends with this book.

As a fan of Farley just by himself, this was a great read. I also believe it's worth the read for people who are very big fans of the golden-age of film or who are big Hitchcock geeks.For anyone looking for salacious sexual details, may I suggest Hollywood Babylon or Scotty Bowers' book, because Farley's will not suit your desires. He does elaborate on who he's had relationships with, how they occurred, and some additional other particulars about their time together. But he doesn't go into explicit or graphic details about the "whats" of his sexual encounters.And he also mainly covers his lovers who were public figures which is why there is relatively little about Bob Calhoun, despite the fact he was Farley's main partner in life. I also believe personally that he probably didn't greatly detail their life together, because that was the most important relationship Farley ever had. It was more meaningful and intimate than any other of his romances. I think he probably wished to maintain that bond as sacred by keeping those specifics between the two of them and their close loved ones.Other than the coverage of his love life, I would mainly describe the style of his writing as a compilation of Farley's life's facts- the what's, why's, when's, where's, so to speak. Along with a collection of many assorted personal stories about the various people he met in life and his own different experiences over the years. But most of all his career is by far the primary topic of his writings, and related to pretty much all of the episodes he chronicles.There are a lot of stories about events that happened in film during the golden era of the `40s and `50s, and numerous different people associated with that time period that he knew. This is by far the best material the book has to offer. Some priceless historically related topics are detailed, like his struggles with Goldwyn or his accounts of the studio system from the inside. And there's many really interesting insider anecdotes from the private lives of some of the top personalities of the day. Dietrich, Stanwyck, Crawford, Stewart, Kelly, and so on. These tales are absolutely can't miss for big film buffs. They're a great look at who the old time stars really were behind the scenes and in their everyday lives.The main chunk of these recollections are from the 1940s to the 1970s. And towards the decades of the `60s and on Farley talks a great deal about his time in theater, since he drifted away from film at that point. There's a good amount of coverage about his off-Broadway work, theater tours, and the life of a working stage actor. There's also many recollections of big theater names like Mary Martin, Julie Harris, and Eva le Gallienne, amongst others. So I'd also recommend this book to people interested in the theater of that time period as well.I additionally think this is worth a read if you happen to be a fan of Visconti, Franco Zeffirelli, Arthur Laurents, Shelly Winters, Samuel Goldwyn, Saul Chaplin, Leland & Slim (formerly Hawks) Hayward, Leonard Bernstein or Ava Gardner. All who are talked about in great detail and at much more length than other stars included in these pages. And Farley includes some really terrific personal details and insights about each one, that true fans of theirs will find fascinating and wonderfully candid.There's also obviously some fantastic personal accounts of Granger's work with Hitchcock. The productions and specifics behind both Rope and Strangers On A Train are covered in detail. Together with loads of insight into the personal preparations put into Farley's work and the demands his characters took to perform. He also includes passages about several other works of Hitch's during that same time frame. Divulging plenty of behind the scenes information, and likely never before heard details on other movies from around 1947 to 1954. These cover some of Hitchcock's most famous films, that Granger was lucky enough to be privy to due to his association with Sir Alfred during that prolific period.Like I said for people who are very big Hitch fans, or those who study his work this is some priceless information in the overall historical documentation of his career. It's one of the rare first-hand written, personal recollections from a infamous "Hitchcock leading man". And it is likely one of only 2 or 3 such accounts in existence, so it's very important material in that regard.All in all, this is an essential classic film star autobiography. It boasts some truly unique content, and is a crucial resource for accurately chronicling some of the most historic events and people in all of film. Granger's book is one of the rare star-penned manuscripts that was published past the days of the more fictionalized Hollywood autobiographies of the `60s and `70s. While still boasting an author who's career dates significantly far back into movie history."Include Me Out" is just a genuinely good book for anybody who's a fan of the people listed above or for those who are interested in topics related to film history. This isn't a book that will appeal to a wide and varied audience. But to the people that are included in it's niche, it will truly be a worthwhile read and provide treasured memories shared from one of classic Hollywood's finest, Farley Granger.-A.C. Robinson

As one who remembers Farley Granger as a famous movie star, I was interested in reading his autobiography which, initially, turned out to be fascinating. Granger skewers the old studio system in an eye-opening and, often, hilarious way. When , though, his travels take him to Europe, the book bogs down in an endless recording of dinners with friends, said dinners being presented in excruciating detail from appetizer to entree to dessert to fine wine consumed. Who can possibly be interested in what someone ate 40 years ago? Every now and then a spark ignites, as with Granger's ongoing relationship with Shelley Winters; at such times, the writing is honest and funny. Strangely, Granger's parents, who doted on, but controlled, their only child, are prominent in the recounting of his early days as an actor. Then he drops them entirely from this book. When did they die? Did he attend their funerals? What sort of relationship did he have with them in their, and his, later years?Granger comes off as a smart, capable actor, but also snobbish and aloof. As with the writings of many celebrities, this autobiography would be of interest to a devoted fan of Granger and his work.

Farley appeared in two of my favourite movies,then seemed to vanish from our screens,so i was pleased to stumble across his autobiography,he does not disappoint,comes across as a thoroughly likeable easygoing man,with a moral resolve which probably was much of the cause of his early exit from the hollywood a list and just enough gossip to make it that bit better to read.Enjoyed it very much.

Farley Granger recounts the ups and very few downs of a life lived large on film, on stage and behind the scenes.

Not a great read but not bad either

Nach einer ersten kurzen Lektüre gewinne ich den Eindruck, das ich da viele Details aus dem alten Hollywood erfahren werde und Farley Granger spart ja auch nicht mit Details aus seinem Leben abseits der Filmindustrie und geht offen mit seinem Leben um. Interessante Lektüre.

Pochi anni prima di morire (Granger è scomparso lo scorso marzo) Farley decise di mettere mano alla penna e regalarci la sua autobiografia.Se da un lato,l'iniziativa è stata accolta favorevolmente,anche data la scarsità di materiale disponibile su questo attore,dall'altro la lettura del libro sembra non fornirci nulla di nuovo o comunque pochissimo.Si ha l'impressione che l'autore si dilunghi su particolari trascurabili a scapito di quello che avrebbe dovuto fare,visto che di autobiografia si tratta,e cioè parlare di se stesso.Insomma,ci dice molto di tutti,ma poco di sè.Della sua omosessualità già si sapeva.Fu la ragione per cui fu ostracizzato da Hollywood,ma nel libro si giustifica in altro modo l'allontanamento dal mondo del cinema a favore del teatro.Dichiara apertamente di essere bisessuale,come del resto fanno tutti nel mondo dello spettacolo.Nel complesso la narrazione sembra poco sincera,molto poco vissuta in prima persona.Ci si aspettava molto di piu'.....gradevole comunque l'episodio in cui racconta come perse la "verginità" facendo sesso nella stessa notte con una prostituta prima e poi con un marinaio,anche se il tutto sa di apocrifo.