Book Review: Don't Mind If I Do/George Hamilton (2008)

The autobiography of the immaculately-groomed star of LoveAt First Bite, Evel Knievel and Zorro the Gay Blade offers a fast-reading, entertaining and gossipy account of his life and career.

The son of a colorful. much-traveled divorcee who loved being the center of attention, Hamilton followed his family from his smalltown Arkansas roots to New York, Hollywood, back to New York, Palm Beach, Acapulco, and back to Hollywood where he signed a seven-year studio contract that began his movie career.

Naturally, Hamilton talks about his movies, starting with a starring role in Crime and Punishment USA and some early television work before he started taking off as an actor. He starred in a movie biography of Hank Williams, a subject close to his Southern roots. It was this movie that led to his relationship with Lynda Bird.

Love At First Bite was the result of an unintentional but profitable bait-and-switch. He and a friend cooked up several ideas for movies, then found out the friend had found backing for the one he was promoting, so he switched horses in mid-stream to the Dracula spoof. It was a huge hit.

He also reveals how he talked himself onto the cutting room floor as Michael's consigliere in Godfather III (he's a lawyer who doesn't really want to associate closely with mob guys he tells Francis Ford Coppola, who agrees and begin snipping). He also serves up memories of Cary Grant, Mae West, Sammy Davis Jr, Judy Garland, and fellow skirt chaser Tony Curtis.

Hamilton talks about his close unofficial relationship with Colonel Tom Parker who gave constantly him valuable career advice. He also discusses his dating Liz Taylor, his relationship with the nerveless but violent Evel Knievel, and his romance with Lynda Bird Johnson and why they broke up.

The introductory chapter describes Hamilton's appearance on Dancing With the Stars despite a blown-out knee, pulling in the reader with the insecurities of a 66-year-old actor taking on a project for which he may be overmatched. His partner, Edyta, a professional dancer, performs like a programmed TV wrestler, handling all of the movements while he turns, pivots, reaching so she can arch backwards as he barely touches her back. You wind up enjoying his take-charge attitude as his pride leads him after that first appearance to begin constructing the pair's future performances as mini-movies, stealing from the best in the business and achieving a successful run before being eliminated. The chapter also Incidentally reveals the tackiness of the production of this major network grosser where dance couples don't even have their own practice hall. Instead, they have to compete with girl scout groups and others for time at public practice halls.

Always ultra-smooth and unflappable, Hamilton's book makes him seem very approachable. The book contains the kind of story and details you want in a light Hollywood autobiography. Go ahead and check it out.