My Life in Three Acts

by Helen Hayes

Book Overview

At the age of ninety, Helen Hayes, the acclaimed first lady of the American theatre, looks back on her life and her career. With wit and candor, she offers deft behind-the-scenes portraits of some of the biggest personalities in Hollywood, as well as critiques on American theatre and Hollywood today.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0151636958
• ISBN13: 9780151636952
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt P
• Length: 266 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.2" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

english--sara c.

For more than fifty years, Helen Hayes has been a star on stage, screen, and television. In that time, she crossed paths with some of Broadway's most famous stars: Charlie Chaplin, Scott Fitzgerald, Gloria Swanson, and many more. As for being acclaimed First Lady of the American Theater, Hayes starred in her first play when she was just six years old. My Life In Three Acts tells about Hayes's hit play, such as Victoria Reigna, and about some of her not so respected plays. In her autobiography, Hayes speaks with wit and wisdom on topics that are both public and private. She expresses her thoughts on World War Two, and about the assassination of Kennedy. She reflects on the mournful parts of her life: the death of her husband and daughter, and the alcoholism of those dear to her. Hayes also supplies amusing anecdotes about her friends, which include John Ford and Al Capone. After finishing her career as an actress, Hayes expresses her opinion on what is wrong with the American theater today, such as how porn theaters are taking over classic Broadway theaters. I found My Life In Three Acts to be inspiring by how Hayes improved her life everyday. Throughout Hayes's career, her life was rousing in every aspect. "George Tyler, (a movie producer,) once told me that I were only four inches taller, I could reach the heights too." I liked this quote because I could tell that throughout Hayes' acting days, she was growing by exceeding heights and overcoming problems. Such as after a horrific event occurs in her family, Hayes finds a way to deal with the problem by taking sympathy from others, moving homes, and doing what she does best; act. Hayes was able to capture her emotions and to put them into words that made me feel like I was engaged in the experiences as well. For example, she wrote about a delightful childhood treat of hers that her grandmother used to prepare for her. "She would cut a hole in the orange, insert a peppermint stick, and then we'd squeeze the orange and suck the juice through the stick." I felt as if I was enjoying the treat myself. The events Hayes encountered were very detailed and made My Life In Three Acts exciting. Some of my favorite parts of the book describe the stirring parties Hayes attended. "The people who sat around that table in the Algonquin Hotel's Rose Room set the style for New York, dictating what one should read, think, wear, eat, what plays to see, what opinions to have, and so on." Not only did this quotation capture `the style for New York,' but it also described the style of the kind of people that were at the parties and in Hayes's life. I thought that it was also exciting to hear about the different places Helen toured through throughout her career, from France to Oklahoma City. One time while touring, Hayes got ready for bed on the train and saw a breathtaking site; the stars in the night sky seemed close enough to touch, and the snow sparkled like diamonds. Hayes then rushed to tell the rest of the a