282 pages

English

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I'm Walking As Straight As I Can , livre ebook

Ecw Press - Ted Nichelson , Geri Jewell

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282 pages

English

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Born with cerebral palsy, Geri Jewell made history when she became the first person with a disability to be cast in a recurring role on a TV series in the 1980s sitcom The Facts of Life. After her big break she appeared on stage and screen with George Burns, Robin Williams and Shirley Maclaine, to name but a few. But behind closed doors, things were not as happy as they seemed on screen. Through her book, Geri allows readers to see beyond the one-dimensional hero image and gives a true glimpse of the very real pain and unquestionable faith in the human spirit.

Sujets

Philosophie et théologie

Memoir

Television

Informations

Publié par	Ecw Press
Date de parution	01 avril 2011
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781554909087
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	2 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0500€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Transcending Disability in Hollywood and Beyond

with TED NICHELSON GERI JEWELL Foreword by Patty Duke

Geri is a natural at whatever she does. It was a joy to work with her. It’s a joy to read this book. — Ian McShane (Al Swearengen,Deadwood)

Funny, provocative, daring, and yet incredibly inspiring,I’m Walking As Straight As I Cantook me by surprise — a good sur-prise. Geri Jewell shows us that all dreams are available to the one who never gives up. What a wonderful ride. This book should be read by everyone! — Rev. James J. Mellon, author,Mental Muscle

Geri is an amazingly courageous, talented actor. Her view of life is inspirational. — Lily Tomlin, comedian and actress

I have known, admired, and adored Geri Jewell since the begin-ning of her comedy career. She is not only brilliant and funny, she has overcome an impossible obstacle in Hollywood: she’s brunette. — Elayne Boosler, comedian, writer, and founder of Tails of Joy

Geri Jewell not only is a fabulous comedienne, actress, and moti-vational speaker, but advocating for people with disabilities has made a difference in the lives of millions. Lord knows she’s had an impact on my life! Granted if she could just sit still, I could read her lips once in a while! — Kathy Buckley, comedian and actress

I laughed, cried, and then stood up and applauded when I fin-ished reading Geri’s book. It’s much more than a great read; it’s a salute to the human spirit and an inspiration for everyone with a dream. — Anson Williams, actor/director (Potsie,Happy Days)

I’M WALKING AS STRAIGHTASI CAN

Transcending Disability in Hollywood and Beyond

GERI JEWELL withTED NICHELSON

ECW Press

Published by ECW Press,2120Queen Street East, Suite200, Toronto, Ontario, Canadam4e 1e2 416.694.3348/ info@ecwpress.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any process — electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise— without the prior written permission of the copyrightowners and ECW Press. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the authors’ rights is appreciated.

library and archives canada cataloguing in publication

Jewell, Geri,1956– I'm walking as straight as I can : transcending disability in Hollywood and beyond / Geri Jewell ; with Ted Nichelson.

isbn 978-1-55022-883-0 also issued as: 978-1-55490-908-7 (pdf ); 978-1-55490-975-9 (epub)

1. Jewell, Geri,1956–.2. Actors with disabilities–United States–Biography.3. Comedians with disabilities–United States–Biography.4. Cerebral palsied–United States–Biography. I. Nichelson, Ted II. Title.

pn2287.j55A3 2011 791.4502'8092 c2011-900433-x

Cover image: © Sunny Bak Editor: Jennifer Hale Cover and text design: Tania Craan Typesetting: Mary Bowness

This book is set in Garamond and Electra.

To the best of her ability, the author has recreated experiences, places, people, and organizations from her memories of them. In order to protect the privacy of others she has, in some instances, changed the names of certain people and details of events and places.

I dedicate this book to my sister Gloria, who has been there for me time and again. She is not only my sister, but an angel in my path and the wind beneath my wings.

I also dedicate this book to my parents. Without them, I would not have been given the gift of life. Through the lessons and love that they gave me, they will always be in my heart.

Contents

Preface ix

Foreword xi

Chapter One Buffalo, Wings, and a Prayer1

Chapter Two A New Life Out West 13

Chapter Three Changes, Challenges, and Choices19

Chapter Four Innocence Interrupted28

Chapter Five The Highs and Lows of High School38

Chapter Six Escaping CP Land through TV Land49

Chapter Seven Waiting in the Wings of College57

Chapter Eight Sneaking into the Store and Stealing the Spotlight70

Chapter Nine My First “Funny Business” Manager77

Chapter Ten Another Suitcase, Another Hall83

Chapter Eleven Nice Dreams92

Chapter Twelve Out of the Closet, Onto a Pedestal104

145

Chapter Twenty Richard, My Ex-Husband 190

Chapter Fifteen The Three Faces of Geri: Jewell, Warner, and Tyler136

Chapter Thirteen Big Dreams, Dark Shadows, and Frolicking in Between 115

213

Chapter Eighteen The People You Meet on the Way Down

Chapter Fourteen Breaking Up Is Hard to Do126

Chapter Twenty-Five The Three Ds: Divorce,Deadwood, and Determination

Thank You 251 About the Authors 252 Photo Section 253

166

Chapter Nineteen An Amazing Decade of Making Lemonade178

154

Chapter Twenty-One Honesty Within193

Chapter Twenty-Two Building on a Shaky Foundation

Chapter Twenty-Three Finding My Way Back Home

Chapter Seventeen From Sesame Street to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Chapter Sixteen Touring with “Geri”

Chapter Twenty-Four My Ground Zero223

234

204

Preface

I have wanted to write my autobiography for many years, but it was diffi-cult getting started. For a while, I thought it might be easier to write it as fiction, and so I wrote it as a novel calledThe Remarkable Journey of Jenny Gem. It was going to be a story based on my life. I was about a third of the way along withJenny Gemwhen I met Ted Nichelson. Ted and I became acquainted through my friend, Susan Olsen. After discovering that Ted had collaborated on Susan’s book,Love to Love You Bradys, I asked Ted if he would be interested in helping me with my book. Ted and I had wonderful chemistry, and he had the ability to guide and direct me in a way that brought my real-life story onto the page. I came to trust him completely, telling him whatreally happenedin the life of Jenny Gem. I explained to Ted how painful certain things were, and that it was easier to write my story in the third person. Ted contacted his publisher, ECW Press, and everyone agreed that my book would have a greater impact if it was a first-person memoir. So, the first thing we had to do was dissect my novel, removing everything that was fic-tional and writing the truth about Geri Jewell. Ted was a godsend as my writing partner. Although I was confident in my writing skills, I knew nothing about putting together a book proposal. I learned that even the best book in the world is not going to get through the door of a publisher without a good proposal first. Together, Ted and I wrote the proposal for this book. As exciting as it was when Ted’s publisher accepted the proposal, it was only the beginning. In the next year, I wrote almost daily, often for six to ten hours at a time. Working with Ted couldn’t have been more perfect. He never once, in all the months that I wrote with him, took my words and made them his. He allowed me to tell my story in my own words, only pointing out the

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