Ron Howard (1) (1954–)

Far and way beyond the usual glass-bubble, self-focused Hollywood memoir, Ron and Clint's The Boys takes you behind the scenes of twentieth-century showbiz, but with a twist: your guides are actually nice, thoughtful people. In fact, I'd venture to say that Ron Howard in particular is an example of how growing up in a truly nurturing family can give someone the strength to grow into a strong, ethical person who is able, through hard work and just a little luck, to realize his potential. Such a background is probably rarer than you might think, and it's certainly rare in Hollywood.

In fact, I would have enjoyed hearing more from Clint, who struggled far more. One gets the sense that he didn't want to rain on Ron's sunny parade by talking about his struggles — and the difficult, dark-side-of-Hollywood things he saw and Ron didn't — by saying as much as he could have. He definitely plays second fiddle in this book, and that seems like a shame.

Aside from the Howards' personalities, and the loving and detailed portrait of their shared, almost unbelievably supportive parents, I enjoyed the trips behind the stages of The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days, and learning about Ron's far from straightforward journey from acting to directing with the help of Roger Corman, who seems to have been a mentor to dozens of great directors.… (more)