“All art forms converge in the cinema; that's why I enjoy writing and talking about movies so much," says Betty Jo Tucker. Because of a passion for film, Betty Jo and her husband Larry see almost 200 movies a year. A retired college dean, Betty Jo serves as lead critic for ReelTalk Movie Reviews (www.reeltalkreviews.com) and for News First Online (an NBC-affiliate Website). She also writes film commentary for the COLORADO SENIOR BEACON, and many of her reviews appear on The Romance Club site (www.theromanceclub.com) and on the Real Movie News site in the United Kingdom. Her latest adventures involve hosting the ReelTalk Movie Reviews Radio Show (www.ReelTalkRadio.com) for the iTRC network and teaching an online course titled “The Reel Deal: Writing about Movies” for the Long Story Short School of Writing.
Phil Hall, book editor for the NEW YORK RESIDENT, calls Betty Jo one of today’s finest film critics and “a graceful, intelligent judge of cinematic offerings.” According to Hall, “Tucker is wonderful as an observer and cogent as an interviewer.”
During her ten years as an entertainment journalist, Betty Jo has interviewed such stars and filmmakers as Susan Sarandon, Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, Angelina Jolie, Guy Pearce, Aidan Quinn, Barry Bostwick, Phillip Noyce, Tony Shalhoub, Fred Willard, Chen Kaige, Aaron Eckhart, Willem Dafoe, M. Night Shyamalan, Oliver Parker, Douglas McGrath, Hector Elizondo, and Annette Bening.
While serving as Dean of Humanities at San Diego Mesa College, Betty Jo supervised expansion of film studies classes, designed an “Exploring Human Values through Film” course and coordinated a “Reel to Real Public Film Forum” program.
Betty Jo helped found the San Diego Film Critics Society and is a member of the Online Film Critics Society. Her amusing life-at-the-movies memoir, CONFESSIONS OF A MOVIE ADDICT, received rave reviews from fans and critics alike. Her latest book, SUSAN SARANDON: A TRUE MAVERICK, is a fascinating look at the extraordinary film career of an actress who’s become an American icon with influence throughout the world.
Betty Jo and Larry (a.k.a. Harry and Elizabeth Lawrence, co-authors of IT HAD TO BE US, a romantic memoir published by TRC which won First Place in the E-Book category of the 2006 Hollywood Book Festival) enjoy spending time with their son and daughter and seven grandchildren – who also love movies. The Tuckers live, where else, just five minutes away from Tinseltown, the only multiplex theater in Pueblo, Colorado.
An Insider's Tale - Confessions of a Movie Addict
Book Review by Denise Cassino
Betty Jo Tucker is in love. She always has been. From early childhood, Betty Jo has been smitten with the silver screen. Her love started as an infatuation and grew into a mature study of film and renown as a world-class movie critic.
In her book, Confessions of a Movie Addict, Betty Jo takes us through those early childhood memories of going to the movies, covering her eyes at the scary parts, and acting out the roles of her favorite stars. Then, when she grew up, she landed herself some real jobs as a film critic, which gave her a pass into all of the biggest movie events from premieres to the Academy Award Presentations.
This book takes us through many of the hilarious adventures of a movie critic, from embarrassing moments to dining with the stars. Betty Jo shares with her reader many of her best and most clever interviews, sometimes with animated characters! This is a real insider's tale of seeking, meeting and interviewing many of the hottest movie stars ever to flash across a marquee.
If you want to know what it's like to dish and dine with the Hollywood crowd, this book will do the trick. A great gift for any movie lover, Confessions will make you green with envy at Betty Jo's inside access to the stars.
Betty Jo teaches a course on Writing About Movies in the Long Story Short School of Writing - check it out - The Reel Deal.
From Amazon.com:
Book Description
Film Stars! Dancing! Popcorn!
At last, a life story with everything but the movie stuff edited out.
CONFESSIONS OF A MOVIE ADDICT chronicles a love affair with film from the 1930s through the beginning of the new millennium. In addition to revealing personal movie-related experiences, film critic Betty Jo Tucker describes encounters with such veteran actors as Mickey Rooney and Charlton Heston, as well as with current stars like Angelina Jolie, Billy Crudup, Guy Pearce, and Brendan Fraser. This amusing memoir also contains the following ADDED ATTRACTIONS: a Movie Addiction Checklist; a compendium of books and Web sites for movie fans; selected interviews; photos; and reviews (as posted on KOAA Online) of more than 70 films released during 2000 and 2001 A.D.
Warren Epstein, film critic for The Gazette in Colorado Springs, writes, “I hate Betty Jo Tucker. As a fellow Colorado film critic, I’ve loathed her for years. Sure, you can call it professional jealousy. But see it from my perspective. We all go to a film festival. Most of us get an article or two out of it. Betty Jo gets an adventure. She ends up being served dinner by the filmmakers, for heaven’s sake! Well, now I have to put up with her new book, Confessions of a Movie Addict, and, believe me, it’s about as Betty Jo as it can be. She takes us behind the scenes of the entertainment industry, sharing her favorite celebrity interviews and revealing her personal connections and passions for the movies. As if we care. (OK, the mishap at her first porn film had me laughing. But just a little.) You’ll probably read this book and fall in love with Betty Jo. Fine! See if I care.”
Liz Larrabee, author of Random Pieces: Vignettes from the Thirties and Liz Larrabee’s Book, says, “Betty Jo’s passion for movies, the insights she brings to her reviews and interviews, and her marvelous talent for taking you right along with her into the theater make Confessions of a Movie Addict a must-read—even for non-addicts.”
Excerpted from Confessions of a Movie Addict by Betty Jo Tucker. Copyright © 2001. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The Reel Early Years
My problem began with Frankenstein. I remember being a frightened six-year-old hiding under the seat at Clyne’s Theater in Pueblo, Colorado, hoping for protection from that scary monster on the big screen. Despite my terror, I couldn’t stop peeking. Both horrified and amazed, I became hooked on movies then and there. This addiction continued throughout my childhood and adult life. I even fell in love with my husband because he resembled a certain handsome actor, and we named both our children after movie stars. As I enter my seventies, I’m still a practicing movieholic. Luckily, because I write film reviews now, I see more movies than ever.
During grade school, my cousins and I spent most of our weekends at the Clyne and the Avalon, two movie houses located across the street from each other in a working class neighborhood called Bessemer. Both theaters always scheduled a double feature plus “added attractions” which included one cartoon, a serial, film previews, and a newsreel. Wide-eyed, we enjoyed every offering while gorging ourselves on popcorn, Milk Duds, and ice cream bars. Sometimes we went from one “picture show,”which is what we called the theatres then, directly to the other. We were insatiable when it came to movies and goodies.
When we were a bit older, we hopped on a streetcar for a bumpy ride to one of the downtown cinemas. We loved the Chief because of its lavish red and gold interior-but preferred the Main’s more buttery popcorn. The Colorado usually offered a double feature which was hard to resist. And sometimes we stopped off at the Mesa Junction to take in another flick at the Uptown, famous for its “bank night” giveaways.
Reacting to my obsession with film, my mother actually tried to land me a part in a movie. After hearing about MGM’s search for a young girl to star in National Velvet, she sent the studio a picture of me on a horse.
Unfortunately, that role went to Elizabeth Taylor, who sells perfume now. I recall she appeared earlier in Lassie Come Home, a film I didn’t get to see all the way through. Because Ruella, my sensitive little sister, made too much noise sobbing over the collie’s misfortunes, we had to take her home in the middle of the movie. I forgave her—-a few years later.
It’s not surprising my first work experience came about as a result of movie mania. Here’s a glimpse into the mind of that naïve 14-year-old as she pondered employment possibilities:
I’ve just gotta earn some money this summer. Those movie magazines cost an arm and a leg, but I can’t live without them. Photoplay is running a story about Rita Hayworth this month, and I think Modern Screen has an interview with Glenn Ford. I’m not sure what’s in the others, but I know it’ll be great stuff. Guess I better get a job. Grandma wants me to try babysitting or housework. But why should I ruin my last summer before high school doing things I hate? What else do I know how to do? Cooking is definitely out. I better stay away from the kitchen after that last goof. I still think Mother should’ve explained what she really meant when she asked me to check the baked potatoes by putting a fork in them. Wow, did she let out a yell when she opened the oven and found a fork in all eight spuds!
Too bad there’s no movie studio in Pueblo. I’m not old enough to be an usher down at the Uptown Cinema. I’ll just have to think of something else. What about teaching tap dancing to the neighborhood kids? Tapping is great fun and I’ve taken lessons ever since I could walk. Hmm, how much should I charge? I’m not very good at math, but I need about $5 a month for my magazines. If I can talk even three parents into letting me give their kids one lesson a week, I’ll ask for one dollar a lesson. That will be enough for a few movies as well as all the magazines I can read. What a neat plan!
I’m proud to say three precocious toddlers made their Pueblo show business debuts at the end of that summer with a “shuffle step, shuffle step, shuffle step, ball change” routine-to the tune of “On the Good Ship Lollipop.” According to six smiling parents, the first dance recital of these Shirley Temple wannabes was a huge success. As for me, I was just happy to earn enough money for my precious movie magazines.
