Laughing on the Outside, Crying on the Inside: The Bittersweet Saga of the Sock-It-To-Me Girl

I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK ABOUT FORMER LAUGH-IN GIRL JUDY CARNE. SHE TAKES US ON A TRIP THRU HERE EARLY LIFE IN ENGLAND WHERE SHE STUDIED BALLET TO HER NEARLY FATAL CAR ACCIDENT AND HER ADDICTION TO DRUGS. ALONG THE WAY SHE TELLS OF HER SHORT MARRIAGE TO BURT REYNOLDS AND SOME OTHER HOLLYWOOD GOSSIP. I REALLY ENJOYED HER TELLING OF HER TIME ON LAUGH-IN AND WHAT IT WAS LIKE BEHIND THE SCENES. TIRED OF JUST GETTING WATER THROWN ON HER, JUDY LEFT THE SHOW TO PERSUE A CAREER IN THEATRE, WHICH WASN'T A MAJOR SUCCESS. THE MEAT OF THIS BOOK IS HER ADDICTION TO DRUGS AND THE RECOVERY. ALONG WITH HER INNER STRENGTH TO BEAT HER ADDICTION, SHE ALSO HAD TO DEAL WITH A CAR ACCIDENT IN WHICH HER NECK WAS BROKEN AND SHE HAD TO BE PLACED IN A BODY CAST ALONG WITH A METAL HALO SHE HAD AROUND HER HEAD FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. IT IS A VERY INTERSTING AND WELL WRITTEN BOOK. JUDY CARNE IS A VERY TALENTED LADY AND SHE DESERVED BETTER. THIS A GREAT READ FOR ALL LAUGH-IN AND JUDY CARNE FANS.

I developed a "crush" on Judy Carne from her very first appearance on Laugh-In back in the late 1960s and regretted that I had never seen her earlier sitcoms in the early and mid-1960s. I have recently acquired numerous DVDs of Laugh-In which I enjoy thoroughly whenever she is on screen. I have also managed to locate videotapes of her 2 earlier appearances in "Tthe Man from Uncle" as well as other guest appearances in Bonanza and other shows. I just cannot get enough of her. Reading her book, I could not help but admire her courage when her whole world seemed to be crumbling around her. I always thought of her as a cute little pixie, seeming to be so fragile, but her story demonstrates so much of her inner strength. She gives the reader a good idea of what it is like to experience the ups and downs, the insecurity, the determination it takes being a gal in show business, not exactly a bed of roses. God bless you, Judy, wherever you are.

What a treat! Remembering Judy Carne and all the rest of the Laugh-in cast, this is quite a trip down memory lane. The book tells how she got started in show business and her early marriage to Burt Reynolds. She shares what it was like being married to him. Let's just say they're not married anymore ... Her honesty with her heroin addiction is to be admired, along with all she went through physically when restrained to a steel neck cage after an accident. Not only is her life interesting, but the little nuggets of Hollywood inside stories are just as good. Pick up this juicy morsel if you can find it.