Just Starting: Girl Singer an autobiography, Rosemary Clooney with Joan Barthel

Dear Ms. O'Brien,
I hope you feel better!!!!!

If you are an old movie buff, like me, maybe you know who Rosemary Cloony is. She is an extremely talented singer/actress, from when dinosaurs lived, and was in one of my favorite movies "White Christmas," with Bing Crasby. I've just started reading her autobiography, "Girl Singer-an autobiography." She has such an amazing voice, for any kind of music (Jazz, bluesy, or Broadway), she could sing it.

Rosemary Clooney grew up poor-really poor in Maysville, Kentucky on the Ohio River; yet, she never felt poor. Both her parents had serious issues, shall we say. Growing up Rosemary's mom, Frances, hated their small town and wanted to be something more, like and actress, dancer- something, but instead got married to a really nice guy named Andrew Clooney. He was very charming and handsome but also an alcoholic. Frances and Andrew had 3 children together- Rosemary, Betty, and Nicky (her brother); yet, her parents came together and separated so many times that Rosemary can't recall a time when they were all living happily together. Eventually her mom became a traveling sales representative and left her children with whoever had room and money. Frances would send her children $5 a week(a lot at the time). The following part made me feel so bad for, as a small child Rosemary figured out what the people she was staying with wanted and expected. She learned what to say and do so that her and her siblings weren't separated. In the early 1930's (the Depression years) I guess it was a lot to expect other struggling relatives to take care or your kids.

Rosemary spent a lot of her time living with her grandparents and thought more of them as parents (especially her father's parents). Time was spent with other aunts and uncles as well. All parts of Rosemary's family were important to her. Even though her dad's parent's had money and her mom's didn't, she loved and appreciated them all just the same. Ms. Clooney remembers fun times singing with her family, her dad had a beautiful voice, and preformed her first song at 3 yrs old in the local movie theater.

I haven't gotten into this book to much yet, but I feel Rosemary had a huge strength within herself from a very young age. At 6 and 7yrs old, she was trying so hard to hold her family together. Her mom, when she was around, was always saying what a bad man her father was, and her father's mother (the grandma she lived with) was always saying what a rotten mother she had. Many of Rosemary Clooney's relatives, on both sides, had alcohol, drug, and depression problems. This was such a hard time to live through yet, she was destined to become a big star and I'm looking forward to reading her story.

My grandparents lived through the depression and my parents have told me about the experiences they had growing up during those years. It must have been a very interesting time- but I get the impression some people had their priorities more straight than now. It seems then just having family around and being together was more important than having a lot of stuff.

Until next time,
Devon