With sooo many memoirs on the market that are filled with melodrama, it is a refreshing change to read Speedbumps by Terri Garr. Yes, the lovable actress from such memorable movies as Tootsie and Mr. Mom has put her life story down on paper with the help of Henriette Mantel. So there are some hurdles to overcome (don’t we all have?), but for the most part it’s a fun romp from her showbiz family childhood all the way through to her current role as spokesperson for multiple sclerosis (and the medicine she takes). The book opens up with her talking about her first Oscar nomination, and true to form, her personality shines through.

“My co-star, Jessica Lange (it’s okay if you haven’t heard of her) was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress in Tootsie. It’s not unusual for two actors in the same film to be nominated for the same award – it’s happened through Oscar history, from The Godfather (James Caan, Robert Duvall, Al Pacino were all nominated for Best Supporting Actor) to Chicago (both Queen Latifah and Catherine Zeta-Jones were nominated for Best Supporting Actress). But this time it was happening to me. The other nominated in my category were Kim Stanley for Frances, Lesley Ann Warren for Victor/Victoria, and Glenn Close for The World According To Garp. I figured Glenn Close would win, and not just because Jessica and I would split the Tootsie vote. I thought she was perfect in Garp as Garp’s nurse mother. And after all, I was the girl who danced in Elvis movies. I’d been buried in sand for an Annette Funicello movie. Was I really going to win an Academy Award? Well, yes… maybe. ‘And the winner is… Jessica Lange.”