Phyllis DillerCritiques

Always a funny woman, so sad she is gone. I have loved this book every time I've read it since 1966 when I became a housewife. Made me feel okay about my own so-so housekeeping with kids.

Her very funny life book. This was her last book,before she died.

I picked up this book out of sheer nostalgia. I always liked Phyllis Diller's comedy and that's exactly what you get in this book. Piles of her one liners compiled in chapter form, in order to combine similar themed jokes. I much prefer "seeing" Phyllis deliver her work, rather than reading it. I gave it 4 stars, 3 for nostalgia and 1 for enjoyment of the content.

I thoroughly enjoyed Phyllis Diller's book, Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse. It was an easy read, informative and clued you in on her life experiences from which her comedy was born.

Phyllis appeared on many TV shows and that my family watched. I loved her, and still do. I was saddened to learn in this book that she had been through so much pain, mentally and emotionally. I am thankful she put those experiences toward making her the comedienne that her fans loved.

I really enjoyed the first third of this book. It was very interesting to me how she evolved into herself (upbringing, school, parents, etc.)

The second third of the book dragged a bit - I think it was both because she name-dropped quite a lot (and I wasn't really sure to whom she was referring all the time - blame it on a generation gap) as well as her constant need to congratulate herself (if I read the phrase "I was hot" once I read it 30 times.)

The last section was a bit of a downer as well . . . I don't want to be a spoiler, but let's just say that she was subject to quite a few rocky relationships and abuses in this book - all of which emotionally damaged her. However, her "show must go on" attitude I felt was extremist (she finally meets the love of her life, they spend wonderful time together, only to have him die - basically at the airport - and she gets on the plane to do a scheduled booking after he gets to the hospital, only to call 24 hrs later to find out he's dead . . . and doesn't cancel the rest of her trip . . . for the love of her life??) I don't know - it just left me wondering about all of the times she was out trying to make it in clubs at 2:30 in the morning - where were her kids? With her dysfunctional family? That part kind of bothered me and I think overshadowed some of the successes in the story.

In summary, I'm glad I read it - funny lady, interesting life, quick read - but it did leave me puzzled as to how she handled her interpersonal relationships. I guess I expected more from someone who had been through so much herself.

Pyllis Diller's autobiography is a straightforward look at her life. She pulls no punches and tells it the way she feels about it. She begins at the very beginning. Her parents were older when her mother was told she had an abdominal tumor that needed to be removed. Her mother was 35 years old and her father was 55 years old. When the doctor opened her mother for surgery he found that she was pregnant and went to Mr. Diller to determine how to proceed. His reply was 'leave it in.' And that was her beginning.

Phyllis had two failed marriages. I felt her straigtforwardness seemed somewhat balanced until she labeled both her first and second husbands as being mentally ill. And, yet, perhaps they were. It just seems a bit unlikely. Her second husband, however, ended up being gay, so she really doesn't seem to have been the best at finding a husband. She refers to her third husband as the love of her life.

She had 6 children by her first husband though she fails to mention in her book about the third child who only lived for two weeks. Her second child, a daughter, suffers from schizophrenia.

Diller relates that she first had plastic surgery at the age of 55. She was outspoken about it and didn't hide it from anyone. She woudl receive offers from surgeons who would operate on her for free because they felt that the image she presented about the benefits of plastic surgery would be beneficial to them. Playboy approached her to do a photo shoot. They wanted to do a contrast piece, contrasting a very thin subject with one they thought was a bit plumper. (She has always hidden her figure in the clothing she chose to wear for her standp-up performances.) They found her to be really gorgeous and that the shoot didn't suit its intended purpose and so Playboy never published the photo in their magazine. The photo was stunning (and I mean stunning as in beautiful, not as in shocking):
http://tinyurl.com/PhyllisDillerPlayboyShoot

She is an accomplished pianist and even did a tour but gave it up when she came to the conclusion that she would never really be good enough. She is also a painter and sells her artwork. http://www.artcelebs.com/diller_pg2.htm

I remember good ol' Phyllis during her heyday in the 70s, but I never realized the trauma she's endured to get where she was. A good behind the scenes of her turbulent family life, multiple marriages and her ups and downs in the career of comedienne.½