In the 1970s, when I was “young”, my dad used to love to watch the television game show, “Match Game”. It consisted of contestants, a host and six celebrities. The object of the game was to score points by first answering a question and then selecting a celebrity whose answer you hoped matched yours. At the end of it all, you won a fabulous cash prize…usually about $100.00.
I didn’t really “get” match game back then. Oh, the premise was simple enough. But, I was all of 14 at the end of the 1970′s and that was a much simpler time growing up in a fairly small town. The questions back then were double entendres that went right over my head. The answers were often delivered with snide wisecracks befitting the questions. I “get” it all now that I’m older and wiser – and can watch the show in reruns on the Game Show Network.
One of the regulars on the show in the 1970s was actress – and now author – Fannie Flagg. Fannie had a great sense of comedic timing back then that served her well in her various acting roles and in her role on Match Game. She’s since parlayed her comedic talents into the writing career she had really always wanted. She’s been dyslexic all her life and, as a result, she was afraid to write. She published her first book, Coming Attractions
Fannie’s name is forever linked as a lover and partner to author Rita Mae Brown who is known to be the first out, mainstream lesbian author and who is sometimes referred to as the “mother of the lesbian rights movement”. Their relationship was not long term, though Rita Mae refers to Fannie as the “Love of my life”. Fannie does not refer to the relationship at all or give any indication what separated them while Rita Mae’s reasoning doesn’t hold water (she says they’re two generations that don’t see eye to eye on homosexuality – even though their birth dates are in the same year).
Even given the failed relationship, I have to wonder…and this is just speculation on my part…if it was Brown who finally convinced Flagg to write irregardless of her dyslexia? The 1980s timing would be right for the first book. If anyone knows more, please feel free to enlighten me!
After a long break from writing, Fannie would publish the book that truly made her famous as an author, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe: A Novel
I saw the movie and I enjoyed it so much, that I got a hold of the book and I read it too. I liked the book even better. I’ve said in the past on this blog that if you see a movie that you enjoyed, which is based on a book you should always read the book. You’ll take away even more from it (the obverse isn’t necessarily true as movies are usually only pieces of books).
I would write my own synopsis of this book beyond saying I loved it, but it’s already been done superbly well by another reader who left a review on Amazon:
“Fannie Flagg’s heartwarming stories never fail to entertain, and the characters in this one are some of the most endearing ones in all of Southern lit. The deceptively simple story is told in a witty and light-hearted manner, but delves into such emotionally-charged issues as lesbian relationships, the treatment of minorities, the problems of aging and more in an unforgettable narrative.
The story moves effortlessly between two time frames. The first story begins in the 1920′s and centers on Idgie Threadgoode, a female Huck Finn, and her friend Ruth Jamison. Together, they own and operate the cafe which is the center of small-town life in Whistle Stop, Alabama.
The second story begins in 1985 when Evelyn Couch meets Ninny Threadgoode, the now-elderly sister-in-law of Idgie, at the Rose Terrace Nursing Home in Birmingham.
The two stories unfold in a light-hearted, folksy way that puts you into the lives of these poignant charaters and has you longing for the neighborly friendliness of a time long past. Evelyn is, in fact, so touched by Ninny’s recollections that she is finally able to take control of her own life through the often hilarious and always inspiring life of Idgie.” ~ Antionette Klein
Thank you Ms. Klein!
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