In May, Back Stage Books will publish Just Outside the Spotlight: Growing Up With Eileen Heckart by her son
Luke Yankee, with a foreword by Mary Tyler Moore.
"Did you ever wonder what it was like to
be a part of showbiz history? Marilyn Monroe babysitting your
brothers. Ethel Merman teaching you how to make martinis. Paul Newman
giving you acting tips in your parent's living room. Fielding all
those annoying telephone calls from reporters the night your mom won
the Oscar. Welcome to the world of Luke Yankee, son of Broadway and
Hollywood actress Eileen Heckart," state press notes for the book.
"In Just Outside the Spotlight, this
masterful storyteller pulls the curtain aside to reveal a world you've
only dreamed about -- full of showbiz gossip and behind-the-scenes
tales of all your favorite celebrities. This book includes
never-before-seen photos of stars like Sophia Loren, Lucille Ball,
Clark Gable and Lyndon Johnson, plus scores of humorous and heartfelt
stories."
Luke
Yankee, a director, actor and
playwright in Los Angeles, wrote Just Outside the Spotlight after his
mother--Oscar, Tony, Emmy-winner and Theatre Hall of Famer Eileen
Heckart--passed away four years ago. Heckart was an acclaimed character
actress who won a Tony Honors Award for Excellence in Theatre in 2000;
she was nominated for her performances in Butterflies Are Free, Invitation to a March and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs; she also won a Theatre World Award for the original Broadway production of Picnic.
Heckart
won an Oscar for her performance in the film version of Butterflies Are
Free, and was also nominated for The Bad Seed. She won an Emmy Award
for her appearance on "Love & War," and received five other
nominations as well. Other notable film and TV credits included
"Cybill," "Ellen," The First Wives' Club, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," No Way to Treat a Lady, Up the Down Staircase and Bus Stop.
"I realized I had this incredibly rich
legacy of Broadway and Hollywood memorabilia and I had to do something
with it," said Yankee. "My mother was not a household name but everybody
she knew and worked with was one."
The
book, which is 304 pages hardcover and includes 60 black and white
photographs, is set a list price of $24.95. It is available for
pre-order (at a price of $15.72) at Amazon.com.
