shirley maclaine

She’s 73 and quite beautiful still but Shirl’s one wacko girl. I’ve just been reading a review of her new book Sage-ing While Age-ing which by all accounts features a little of her life (she’s put it about a bit) and a lot about her beliefs in UFOs and reincarnation and stuff. Umm. I ought to be fair and suspend comment until I’ve properly read the book but I’m not sure it’s going to be my kind of thing to be honest. This is the woman who acted brilliantly in the Apartment and had major successes in Terms of Endearment (which is one of my wife’s favourite films and I’ve endured it many times) and Steel Magnolias. Let’s face it she specialises in the roles women can absolutely relate to but which men find mawkish but I admire her ability to still be in demand as an actress when most would have faded into obscurity. She always plays feisty and strong roles and she’s clearly a determined woman with strong views. I ought to like her a lot (and probably would do if I met her – as if) but she’s got some bloody weird beliefs.

For instance, La Maclaine believes life is perpetual and in previous lives she’s been a medieval warrior and an ancient Egyptian princess. It’s never a lowly scullery maid is it? It sounds like she’d be perfect for ITV’s Have I Been Here Before but they should be so lucky. Who am I to scoff at such stuff even if it is completely barking? Well it’s not just that but Shirley is also a massive believer in the fact that we aren’t alone in the Universe and we’ve not only been visited many times before, she’s actually seen UFOs and is convinced the US Government is involved in a huge cover-up to deny the existence of things from Planet X. Honestly. Here’s an interview with Larry King about her book and her clearly sincere beliefs.

It’s deeply-held stuff but she’s barmy right? She’s spoken to people who have been carted off onto these spacecraft and you just know they’re all called Bubba or Jolene. You’d worry a bit about her Hollywood credentials wouldn’t you, but apart from being regarded as a trifle eccentric she seems to get away with being seen as delightful and engaging (obviously) but quite cuckoo. And despite all those relationships she prefers the company of dogs to men and so she lives contentedly with 13 of them.

How refreshingly different she seems from many actresses whose views about life and the universe would fill a complete back of a fag packet. I think she’s great. I couldn’t live 5 minutes with her (and I’m sure it would be a mutual feeling) but what a woman eh. I might just check that book out, despite the awful title.

pp