First and foremost, “A Twist of Lemmon” is a thank you letter and final farewell from Chris Lemmon to his father Jack Lemmon. And though intentional or not, “A Twist of Lemmon” at almost two hundred pages, is also a testament to the power of the father and son relationship and the importance of it in shaping a man. Whether a loving father or an abusive one (Lemmon was the former, by the way), the men in our lives shape who we become. It’s an often emasculated and marginalized aspect of the parental foundation that’s constantly deemed irrelevant and easily dismissed in a world that values women more over men, but the father and son relationship is one of the most powerful dichotomies of nature.
“A Twist of Lemmon” is that proof in the pudding, the word that shows fathers and sons share a strong bond, while author Chris Lemmon explores his father Jack Lemmon, the legendary actor who passed away after a long battle with cancer. “A Twist of Lemmon” is many things, but mainly, as Chris confesses, it’s his closure, a gift to his children, and confirmation that yes, Jack Lemmon was indeed a great man. Sure he was a gifted actor, hell I was a big fan of his.
But his son Chris also wants us to remember that he was a man first. He was a man who meant a lot to thousands of people. While the novel is intimate with all of the story revolving around the touching relationship between Chris and Jack, there’s also a foreword from Lemmon’s best friend Kevin Spacey, as well as mini-essays at the end of the book by Cliff Robertson, Tony Curtis, and many more respective legends of cinema.
Lemmon’s writing is powerful and often left me appreciating the relationship with my own father, because with touches of truly gripping honesty, Lemmon’s recollection of dad Jack often left me with a slew of emotions just by the first four pages alone. The story of Chris at his dad Jack’s bedside while he lay in bed watching golf on his final days was almost impossible to finish, and it only gets better. Or worse. Let’s just say better. Trite as it may sound, “A Twist of Lemmon” will help you understand the sheer importance the relationship between a father and a son is.
It will also make you rethink the way you look at Jack Lemmon. I couldn’t put this book down frankly, and I insist fans of film read it. The review aside, we were able to grab an interview with “A Twist of Lemmon” author Chris Lemmon, the son of Jack who was more than happy to spare some time to talk about his book. Like his father, Chris is a pure gentleman and didn’t mind discussing what you’ll read in this memoir, and what life has been like without his father Jack Lemmon.
Chris Lemmon
Actor, Author
Hello Mr. Lemmon, thanks for the interview time. I loved “A Twist of Lemmon,” by the way.
Thanks a lot!
So the Press Release states that this wasn’t supposed to be a typical biography, was this in hopes of providing more intimacy to Lemmon beyond his Hollywood status?
Absolutely – Jack Lemmon was a unique individual as well as celebrity – my goal was to bring that aspect to this story as vividly as possible. This also was not a typical “Hollywood” biography, actually more of a recounting of the journey through life shared between my father and me. It was our unique yet universal relationship that I placed at the core of this story.
How far did you deviate from your father’s career to focus on his family life?
Having been a child of a “Hollywood” relationship, family became the priority for me. Therefore I made the painful, yet enormously rewarding decision to take a hiatus from my pretty successful career, in order to raise my children totally and completely away from the business. The rewards far outweighed the negative aspects, and now I can say that I was there totally and completely for my family when they needed me the most.
Did any of his Hollywood friends make it in the book? If so, could you hint at whom for interested readers?
I gave the last chapter of the book to all the friends I could get in touch with so they could add their totally unedited tributes to mine. And of course it was my honor to have Kevin Spacey – who’s like a brother to me, and was like another son to pop – as the writer of the introduction.
Did the publisher ever ask that you consider a more broad Hollywood angle at your dad’s biography?
My hat’s off to Parade Books, and Algonquin Books before them, for having the guts to publish an honestly loving story – not an easy thing to accomplish in the business environment. Indeed there were four companies at the bidding table for the original document, and I knew at least one of them wanted to turn this story into something other than I had intended it to be – I was overjoyed when I heard that Algonquin had won the rights,l and that Charles F. Adams would be my editor, And am equally happy at the terrific job Parade had done with the international paperback release.
Will fans surely learn something new about your father that we’ve never known before?
That’s the whole reason I finally decided to publish this very personal story – a story I originally wrote for myself (to heal from his loss) and for my children (so they could know their grandfather as their father did. The Jack Lemmon I write about is a man only I knew, as only a son can know his father – and let me tell you, if you think he was a pistol on-screen, it was nothing compared to the magic he spread off.
Even prior to his death there was a very positive word about Jack Lemmon from many celebrities, what about your dad struck such a chord with folks?
His honesty, and enormous emotional generosity – and of course his prodigious talent.
Many Hollywood families discourage their children from acting, did your dad try to dissuade you from taking up acting, too?
Actually I was determined to become a classical pianist, but I guess the acing was just in the genes. It’s one of the points of the book, that the essence of the parents are passed to the child, so strongly that they cannot be denied.
You and your parents seemed to share a humor that only you would have understood, do you share that same sort of in joke with your children?
Absolutely, my kids have the greatest sense of humor, and are a joy to be with. When we’re together we are constantly laughing and giggling, telling jokes for the fortieth time – just like Pop would have.
You’ve probably been asked this a lot lately, but what is your favorite film starring your father?
There are many in many different genres – that was what was so brilliant about Jack Lemmon, he could do it all. But the one that remains very important to me is “Missing”, because I found out, only after he was gone, that Pop used me to bring up the emotion of a father losing his son. It will always remain special to me for that reason.
What is one thing you want people to take away from this book?
That the most special gift in life is the love you share with those that are important to you – so go to those you love and tell them you love them every chance you get, because tomorrow they could be gone, and you never know what you had until it’s gone.
So where else can readers look for you next?
Actually “Twist” continues on, as I will be co-producing a box set of Pop’s films, based on the concept of the book, with Sony Entertainment for release Father’s Day ’09. I and my wife/partner also have numerous other projects in the works, the easiest way to catch up on what we’re up to is to visit our website at: stonemanorproductions.com
Thanks a lot for the time, Mr. Lemmon.
Thank you!