Son's Memoir of Eileen Heckart--Just Outside the Spotlight--Published in May 2006/04/03

Son's Memoir of Eileen Heckart--Just Outside the Spotlight--Published in May

Monday, April 3, 2006; Posted: 05:04 PM - by BWW News Desk

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.