A Fraternal Perspective

A Review of The Boys by Ron and Clint Howard  by Theresa Gauthier

 It was my joy and privilege to read the new book, The Boys by Ron and Clint Howard. This is an engaging, engrossing, enchanting book detailing the Howard family history starting with their parents childhoods and their joint decision to pursue acting. Ron Howard confesses to having considered how different his life might have been had they made a different decision. If they’d stayed in Oklahoma and not moved first to New York City and later to Burbank, if they’d become farmers instead of actors, not only would their lives have been different, but so would the lives of everyone they’ve touched.

Both of the Howard boys started their careers before they could read, both careers launched by accident, and both continue to work to this day enjoying far more success than either of their parents. Though you’ll recognize both Rance Howard and Jean Speegle Howard from their appearances in film and TV.

The Howard Brothers, like all siblings, must have had arguments and disagreements through the years, but their easy back and forth, their self-professed love and admiration for each other, and their familiar candor with the good, the bad, and the difficult moments of their lives makes it apparent that they have what we all want with our own siblings: a good, growing, working, evolving, and strong relationship with each other.

There’s a lot here I didn’t know. I’ve seen a lot of the shows and movies the pair have had a hand in over the years, but not by any means everything. I’ve seen their parents in films and TV shows, but not realized who they were. Now, I mean to rewatch as much as I can in order to take advantage of this new perspective I have on the roles.

Clint Howard’s most famous turn (and he readily admits it) is probably his role in the original Star Trek series. He didn’t know anything about the show since it hadn’t yet aired when he got the part. Little did he know that fifty years later, he would still be asked questions about the iconic series and his role in it.

Ron Howard’s iconic roles in The Andy Griffith Show and in Happy Days are possibly more well known, but brother Clint’s two years in Gentle Ben were enough to make him as much a star as his brother back in the day. Why this show isn’t streaming, I’ve no idea.  Suffice to say the Howard Brothers dominated television in the sixties.

It’s the family history and the unique upbringing they enjoyed that sets the tone for the book. The Howard boys literally grew up acting, but it was their parents who imparted the wisdom, love, support, and help that laid a stable foundation for the successes and disappointments of their lives. 

Rance Howard was able to help his boys learn their lines when neither could read. He was able to explain concepts to them that must have seemed odd to children so young. The senior Howard possessed an innate ability to translate the world for his kids without glossing over any of the unsettling bits and without being so blunt as to scar or traumatize them. 

The boys acted together in a few projects, and they also acted with their father, who often took parts in the projects in order for the directors and producers to justify his being on set. Rance, non-stardom status, notwithstanding, was a fine actor, and if you google him, you’ll know him from his extensive list of credits on IMDB.com

Same for the boys’ mother, Jean Speegle Howard, who, though her acting career was interrupted when she decided to instead support her husband and her sons in their careers, managed to put together an impressive list of credits of her own. 

What I found most engaging about this book was the voice—or should I say voices—of the narrative. They used a delightful back and forth method of telling the story and even allowed themselves the luxury of commenting on each other’s pages. The supporting actor is the joy in their relationship, but the storytelling is the star. Their differences—in experiences, in friends, in circumstances, and in perspectives—make for a unique, complete, and robust story.

In truth, it’s such a good read, I found it hard to put down. It left me, as all my favorite books do—and not just the fiction ones—with a book hangover.  I’m sure I’ll be reading it again, and I’m hoping they might decide to write another volume of their fascinating story.