intelligence during World War II and then settled into a long life in Cambridge, Mass. 'Dearie' also tells the unusual love story of Julia and her husband, Paul, who worked together for U.S. 'I've talked to hundreds of men who were young boys then who thought she was a scream,' Spitz said of the early days of 'The French Chef.' What Child had was a form of eccentric charisma that quickly captivated viewers of all ages - and both sexes - and made them think they could put convenience foods aside and give gourmet cooking a whirl. When she went on TV in 1963, she didn't OWN a TV,' Spitz said. She did not have media training, she didn't have a batallion of stylists. 'She really became a star just by being herself, a seemingly unglamorous ordinary woman. And her popularity helped to build a public television network years before the arrival of 'Nova' and 'Masterpiece Theater.' Without any previous broadcasting experience, the 50-year-old Child quickly became one of the biggest television stars of her time. While Julia wasn't a flag-waving feminist by any stretch of the imagination, she was so confident in her womanhood that nothing interfered (with her rise),' the biographer added. 'It was at the beginning of the women's movement. Not only finding their voices, but realizing they weren't appendages (to men),' Spitz said. She took it one step further because (she was part of a) time when women were emerging. As I was writing the book, I realized how similar she was to the Beatles - it was all about hard work (and patience). 'I thought it was important to show Julia as a human being with all of her foibles,' he said.Īrriving at the warm, confiding voice of 'Dearie' took Spitz years of research and thinking about Julia.

Dearie by bob spitz