DAVID JANSSEN - Our Conversations: The Early Years (1965-1972)

I purchased this book, first of all because I really liked David Janssen, second because it was my birthday on September 27 and I gave myself a gift.Then I started reading. I could not put this down. I fell asleep every night trying to keep my eyes open to read a few more words. I learned very quickly there was a lot more to David Janssen than met the eye. On screen he always looked to me , to be laid back and relaxed. I was to soon learn from these conversations that he was a man with a lot of turmoil within him. Also a man with a big heart and giving heart. He was searching in his private life for the peace and contentment we all want in our life. That was a difficult thing for Mr. Janssen, as he was always under that public microscope. He also seemed to do all he could for the women he loved but never seemed to choose the right one for his own happiness. He was happy at times but it never seemed to last for him. As I continued to read the conversations between David Janssen and his good friend Michael Phelps, my years of watching The Fugitive came back to me and I could actually hear David Janssen's voice. I feel I understand and know the real person much better after reading these personal conversations. I am so happy to know there was someone for him to turn to when he needed to talk to a true friend, namely, Mike, his trusted friend.If you ever watched any of the shows or movies David Janssen was in, you would immediately like him. I still remember what a handsome guy he was and what a nice smile he had. He hid his problems well. You will not be wasting money on this book, believe me it will hold your interest and you will feel like you are looking through a window , listening and watching , when you should really turn away but need to hear just one more conversation. I enjoyed reading this book very much.

Relationships are unique. One on ones, even more so. So grateful that Michael Phelps brought us inside his special friendship and relationship with David Janssen. God Bless him for coming along when he did & for being a confidante and outlet for a man being pulled in so many directions by so many people (and many who no doubt had ulterior and self-serving motives & cared little about Dave the man). I honestly could not put the book down. I found myself cheering, worrying, praying & crying right along with Dave's Mike. I even went back to old pages to check the dates, vicariously waiting for the next call. I was hesitant to read the final years because I knew I would not want to put it down & I would find myself wanting more. And even though all who loved and love DJ want more of the man, I realize Mike must keep parts of his friendship in his heart. What a blessing this friendship was for you both. Too many believe all the gossip, the negatives, the salacious & scandalous garbage they read without question, never having met the subject of their interest. Well, Mike gets us as close as possible to Dave in Dave's words & we are the better for knowing. He does not whitewash, he does not embellish. He simply relates the story of a special bond & friendship that will never be diminished by time, space or judgmental people who never even knew David Janssen. Highly recommend it. Bravo, Mike. BRAVO!

I share much of the skepticism about this book expressed by previous reviewers. What really gives me pause is that the author's account of his supposed first encounter with Janssen's girlfriend, Rosemary Forsyth, appears to be a made up conversation. On pages 184-185, he supposedly asks her if she is enjoying New York City and she supposedly responds like she's just an occasional visitor to the city - "I have been here many, many times"; "It takes a while to get adjusted here; it is so different from California". There's one big problem with this account - while she was born in Montreal to a Canadian father and American mother, she was RAISED in New York City from the age of 5 after her parents divorced (her New York upbringing was detailed in several 1960s/1970s newspaper and magazine interviews of her and is now included on her IMDb and Wikipedia pages).Which raises the obvious question - if this conversation appears to be made up, what else in the book is made up? There may not be this level of laughably blatant factual errors about Janssen, but a cynic might say that is simply because the author has probably read and researched a lot about him. Basically, I would take this book with a huge grain of salt.

Janssen's success with The Fugitive series, his career following its success while ending still at the top and relationships with Ellie Janssen and Rosemary Forsyth are discussed. And who was the love that David missed out on? Also find out why he took a film crew to Vegas and it wasn't to film a movie.Phelps' background as a police officer prior to meeting David Janssen and his career in security and investigator shows in his recall of memories. I enjoyed the way the conversations were presented with small snippets of Phelps' own life to give a good passage of time. Phelps cared about Janssen just as you care about your best friend. The long distance friendship more than the conversations proved to me what kind of man Janssen was.You move through the book at a good pace waiting for that next part of Janssen's life. Conversations at times were just like any other friendship; Greetings, inside jokes and endearments. Phelps gives the warts and all.Learn about the behind the scenes world of Hollywood, how actors had to play the game, worry about things we never think of and how a TV series is made, all from a File Legends words.Overall, this is a recommendation for any fan of old school real acting TV and Movie legends. This isn't a name dropping sensationalist book, though names are mentioned. What you get is David Janssen, period.

I started out not liking the way this was written but part way through it began to grip me and I had to read it through. Although it doesn't tell you much more about David Janssen that wasn't already in the public eye it is nice to see the friendship between the two men. Some of the timelines are a bit skewed and seem out of place as they discuss something that may already have been recorded and when he talks about some of the work Janssen is doing it appears in a very factual manner rather than as natural speech which is something anyone who knew the facts could have put together. And obviously its very much one person's viewpoint of the events. All said and done it was a good read and led me straight into the final years

This book for me was so compelling. Anyone who is a fan of the late David Janssen cannot fail to be absolutely moved by it. Here we have an author who befriended David and was his true confidant for several years. David told Michael Phelps the author his inner most secrets and troubles and I truly believe if it hadn't been for him David would have died sooner than he did. The public adored David and he was very loyal to his fans. The general public never knew the heartbreak in his private life and Michael Phelps was the one he chose to share his troubles with. If you are a fan of DJ you must read this book, there is so much information written about this lovely man, you will not be disappointed.

I was, and still am, a David Janssen fan. I was a child of the 50's & 60's and was a great fan of 'The Fugitive'. My interest in finding out a bit more about David has been spiked by the CBS reruns, which I have already watched the first time round, and now watching again. I purchase 'My Fugitive' and was hugely dissapointed by the book which I felt was wholly one-sided and gave little insight into David as a person.These 2 books corrected that, and i found the really interesting and informative and gave a great insight into David's character and life.The reason I haven't given 5 stars is that I am slighly suspicious that the author can remember in such detail dates and converations held over 15 years (if you count the two books)

I enjoyed this book to see how David Janssen was as a person, but how on earth could anyone remember so many conversations from 40 years ago?! Unless he wrote them down each time, intending to publish at a future date, maybe? Theres a lot of repetition in the phone calls too and a lot of 'samey' conversations.

I found this a very interesting book. I found out not only more about David Janssen, but also something about the author Michael Phelps. David Janssen died very young, and his life was far from the happy one that was portrayed in public. He found a good listener in Michael Phelps, who was going through similar marital issues. I suppose you could call it male bonding over many drinks together, but the resulting conversations were quite entertaining. However, I don't think I would have been as gracious as the author undoubtedly was in being constantly woken up by David's early morning telephone calls!