Thinking Aloud: Fragments of Autobiography

Although he is an actor, producer and director of works for stage, film and TV in Britain, this memoir proves Cotes to be most devoted to the living theater. He profiles actors well-known in England, such as his late wife Joan Miller and Wilfrid Lawson, both of whom he recalls with admiration for their performances. Certain internationally famous stars receive his disdain, like Julie Andrews, whom Cotes resents for failing to acknowledge that he launched her career. Readers will conclude, however, that his self-praise, accompanied here by reprints of myriad rave reviews, should compensate Cotes for any perceived neglect. He has proved himself as a versatile producer of dramas ranging from the controversial epic on capital punishment, A Pin to See the Peep Show , to the endlessly popular The Mouse Trap , but his acid tone and his reluctance to take the blame for his few failures lessen the appeal of this memoir. Photos. (Mar.)