Separating Fact vs. Fiction in the Life of Julia Child

After taking an extension course at Columbia University Paul Child became a teacher in France, Italy, and the United States, instructing students in various subjects including photography, English, and French. In 1941, while at Avon Old Farms School, he was a teacher and mentor to future poet John Gillespie Magee Jr. Child was a fourth degree black belt in judo as well as a judo instructor. Following his retirement, the Childs moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where his wife wrote cookbooks, and he took photographs to provide illustrations for them. Child was also known as a poet who frequently wrote about his wife; his prose was later celebrated in an authorized biography of her. In Appetite for Life, portions of the letters he wrote to his twin brother while the Childs lived abroad were included as an illustration of his love and admiration for his wife as well as her cooking skills and talent. The man of my dreams!

As is said herein, the HBO (now Max) show is not a documentary, it is fiction BASED ON the life of Julia Child. I’m enjoying the heck out of it because it is very well acted (Sarah Lancaster, David Hyde Pierce and Bebe Neuwirth) and because it is written for adults, not the TicketyTock crowd. Nitpicking the minor inaccuracies does not impress me. Historical fiction, for example, always merges events and invents some characters to provide narrative or context to historical persons and/or events.

Why when there is so much information available about a subject would a network decide to make a "fictional" series???

After seeing the Paul Child played by Stanley Tucci in Julie and Julia, it's impossible to look at the one in the HBO series.

12:40 Julia AND Paul's message remains revolutionary to this day. Cooking doesn't have to be slavery. It can be an act of love and you can have fun. Just like marriage and life. That's true empowerment. And not the burning of sweaters or eating tinned food because of a distorted belief that cooking is subservience.

Little correction: Reine de Saba is not a flourless chocolate cake. The recipe in the French Chef Cookbook calls for 3/4 c. cake flour (for a 3 egg cake).

Julia was a pioneer of French Cooking in America, until then food was bland. The only American to attend Le Cordon Bleu in Paris! I am so glad that we had her she was a true gem! I remember watching her show when I was a teenager and cooking her food. One of my first dishes was A full course meal of Le Coq Au Vin along with the flaming pan! Because of Julia, I went to Fnace to spend a summer to learn French & more about cooking. I loved the Bakeries!

I fell in love with this series. I had heard about her. I knew she did a cookbook. And, had a TV show. That's it. Now I know most everything about her. Julie and Julia I watched for the first time a few days ago. Get was good. Julia on HBOMAX is wonderful!!!!

So glad to hear from Russel Morash!

I was watching some of those first season French Chef episodes today and noticed the washer and dryer. Reminded me of a homemade classroom.

Great idea. Great cast of characters, interesting conversation. Well done, GBH. More like this would be interesting--like a conversation about Jim Crockett and the original Victory Garden. You could start with Russ...

A most wonderful video that anyone who watched "Julia" should refer to. I loved watching it, but I do believe Sarah Lancashire did not exactly get Julia's mannerisms correct. Julia was strong and obviously a very determined, strong-willed woman. The Julia she portrays, is perhaps a version of her that is more light-hearted and soft. Mr. Morash's comments disliking the series proves that there is a ton of fictional imagineering going on with the HBO Max series. It's fun to watch regardless and I look forward to season two.

I totally get Russ's annoyance with the HBO show. I was very disappointed, especially after reading Alex's excellent book. Would love to see a long, detailed interview with Russ clarifying fact and fiction.

Wine for sure . Roast chicken , broccoli, roast potatoes and sunchoke soup, and French bread of course.

Ruth Lockwood was the producer of The French Chef. Shame on Russ Morash for not mentioning her and claiming full credit as producer.

Thank You Thank You Thank You, each and every one of You!!! This is absolutely spectacular!!!

It's ok to call BS Russ! The first few episodes of Julia paint you as an unwilling participant...until the visit to Julia's home and your reaction to her pate. All that aside I am enjoying the series, and it has renewed my love of Julia Child and her show. As a kid growing up in NH in the 60's PBS was a constant in our home and also introduced me to Monty Python.

If Julia were here today, would she have a recommendation for a diet for my cat & yes he is a bit finniky, he prefers treats over food. He is an indoor cat.

hi mark

She did original tv filming at Boston gas then Cambridge electric only plCes with full service kitchens