Been There, Done That

Sounding every bit like an old man in an armchair, singer Eddie Fisher dishes out his kiss-and-tell life story haltingly, at times stumbling over the details. He comes across affable, honest, direct as he lays out his ""maelstrom of passion and betrayal"" as plain narrative. First comes the standard celebrity bio: poor Philadelphia Jewish kid has incredible voice, becomes an instant sensation. But the story's real meat is Fisher's love life. He tells of being seduced by Marlene Dietrich in her Park Avenue love nest. He relates how he was wowed by Debbie Reynolds, wooed her and won her--only to find her ""a phony."" Most people will get the tape just to hear the dish on Elizabeth Taylor, with whom Fisher had a hot affair, then wed. He delivers gamely, telling how Liz mourned husband Mike Todd's plane-crash death in a pill-induced stupor. He soon became her full-time nurse, as she bounced from movie sets to hospital rooms. Fisher is tawdry and tender at once, bringing a sweetness to his account of the often ugly scenes inside the high life. Based on the 1999 St. Martin's hardcover. (Dec.)