MovieChat Forums > Private Parts (1997) Discussion > Howard Divorce: Two heresies

Howard Divorce: Two heresies

posted 8 years ago by pinkybanana2000
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The first heresy is that I think Allison is prettier than Beth. I know that's not the dominant view, and, no, I am not trolling. I always wondered how Howard was able to land Allison BEFORE HE BECAME RICH. She's really beautiful, intelligent and well-grounded. By the way, so is Beth. I just think Allison is even more so.

The second heresy is that I blame Allison for the divorce. Okay, maybe "blame" is too strong a word, but that's the best I could come up with for now. If you listen to Howard's lengthy show about the divorce, he says he was excessively focused on the show and was not around for the family stuff like outings as husband-and-wife, among other things. Allison was unhappy about that. But there are many men who work two or three jobs and are never around much, and are too tired anyway. Why is Howard any different? He was merely a hardworking man focused on success. Allison understood the nature of his show, and Howard was never unfaithful or abusive, nor was he a drug-user, or a gambler.

The other thing is that Allison wouldn't have divorced a blue-collar husband who worked two jobs because there would have been just not enough money to split. Allison knew that, regardless, she would be well-off, thereby making the decision easy.

[–] Ace_Spade 8 years ago

I don't know very much about Allison, but from the few times Howard talked to her on the radio, she seemed really great. Plus she was a real sport, putting up with his persona's use of their private life on-air. Yeah, it could've been fake, him talking about their liaisons and fights, but even if it was fake, it would still feel very real. So as far as I can tell, she's a great lady.

Yeah, she's gorgeous.

As for the second heresy, it's probably true of most divorces that both parties contributed. In this instance, though, Howard's talking about it on the air seems to indicate his taking the lion's share of culpability. He himself says that he was probably too distant and career-focused to be a husband/father of the year. He talks at length about his failings as a husband and a father and a human being. That's what made/makes his show so great: he doesn't hold back. He's at his best when he's at his most honest and he's at his worst when you sense a facade being thrown up.

So, I'd guess (and what do I know, really?) going on Howard's on-air discussion of his divorce (what little there was) that the divorce was 70/30 against Howard.