Tortured Soles: High Heels, Low Expectations, and the Hollywood Gossip Mill by Fran Weinstein; Atmosphere Press; © 2026; ISBN 9798901-741382; 182 pages; plus author’s notes; $15.83 Amazon.
By Cailin Acosta in La Mesa, California
This memoir by Weinstein tells the story of growing up as the daughter of Polish immigrants who fled Nazi Germany and settled in the Bronx in the post-World War II era. Her mother had strong expectations that she would follow the conventional path of becoming a homemaker and raising children. She also recounts witnessing her mother’s emotional abuse toward her father, degrading him for not being “American” enough, as well as the arguments she heard between her parents at night.
To deal with the stress, Weinstein began using drugs and became pregnant while still in high school. She decided to have an abortion. Although she did not have the best grades, she went on to attend college, where she became interested in journalism. She frequently mentions her height—standing only 4 feet 11 7/8 inches tall—and jokes that the higher the heels, the taller she felt while interviewing Hollywood stars.
After a few failed relationships, she married Ben McGuniness, despite Regis Philbin, her co-worker on Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, suggesting he was no good for her. They had a son together, but she later discovered he was cheating on her with his assistant—the same way their own relationship had begun while he was still married to his first wife. Weinstein later divorced McGuniness and married Dan, with whom she has been happily married for more than 25 years.
Weinstein worked on many productions, including Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Entertainment Tonight, and Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, chasing Hollywood drama in the race to break celebrity gossip first. She interviewed stars including Anne Heche, Bob Hope, Michael J. Fox, and Heath Ledger, among many others.
She recounts a wild experience interviewing Anne Heche, who was in a relationship with Ellen DeGeneres at the time, when there appeared to be evidence of a possible off-camera romance with Vince Vaughn captured on tape. Weinstein promised not to air that portion of the interview, but Heche still demanded the tape. With lawyers and producers on the phone, Heche ultimately grabbed the tape from Weinstein’s purse and ran. The two chased each other through the hotel—with Weinstein in her Chanel heels—but the tape was never recovered.
This was a fascinating memoir, and I enjoyed reading about someone working behind the scenes in entertainment journalism, chasing celebrity gossip and experiencing the adrenaline rush that came with it. Weinstein notes that she is now retired and enjoying every minute of it. No longer constrained by a demanding work schedule, she is finally able to enjoy a more restful night’s sleep.
At the end of the book, she includes photographs and descriptions of the “sole survivors” shoes she wore while attending red carpet events and interviewing celebrities. She still enjoys following Hollywood gossip, but now she does so from a chair in the sand rather than from a pair of high heels.
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Cailin Acosta is the assistant editor of the San Diego Jewish World.