Rickles' Book

Rickles' Book
Author: Don Rickles
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 259
Release: 2008-06-03
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0743293061

An internationally popular comedian describes his youth as a disadvantaged Jewish boy from Queens, the obstacles he overcame in order to achieve success, and his four-decade stage and screen career. Reprint. 50,000 first printing.

Don Rickles

Don Rickles
Author: Michael Seth Starr
Publisher: Citadel
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2024-09-24
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0806541733

An entertaining, hilarious, biting biography of “Mr. Warmth,” the infamously prickly comic who dominated Hollywood and Las Vegas for decades, making an artform out of heckling his friends, family and especially his audiences - and they couldn’t get enough of it. Having ridden a wave of success that lasted more than sixty years, Don Rickles is best known as the “insult” comic who skewered presidents, royalty, celebrities, and friends and fans alike. But there was more to “Mr. Warmth” than a devilish ear-to-ear grin and lightning-fast put-downs. Rickles was a loving husband, an adoring father who suffered a devastating loss, and a loyal friend to the likes of Bob Newhart and Frank Sinatra. Don was also a young student at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and intended to become a serious actor. But it was in small nightclubs where Rickles found success, steamrolling hecklers, honing his acerbic put-downs, and teaching the world to love being insulted. Don Rickles, The Merchant of Venom traces career from his rise in the 1950s to a late-in-life resurgence thanks to the Toy Story franchise, his role in Scorsese’s Casino, and scores of TV appearances from Carson to Seth Meyers. In the intervening decades, Rickles conquered every medium, including the stage, where the Vegas legend was still performing at the age of eighty-five. In his highly memorable career, he was idolized by a generation of younger comedians including Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, and many others. And all along, Rickles performed in the shadow of a shocking open secret: he was the nicest man in town.

We Learn Nothing

We Learn Nothing
Author: Tim Kreider
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2013-04-09
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1439198713

A "New York Times" political cartoonist and writer presents a collection of his most popular essays and drawings about life and government hypocrisy.

Run Silent, Run Deep

Run Silent, Run Deep
Author: Edward L. Beach
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2016-10-15
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1682471675

Universally praised for its powerfully authentic depiction of submarine warfare, Run Silent, Run Deep was an immediate success when published in 1955 and shot to the top of best-seller lists nationwide. In 1958, Hollywood adapted the novel for the big screen starring Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster. The New York Timessaid of the novel, “If ever a book had a ring of reality, this is it . . . combat passages rank with the most exciting written about any branch of the service.” The Saturday Review called the book “a classic,” and many reviewers compared its author to such greats as C. S. Forester and Erich Remarque. Today these accolades still ring true for Edward L. Beach’s gripping first novel of American submariners confronting a formidable Japanese navy in a vicious battle to control the Pacific. Beach’s taut and dramatic narrative, told with the intimacy of a confession, deals with two strong-headed men, Edward Richardson, the commander of the USS Walrus, and his executive officer, Jim Bledsoe. Bound together by wartime duty, the two are divided by jealousy, pride, and love for a beautiful woman. But long after the details of this famous novel fade from memory, what remains with us is a startling realization of the way it was, really was, in the silent service during World War II. Unlike many war novels, here is a story that deals with war from the perspective of command. With fidelity, Beach creates the anguish, agony, and triumphs of command decisions. Commander Richardson embodies all that is fine and human in an excellent naval officer. This is a monument, not to the misfits and the mistakes, but to those men who rose to greatness under the sometimes unbearable tensions of action.

It's Not Easy Bein' Me

It's Not Easy Bein' Me
Author: Rodney Dangerfield
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2009-08-11
Genre: Humor
ISBN: 006195764X

An American comic icon tells the story of his second–act rise from obscurity to multimedia stardom. "When I was a kid," writes Rodney Dangerfield, "I worked tough places in show business––places like Fonzo's Knuckle Room. Or Aldo's, formerly Vito's, formerly Nunzio's. That was a tough joint. I looked at the menu. They had broken leg of lamb." For once, one of America's most beloved comic icons isn't kidding. Dangerfield has seen every aspect of the entertainment industry: the rough–and–tumble nightclubs, the backstage gag–writing sessions, the drugs, the hookers, the lousy day jobs – and the red–carpet star treatment. As he traces his route from a poor childhood on Long Island to his enshrinement as a comedy legend, he takes readers on a roller–coaster ride through a life that has been alternately touching, sordid, funny, raunchy, and uplifting – equal parts "Little Orphan Annie" and "Caligula." And unlike most celebrity autobiographers, he seems to have no qualms about delivering the unfiltered whole story, warts and all. Dangerfield's personal story is also a rollicking show business tale, full of marquee name–droppings (Adam Sandler, Sam Kinison, Jim Carrey, Johnny Carson, Jerry Seinfeld) and good stories about same. Defying the old saws about the fleeting nature of fame and the dearth of second acts in American life, Dangerfield transformed himself from a debt–ridden aluminium–siding salesman named Jack Roy to a multimedia superstar – and stayed an icon for decades. His catchphrase – "I get no respect" – has entered the lexicon, and he remains a visible cultural presence and perennial talk–show guest. Dangerfield's hilarious and inspiring musings should thrill comedy fans and pop–culture watchers, and his second–act comeback will strike a chord with readers of all stripes. Maybe he'll even get some respect.

The Haunted Smile

The Haunted Smile
Author: Lawrence J. Epstein
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2008-08-05
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0786724927

Lawrence Epstein's The Haunted Smile tackles a subject both poignant and delightful: the story of Jewish comedians in America. For the past century and more, American comedy has drawn its strength and soul from the comic genius of Jewish performers and writers. An incomplete listing of names makes the point: The Marx Brothers, Jack Benny, Fanny Brice, George Burns, Milton Berle, Jackie Mason, Joan Rivers, Rodney Dangerfield, Mel Brooks, Alan King, Mort Sahl, Buddy Hackett, Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, Andy Kaufman, Richard Belzer, Jerry Seinfeld. These men and women, among others, form the canon of Jewish-American comedy. In the words of the Detroit Jewish News, The Haunted Smile "offers us a deep and subtle understanding of how Jewish culture and American openness gave birth to a new style of entertainment." Often the best way to illuminate a point is to recount some of these comedians' own brilliant routines, and Epstein uses the comedian's work to great effect, making for a book that is both a thoughtful work of history and a great deal of fun.

Hot Pants in Hollywood

Hot Pants in Hollywood
Author: Susan Silver
Publisher: Bookbaby
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2017-04-27
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9781483595672

"Hot Pants In Hollywood is a Show Biz memoir, and much more. It's a Baby Boomer's life on steroids. Susan Silver was one of the first female TV comedy writers with credits like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Maude, Bob Newhart, among others.

Black and Blue

Black and Blue
Author: Michael Seth Starr
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 434
Release: 2011-09-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1557838534

Black and Blue: The Redd Foxx Story tells the remarkable story of Foxx, a veteran comedian and "overnight sensation" at the age of 49 whose early life was defined by adversity and his post- Sanford and Son years by a blur of women, cocaine, endless lawsuits, financial chaos, and a losing battle with the IRS. Foxx's frank, trailblazing style as the "King of the Party Records" opened the door for a generation of African-American comedians including Dick Gregory, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, and Chris Rock. Foxx took the country by storm in January 1972 as crotchety, bow-legged Watts junk dealer Fred Sanford in Sanford and Son , one of the most beloved sitcoms in television history. Fred's histrionic "heart attacks" ("It's the big one, Elizabeth! I'm comin' to join ya, honey!") and catchphrases ("You big dummy!") turned Fred Sanford into a cultural icon and Redd Foxx into a millionaire. Sanford and Son took Foxx to the pinnacle of television success but would also prove to be his downfall. Interviews with friends, confidantes, and colleagues provide a unique insight into this generous, brash, vulnerable performer a man who Norman Lear described as "inherently, innately funny in every part of his being."

We'll Be Here For the Rest of Our Lives

We'll Be Here For the Rest of Our Lives
Author: Paul Shaffer
Publisher: Anchor
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2010-11-02
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0767928865

Paul Shaffer—born and bred music junkie and longtime leader of David Letterman’s Late Show band—opens up in this candid, endearing, hilarious, and star-studded memoir. From playing seedy strip joints in Toronto, to being the first musical director of Saturday Night Live and helping to form the Blues Brothers, to being onstage every night with David Letterman and playing with the greatest musicians of our time, Shaffer has lived the ultimate showbiz life. Now—dishing on everyone from John Belushi and Jerry Lewis to Mel Gibson and Britney Spears—Paul gives us the full behind-the-scenes story of his life, from banging out pop tunes on the piano at the age of twelve to leading the band every night at the Sullivan Theater.

Sinatra and Me

Sinatra and Me
Author: Tony Oppedisano
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2022-06-28
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 198215179X

"An intimate, revealing portrait of Frank Sinatra-from the man closest to the famous singer during the last decade of his life. More than a hundred books have been written about legendary crooner and actor Frank Sinatra. Every detail of his life seems to captivate: his career, his romantic relationships, his personality, his businesses, his style. But a hard-to-pin-down quality has always clung to him-a certain elusiveness that emerges again and again in retrospective depictions. Until now. From Sinatra's closest confidant and an eventual member of his management team, Tony Oppedisano, comes an extraordinarily intimate look at the singing idol. Deep into the night, for more than two thousand nights, Frank and Tony would converse-about music, family, friends, great loves, achievements and successes, failures and disappointments, the lives they'd led, the lives they wished they'd led. In these full-disclosure conversations, Sinatra spoke of his close yet complex relationship with his father, his conflicts with record companies, his carousing in Vegas, his love affairs with some of the most beautiful women of his era, his triumphs on some of the world's biggest stages, his complicated relationships with his talented children, and, most important, his dedication to his craft. Toward the end, no one was closer to the singer than Oppedisano, who kept his own rooms at the Sinatra residences for many years, often brokered difficult conversations between family members, and held the superstar entertainer's hand when he drew his last breath. Featuring never-before-seen photos and offering startlingly fresh anecdotes and new revelations that center on some of the most famous people of the past fifty years-including Jackie Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Sam Giancana, Madonna, and Bono-Sinatra and Me pulls back the curtain to reveal a man whom history has, in many ways, gotten wrong"--