My Anecdotal Life: A Memoir - Softcover

Reiner, Carl

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312311052 ISBN 13: 9780312311056

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, 2004

Synopsis

More than once, Carl Reiner has had friends say, “Hey, Reiner, you ought to write those things down.” And at eighty, he finally has.

In this funny and engaging memoir, one of the best raconteurs on the planet recalls his life in show business in short comic takes. Reiner tells of how, after answering an ad for free acting classes on his brother Charlie’s advice, he forsakes a budding career as a machinist for an acting career. In “Sidney Bechet and His Jazz Band Meet Franz Kafka,” he captivates the legendary jazz man and his band with an unusual reading of The Metamorphosis, during a thunderstorm at a Catskills resort in 1942.

Reiner also recalls the highlights of the succeeding decades: his first sweaty audition, impersonating a dog impersonating movie stars; his forays into the theater; his work on Your Show of Shows and The Dick Van Dyke Show during TV’s golden days; and his long friendship and collaboration with Mel Brooks which gave birth to the Two Thousand Year Old Man.

In “A Recipe to Remember,” he recites a recipe for cream cheese cookies to a star-studded audience that includes Paul Newman, Leonard Bernstein, and Barbra Streisand. In “The Gourmet Eating Club,” he gives an insider’s take on the now-legendary group that included Mario Puzo, Joseph Heller, Zero Mostel, and other luminaries.

Mary Tyler Moore, Sid Caesar, Mickey Rooney, Johnny Carson, Cary Grant, Dinah Shore, Ann Bancroft, Jean Renoir – the list goes on and on – also appear in what Reiner calls the “literary variety show” that captures the highs and lows of his extraordinary life. Through it all, Reiner displays the wit and warmth that have made him one of the most beloved figures in the entertainment business. This charming memoir will delight anyone who wants a behind-the-scenes look at five decades of Hollywood and television history.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

One of the most beloved figures in show business looks back on his life in short comic takes.

“You can’t define genius, but it stands up and shouts from the pages of Carl Reiner’s My Anecdotal Life.”
- Mary Tyler Moore

“After reading this book, you’ll know why Carl Reiner was one of my all-time favorite guests on The Tonight Show. He’s bright, a brilliant storyteller, self-effacing, and funny as hell. Besides, he is, as we say in the Midwest, a good egg (the gentile counterpart of mensch).”
- Johnny Carson

“Mr. Reiner’s stories allow us to have his whole life flash before our eyes. Happily, he is a delightful storyteller and a very gifted flasher.”
- Larry Gelbart

About the Author:

Carl Reiner created and costarred in the classic Dick Van Dyke Show and later directed major film comedies, including The Jerk; Oh, God!; Where’s Papa?; and Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid. Winner of twelve Emmy Awards and a Grammy, Reiner was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame and received the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for Humor. He has published five books, including Enter Laughing, and one Broadway play. He lives in Beverly Hills, California, with his wife, Estelle.

About this edition

• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0312311052
• ISBN 13: 9780312311056
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256