Even This I Get to Experience
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4.4 • 74 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The New York Times bestselling memoir from the creator of some of the most iconic television programs ever, including All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, The Jeffersons, and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.
“Charming, candid, and copious . . . There is still a lot of zest, passion, and whimsy in the man who taught Americans to laugh at their failings.” —The New York Times
Norman Lear’s iconic television programs—most memorably All in the Family—drew in as many as 120 million viewers each week. These shows dealt with the most serious issues of the day—racism, poverty, abortion—yet still left audiences howling with laughter. But TV is only a fraction of Lear’s tale. The renowned producer came of age during the Great Depression and fought in World War II, staging variety shows for his fellow airmen in addition to flying fifty-two bombing missions. After the war he caught his break as a comedy writer in Hollywood, soon working with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Movies with Frank Sinatra, Dick Van Dyke, and Jason Robards followed. Then came the ’70s and Lear’s legendary string of TV hits. Filled with moving insights and behind-the-scenes stories from the shows that redefined the medium, Even This I Get to Experience is a memoir as touching, funny, and remarkable as any of Lear’s unforgettable creations.
"Lear is one of the great storytellers of our time...This book should be required reading for everyone working in Hollywood." —James Patterson
“One of the best Hollywood memoirs ever written . . . an absolute treasure.” —Booklist, starred review
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The television producer whose controversial sit-com hits All In The Family, The Jeffersons, Maude, One Day at a Time virtually defined the culture of the 1970s looks back on his triumphs and vexations in this feisty, thoughtful autobiography. Lear vents sharply conflicted feelings about nearly everyone and everything: his father, a charismatic con-man; his mother, a sour woman who constantly disparaged him (when he made Forbes 400 Wealthiest Americans she noted he was near the bottom of the list); Carroll O'Connor, a sublime Archie Bunker but also a megalomaniac forever threatening to shut down the show over script complaints; the United States, which, as founder of the liberal advocacy group People for the American Way, Lear celebrated in patriotic extravaganzas while deploring patriotic excesses. Lear pens sharply observed studies of the creative process on his many iconic productions and bares plenty of raucous, sometimes bawdy anecdotes readers get to experience a nude and lewd Jerry Lewis before the narrative peters out in a third-act haze of nostalgic testimonial and light spiritual rumination. Still, in keeping with the bigoted, mouthy, complex and loveable characters he created, Lear's knack for sizing up a flawed humanity makes for an absorbing read.
Customer Reviews
Delightful, Insightful and Rightfully Entertaining!
I casually picked this book from iBooks to read because of my lifelong love affair with Mr. Lear's programs. I wanted to know what was going on behind the scenes of producing the likes of All in the Family, Maude, Fernwood 2night and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. I was repeatedly surprised, page after page, with his painful family background and then flipping over to hilarious incidents with his famous comedy friends. Back and forth. They say good comedy comes out of pain. Sorry for the pain, but I'm forever grateful for your thoughtful wit.
One last word. My verbal skills have become dull with all the acronyms we've become accustomed to using recently and found myself referring to the dictionary frequently for a fuller understanding. It's rare these days for a book to inspire more intelligent use of language. I may go back to learn a new word every day like we did when I was in elementary school. Thank you, Mr. Lear, for that also.
Great Read
Thoroughly enjoyed it, the history is amazing with so many stars over time.
And I did, too!
What a fabulous, compelling history lesson. Even when you think you've heard it all, this book proves you incredibly wrong! The words brilliant, caring, enlightening, and touching don't come close. Add this to your reading list. A marvelous way to see behind the lens.