Getting Even

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After three decades of prodigious film work (and some unfortunate tabloid adventures as well), it's easy to forget that Woody Allen began his career as one heck of a great comedy writer. Getting Even, a collection of his late '60s magazine pieces, offers a look into Allen's bag of shtick, back when it was new. From the supposed memoirs of Hitler's barber: "Then, in January of 1945, a plot by several generals to shave Hitler's moustache in his sleep failed when von Stauffenberg, in the darkness of Hitler's bedroom, shaved off one of the Führer's eyebrows instead..."

Even though the idea of writing jokes about old Adolf--or addled rabbis, or Maatjes herring--isn't nearly as fresh as it used to be, Getting Even still delivers plenty of laughs. At his best, Woody can achieve a level of transcendent craziness that no other writer can match. If you're looking for a book to dip into at random, or a gift for someone who's seen Sleeper 13 times, Getting Even is a dead lock.

Book Description

The classic, with 316,000 copies sold to date.

Customer Reviews:

Getting Even = Hilarious.......2007-08-14

Getting Even, by Woody Allen, is the comedic genious at his ludicrous best. The reparte between the two chess playing opponents, via e-mail, is worth the price of the book alone. Very funny.

A 5 star delight.

Woody Allen. Chess By Mail. need i say more? also, mafia.......2006-08-20

accounting [of the office supplies] ~

these two ALONE are worth the price of admission, especially used in the z shops...

i can STILL laugh over the Gossage-Vardebedian papers [the chess by mail] 30+ years after i first bought this for a friend in the hospital [i wasn't thinking ~ he'd had a hernia operation... and couldn't get past the first line]

timelessly funny ~

Getting Even.......2006-01-04

If your a fan of Allen's work than you'll enjoy this book. Otherwise you may not like it. If you're not familiar with his work than I highly recommend his prose for their witty, bizzare, and humorus content.

In, "The Gossage-Vardebedian Papers," you'll find humor in the trials and tribulations of chess, via letter writing.

In, "Mr. Big," I question if the beautiful existentialist really killed God. Yeah, she probably did. (GOD that's too bad.)

awkward, funny, weird, smart, read...

Bad taste, boring stupidity with an occasional funny line.......2005-12-04

I had hoped upon rereading this work to cancel the original impression I had of many of these pieces when I read them some years ago in 'The New Yorker'. Unfortunately, my taste seems not to have changed and I found most of these pieces stupid, and in bad taste.
Allen can write the occasional very funny line but much of this is low- level predictable parody.

As funny as as dated as the early Woody Allen comedies.......2005-10-19

Getting Even is one of three early collections of Woody Allen's short humorous articles. The others are Without Feathers and Side Effects. Many of the pieces in Getting Even appeared in magazines, mostly The New Yorker, but also Playboy, and Evergreen Review. While others first appeared in this anthology. In total, there are 17 articles in the collection. Considering that they were written over 35 years ago, there are some references that do not come across well today. Yet as a group they are still quite funny.

The Metterling Lists is a piece of satirical literary criticism of The Collected Laundry Lists of Hans Metterling Vol. 1, a supposedly scholarly work of 437 pages that analyzes the first six laundry lists. Fortunately Mr. Allen only takes seven pages to mock this fictional piece of scholarship.

A Look At Organized Crime provides a very brief history of organized crime in America including the murder of Kid Lipsky by Albert (The Logical Positivist) Corillo who locked Lipsky in a closet and "sucked all the air out through a straw." It also provides a description of a Mafia initiation ceremony and ends with some tips on fighting mobsters.

The Schmeed Memoirs are represented as the recollections of Hitler's barber. Yet they can't be taken too seriously because he claims he didn't know Hitler was a Nazi and thought he worked for the phone company. There is a funny where Hitler fears that Chruchill will grow sideburns before he can. It is humorous to view World War II from the perspective of Hitler's hair.

My Philosophy consists of the Critique of Pure Dread, the Eschatological Dialectics As a Means of Coping with Shingles, and The Cosmos on Five Dollars a Day. It ends with two Parables and a short list of Aphorisms.

Yes, But Can The Steam Engine Do This? provides a humorous take on the scientific research saga with a history of the Earl of Sandwich's research into developing the sandwich. Starting with his birth in 1718, the tale is filled with bread experiments, research into cold cuts and cheeses, and years of failures followed by his final success and lasting fame.

Death Knocks is a short play in which an inexperienced angel of death, who comes to claim Nat Ackerman's soul, is lured into a losing game of gin rummy and returns empty-handed.

Spring Bulletin is Woody Allen's satirical take on college course descriptions. It includes a course called Introduction to God which is described as "Confrontation with the Creator of the universe through informal lectures and field trips."

The next piece, a guide to the interpretation of Hassidic tales, includes tales like the following and Mr. Allen's interpretations of them.
A man journeyed to Chelm to seek the advice of Rabbi Ben Kaddish.
"Rabbi " the man asked, "where can I find peace?"
The Hassid surveyed him and said, "Quick, look behind you!"
The man turned around, and Rabbi Ben Kaddish smashed him in the back of the head with a candlestick. "Is that peaceful enough for you?" he chuckled.
There are six other tales and their interpretations in this piece.

The Gossage-Varbedian Papers tells the sad story of a chess game played at a distance via letters. The correspondence starts out with a missive from Gossage stating that one of his letters must have gotten lost in the mail since his chess board is set up differently than Verbedian's. The insults and the confusion worsen as the letters go back and forth. A must for any chess fan.

Notes From The Overfed, Mr. Allen claims, was inspired by reading Dostoyevski and a Weight Watchers magazine on an airplane trip. In it an Atheist is converted when he decides that, if God is everywhere, He must be in food. Then consuming everything in sight, he achieves sanctity and obesity through compulsive eating.

A Twenties Memory mocks the name-dropping memoirs of the post-war lost generation. Filled with references to Gertrude Stein, Picasso, Earnest Hemingway, Alice B. Toklas, and many others, a non-entity tries to gain fame by the shared light of his famous contemporaries.

In Count Dracula the famous vampire wakes up early due to confusion caused by a solar eclipse, and visits the baker and his wife for what he thinks is an evening snack with disastrous consequences.

In A Little Louder, Please a true afficionato of the arts confesses his one failing - an inability to understand the gestures of mimes.

Conversations With Helmholtz consists of notes taken by the student of a famous elderly psychoanalyst of their conversations together. Senility has certainly gotten the better of the older man, but his reputation and fame keep the younger man from realizing this with humorous results.

Viva Vargas is subtitled Excepts From The Diary of A Revolutionary, and reveals much of the same humor that the author later used in the movie Bananas.

The Discovery And Use of The Fake Ink Blot provides a humorous social history of a device used in practical jokes.

The last story in the volume, Mr. Big, is my favorite. It is narrated by a Philip Marlowesque detective who is hired by a lovely woman claiming to be a Vassar student. She wants him to find a missing person, God. The mixture of Raymond Chandler's format with the existential search for the meaning of life is extremely funny even after the passage of many years.

All in all, if you like the early Woody Allen movies, you will love this book - even though some of the material is no longer as fresh.

Average customer rating:

All Hail ...
May Be Without Feathers, But Its with Humor
Woody Allen"s Without Feathers
With out feathers
Wonderfully absurd...

Without Feathers
Woody Allen
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345336976
Release Date: 1986-02-12

Amazon.com

The title of Woody Allen's second collection of New Yorker-style sprint humor is a sly comment on Emily Dickinson's famous quote, "Hope is the thing with feathers." Without Feathers delivers Allen's hopeless schlub persona--you remember, what he used to be before he was either a lecher or an auteur, depending on your politics. In addition to being as funny as anything published since, to read Without Feathers is to return to a simpler time, when being a fan of his work was common, not controversial.

Though each piece is funny, two of them are particularly notable examples of Allen's distinctive style (borrowed in large part from S.J. Perelman by way of the Borscht Belt, but distinctive, nevertheless)--"The Whore of Mensa" and "If the Impressionists Had Been Dentists." Here's an excerpt from the latter:

Mrs. Sol Schwimmer is suing me because I made her bridge as I felt it and not to fit her ridiculous mouth! That's right! I can't work to order like a common tradesman! I decided her bridge should be enormous and billowing, with wild, explosive teeth flaring up in every direction like fire! Now she is upset because it won't fit in her mouth! She is so bourgeois and stupid, I want to smash her! I tried forcing the false plate in but it sticks out like a star burst chandelier.

Without Feathers is fine, funny prose, from an American master. If you're a fan, seek it out immediately. It's a document from the days when Woody was not important, but merely hysterically funny. --Michael Gerber

Book Description

Here they are--some of the funniest tales and ruminations ever put into print, by one of the great comic minds of our time. From THE WHORE OF MENSA, to GOD (A Play), to NO KADDISH FOR WEINSTEIN, old and new Woody Allen fans will laugh themselves hysterical over these sparkling gems.

Customer Reviews:

All Hail ..........2007-10-16

My attempt to weave sarcasm, farce and humor into my writing is undoubtedly inspired by the writing of Woody Allen, and this book is a great example of his work... a style I can only aspire to achieve.

May Be Without Feathers, But Its with Humor.......2007-08-14

Without Feathers, by Woody Allen, is a witty humorous book with 15 or so short essays/stories on a variety of topics. The humor here is very funny and not dated at all. You most pay close attention as the one-liners fly off the pages. Simply hilarious stuff. Hard to believe this was released in 1975.

A recommended 4 star effort!

Woody Allen"s Without Feathers.......2007-01-18

Well worth buying and reading. Reading a humor book of short stories by one author all at once is not as good as spacing each story by reading something else. Too much like eating three desserts at once.

With out feathers.......2005-12-18

...worth the read!!! Allen's book is composed of a bunch of short stories, plots for operas, essays, plays etc. It's all hilarious. Once you start the book, you wont be able to put it down.

Wonderfully absurd..........2005-01-23

I have never written a review before, but as this book is one of the funniest things I've ever stumbled upon... here goes. I was lucky enough to find Without Feathers about 10 years ago, in a hardcover edition along with Getting Even and Side Effects. I decided to take a quick look through it on the drive home from the book store (I was'nt the one driving!) and within minutes I was laughing uncontrolably! After the first paragraph I simply could'nt put it down. The other people in the car demanded to know what was so funny, but my attempts to read out loud were useless as I was crying with laughter and could no longer see the page!?! I handed the book over to one of my friends for him to read, and eventually we had to pull the car off the road due to the histerical giggling that ensued! "A Brief, Yet Helpful, Guide To Civil Disobedience" is possibly the funniest thing I've ever read!?! A decade has gone by since I first read these books and they are still as funny and unique. I read them whenever I'm dangerously close to forgeting how cathartic sheer silliness can be! Truly joyful prose!

Average customer rating:

My Dinner With Woody
A good book...
Simply Amazing!!
Fans of the Director Will Enjoy
Frank and enlightening discussion

Woody Allen on Woody Allen
Woody Allen , and Stig Bjorkman
Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0802142036

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Fans of Woody Allen have long waited to hear him tell us in his own words about his life, his tastes, and his films, but until recently he has been reluctant to give lengthy interviews. This book is the conversation we've been waiting for, a dialogue with Stig Bjorkman in which Allen speaks openly about himself and his art. Bjorkman invites the writer/director to talk at length about his lesser-known movies as well as his famous ones. We also learn about Allen's filmmaking technique, his feelings about his stock company of actors, his influences, and why Stardust Memories and The Purple Rose of Cairo are his two personal favorites.

Book Description

Over the course of his long directing career, Woody Allen has portrayed contemporary American life with an unmistakable mixture of irony, neurotic obsession, and humor. Woody Allen on Woody Allen is a unique self-portrait of this uncompromising filmmaker that offers a revealing account of his life and work. In a series of rare, in-depth interviews, Allen brings us onto the sets and behind the scenes of all his films. Since its original publication, Woody Allen on Woody Allen has been the primary source of Allen's own thoughts on his work, childhood, favorite films, and inspirations. Now updated with one hundred pages of new material that brings us up to his Hollywood Ending, Woody Allen on Woody Allen is a required addition to any cinephile's library.

Customer Reviews:

My Dinner With Woody.......2006-08-21

Reading this book was like having dinner with Woody Allen while his films played on a wall behind us. I appreciated the European interviewer because it brought a fresh perspective to Allen's material. Getting Allen's insights into the characters in his films was worth the price, and, as you know, we all need the eggs.

A good book..........2003-11-25

Great. Read it. Don't read this if you're a fan. Buy this book now. Don't waste time. I know i've always wanted to have a conversation with woody allen...even if it is someone else giving it. He's great. I admire him and adore his films. If you're a fan, you'll love his little tidbits and personal things. Remember - the man - not just the films...

Simply Amazing!!.......2003-07-15

The only reason that I didn't give this book 5 stars in because it only goes up to Husbands & Wives. For anyone who loves Woody and wants to hear him speak in detail about his films, other films and his ideas, this book does not disapoint. I have many other books by or about filmmakers and this is certainly up there with the best. Woody talks about Bergman, Godard, Fellini, Truffaut, Hitchcock and many other filmmakers and films he likes. He discussed in depth each of his films from What's New Pussycat? to Husbands and Wives. This book is a must for fans of Woody Allen and for fans of film.

Fans of the Director Will Enjoy.......2003-02-28

Conversations between Woody Allen and journalist Stig Bjorkman about the Woodster’s films, from “Take the Money and Run” to “Manhattan Murder Mystery,” along with interviews about his childhood and early acting roles. While there are sometimes less details than one would like (don’t look for more than a paragraph or two about “What’s Up Tiger Lilly” and “Casino Royale.” “Sleeper” only gets a page), but it’s very nice to read Allen’s insights about some of his work years later. Hopefully soon there will be an updated guide. I’m curious about what he has to say about “Deconstructing Harry” and even “Curse of the Jade Scorpion.”

Frank and enlightening discussion.......2002-11-10

A very relaxed and interesting discussion regarding the development of Allen's style and indivisual films that is very entertaining. This is an excellent companion to his earlier films. Bjorkman asks excellent questions that keep the discussion flowing in a chronological sense yet allow for Woody Allen to address many interssting topics related to his work.
The focus here is really the body of work and not Allen's personal life. Like sitting with a bottle of wine and talking to two intelligent filmmakers about their craft.

Average customer rating:

Side Effects: Sore side from laughing
Loved It
A pleased Allen fan
nothing like it
"The most important question is, . . .

Side Effects
Woody Allen
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345343352
Release Date: 1986-09-12

Amazon.com

Before Woody Allen set his sights on becoming the next Ingmar Bergman, he made a fleeting (but largely successful) attempt at becoming the next S.J Perelman. Side Effects, his third and final collection of humor pieces, shows his efforts. These essays appeared in The New Yorker during the late 1970s, as he showed more and more discontent with his funnyman status. Fear not, humor fans--Allen's still funny. He is less manic, however, than in his positively goofy Getting Even/Without Feathers days, and this makes Side Effects a more nuanced read. Woody picks and chooses when to flash the laughs, as in an article discussing UFOs:

[I]n 1822 Goethe himself notes a strange celestial phenomenon. "En route home from the Leipzig Anxiety Festival," he wrote, "I was crossing a meadow, when I chanced to look up and saw several fiery red balls suddenly appear in the southern sky. They descended at a great rate of speed and began chasing me. I screamed that I was a genius and consequently could not run very fast, but my words were wasted. I became enraged and shouted imprecations at them, whereupon they flew away frightened. I related this story to Beethoven, not realizing he had already gone deaf, and he smiled and nodded and said, "Right."

Though not as explosively, mind-alteringly funny as his earlier books, Side Effects is still loaded with chuckles; the much-anthologized "Kugelmass Episode" is worth the price of the book. For fans of his films--or for anyone who wants a final glimpse of Woody in his first, best role as court jester, Side Effects is a must-have. --Michael Gerber

Book Description

A humor classic by one of the funniest writers today, SIDE EFFECTS is a treat for all those who know his work and those just discovering how gifted he is. Included here are such classics as REMEMBERING NEEDLEMAN, THE KUGELMASS EPISODE, a new sory called CONFESSIONS OF A BUGLAR, and more.

Customer Reviews:

Side Effects: Sore side from laughing.......2007-08-14

Side Effects, by Woody Allen, was released in 1980. It is a very funny collection of Allen's work, much of which first appeared in the New Yorker and other publication. The books is pretty even, and rather funny. The high point here is The Kugelmass Episode which features a professor named Sidney Kugelmass who is, via a magician, tranpsorted into the novel Madame Bovary.

A very funy four star offering from Mr. Allen.

Loved It.......2007-06-07

Discovered in the humor section at Borders, I couldn't resist one of my favorite director's/producer's/actor's books. Side Effects is a collection of Allen's short stories that read similar to skits that were too short or just not right to be put on the screen. They're humorous, beautiful, and intelligent in the usual Allen fashion. I will admit though that as far as short story mastery goes, Allen has nothing on Cheever or Carver but for any Allen fan they're a must read.

A pleased Allen fan.......2007-01-05

After watching mant of Allen's films and listening to Allen's stand-up I was more than pleased to read one of his books. His prose is the same as the dialogue that gushes from his character's mouths in his films, tinged with a twitchy neurosis that brings a smile across my face. This book is littered with moments that will make your stomach sore from laughing and others that result in a sly amused grin. Bring the existential alka-seltser.

nothing like it.......2006-05-02

this book is most definitely one of the funniest books ive ever read. a great laugh-out-loud and side-splitting novel. a wonderful mixture of short stories and passages that can keep you reading for hours. This is definitely an original and innovative book worth picking up and reading over and over again.

"The most important question is, . . ........2005-12-16

". . . is there anybody out there? And if so, do they have ray guns?" - - As Allen speculates in the chapter, "The UFO Menace". I wasn't driven to hilarity, but you gotta smile and chuckle as the master of the one liner keeps them coming non-stop. The Woodmeister is an acquired taste. For enhanced reading enjoyment, you MUST slow down and mentally impose Woody's audible accent onto what you are reading. Again, nothing here to cause you to lose control of your bodily functions, but you'll smile and laugh enough to make a little noise. If you have not read Woody Allen before, be advised that this does not have to be read in one sitting. Nice book to keep in the bathroom, or stick in the side pocket of your carry-on and leave there.

Average customer rating:

Great Fun
brilliant
Belly-laughs a minute
The Ultimate in Intellectual Humour
Hysterical. The Woodman cometh.

Complete Prose of Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Manufacturer: Wings Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0517072297
Release Date: 1992-03-29

Amazon.com

Born in 1935, Allen Stewart Konigsberg (better known as Woody Allen) is today one of the most influential figures in cinema. He has written and directed such memorable films as Annie Hall and Manhattan, and has acted in over 40 films. He is also the author of three books--Getting Even (1971), Without Feathers (1975), and Side Effects (1980). The Complete Prose of Woody Allen brings these memorable titles together for one bumper collection--a must-have for Allen addicts.

Getting Even is a collection of 17 of Allen's magazine pieces from the late 1960s discussing such bizarre topics as the invention of the sandwich, laundry lists, death, obesity, and, of course, rabbis.

Without Feathers delivers more of Allen's New Yorker-style humor. Worthy stand-outs include "If the Impressionists Had Been Dentists," a genius piece that puts oral surgery in a whole new, much more exciting, light.

Finally, Side Effects compiles Allen's best New Yorker essays from the late 1970s. Although not as outrageously funny as his previous books, this is still a classic piece of comedy. --Naomi Gesinger

Customer Reviews:

Great Fun.......2007-08-14

Three great books all in one fun filled volume of sheer funny. Including:

Getting Even is the comedic genious at his ludicrous best. The reparte between the two chess playing opponents, via e-mail, is worth the price of the book alone. Very funny.

Side Effects was released in 1980. It is a very funny collection of Allen's work, much of which first appeared in the New Yorker and other publication. The books is pretty even, and rather funny. The high point here is The Kugelmass Episode which features a professor named Sidney Kugelmass who is, via a magician, tranpsorted into the novel Madame Bovary.

Without Feathers is a witty humorous book with 15 or so short essays/stories on a variety of topics. The humor here is very funny and not dated at all. You most pay close attention as the one-liners fly off the pages. Simply hilarious stuff. Hard to believe this was released in 1975.

A 5 star book, well worth the price... enjoy!

Note: This collection is also available in paperback and titled The Insanity Defense: The Complete Prose

brilliant.......2006-11-06

Brilliant Woody. Not the best of this type, but still fasciniating. I heartily recommend.

Belly-laughs a minute.......2006-09-10

I read the three volumes this book is comprised of years ago and, to this day, I've been hard pressed to find other books,
on a line to line basis, funnier than Woody Allen's works. It's
too bad he hasn't written any more since these books. It is our
loss. If you like to laugh until your brains dribble out your
ears, read this book. Highly recommended.

The Ultimate in Intellectual Humour.......2004-08-28

This is genuinely hilarious and intelligent prose. My favourites are "Mr Big", "Viva Vargas!" and "Reminiscences, People and Places". Prepare to convulse. People will stare at you while you gasp for oxygen. Pure genius. The only mystery is why Allen isn't as well recognised for his writing as his movies. If you read this you will also wonder.

Allen sometimes seems to step over the line separating sharp satire from outright cynicism, especially in the later writing - but who cares? It's still a class apart. Highly recommendable.

Hysterical. The Woodman cometh........2001-06-13

Disillusioned by, "Interiors" or "Hannah And Her Sisters"? Think Woody is just not funny? Man, are you wrong. This book (which contains pretty much everything Woody wrote in book form) just kills you from the beginning & never stops. As goofball and irreverent as you'd expect from a comedic genius(Think, "Bananas" or "Take the Money and Run"- era Allen), don't be frightened off by the fact that Allen's later movies quit being side-splittingly funny. This book recaptures all the great, classic humor that made the Woodman famous to begin with!

Four Films: Annie Hall, Interiors, Manhattan, Stardust Memories

Average customer rating:

Do It For The Eggs
Truly pointless
Must have omnibus for Woody Allen fans and script writers.
Hilarious
Great read - Explores the human condition with insight.

Four Films: Annie Hall, Interiors, Manhattan, Stardust Memories
Woody Allen
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0394712293
Release Date: 1982-09-12

Amazon.com

Woody Allen's greatness as a director rests squarely on his stupendous talent as a writer. In the glory years from 1977 to 1980 he released his best--and best written--movies. Included in this volume are the scripts of Annie Hall, Allen's first mature film and the winner of the Best Picture Oscar; Interiors, his first serious work, a Bergmanesque treatment of a tortured family; Manhattan, his greatest and most characteristic movie, which concerns a writer's attempt to find true love in the comic wilderness of New York City; and Stardust Memories, his most satiric and personal piece, about the effects of fame on a film director who is standing at a crossroads in his life.

Book Description

This book contains the script to four of Woody Allen's movies: Annie Hall, Interiors, Manhattan and Stardust Memories.

Customer Reviews:

Do It For The Eggs.......2001-05-27

I bought this while studying screenwriting, assuming that owning ANNIE HALL and MANHATTAN would somehow deliver upon me some kind of ability, perhaps a bit of greatness via osmoseous (sp?).

I was wrong.

I also realized that MANHATTAN is based more on the visual than I had realized--the script, while great, isn't on the same level as ANNIE HALL; INTERIORS, which dissapointed me on the screen is a very good script; and--this just confirmed what I already knew--ANNIE HALL is a great great GREAT film.

Did I mention that ANNIE HALL is a great film?

Truly pointless.......2000-04-20

If you're a cineaste, it can be quite enlightening and entertaining to read the original shooting script that a favorite film was based on. In addition to the screenwriter's comments and directions, you usually get several scenes that were cut from the finished movie as well as occasional odd little changes in dialogue sprinkled throughout and an overall peek at some aspects of the creative process that a film goes through from inception to completion. Unfortunately, that's not the case with this book, since the four "screenplays" included are merely transcriptions from the finished films. VCRs were generally available when this book was first published in '82, so even back then this book was a pointless rip-off. Watch the films, skip the book.

Must have omnibus for Woody Allen fans and script writers........1999-05-23

This book contains "screenplays" of Woody Allen's most famous films including Manhattan and Annie Hall. It doesn't say screenplays on the cover, but that's what I figured it would be. Instead, what I got was a book that's not even script formatted. The publisher also adds his notes whenever he pleases to explain what's going on 'from the film' to the reader.

Hilarious.......1998-09-18

This great book includes the screenplays of two of Woody's best films, "Annie Hall" and "Manhattan." There's also "Stardust Memories" which is good, and "Interiors" which is, well...ok. Well worth the money.

Great read - Explores the human condition with insight........1998-04-24

This book cheered me along during a stay in hospital and so I will always remember it fondly.
To me, the scripts represent the best of Woody Allen as they are truthful and realistic. Humour is
sharp in the scripts (except for Interiors of course) as it exposes pretenses, hypocrisies & other human fallibilities. There is so much more
to this than clever lines. This should be a text for
aspiring scriptwriters. To any publishers reading
this, how about another compilation which has
"Husbands & Wives" and "Mighty Aphrodite" in it?!

Average customer rating:

Timeless!
Good autobiography
Act One
Superb Theater Autobiography
The best book about the theater ever written, Act One.

Act One: An Autobiography
Moss Hart
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312032722

Amazon.com

Moss Hart was in the thick of American theater when everyone wore black tie on opening night and the world's most witty people entertained each other around a grand piano at late-night supper parties. It's an era of glamour that will never come again, but we have Hart's words on paper, and that is no small thing. A renowned director and theatrical collaborator, the brilliant Hart died too soon after the curtain went up on Act Two. If you want to know what it was like to be on the inside track in NYC in the '30s, '40s and '50s, here's a good place to find out.

Book Description

The Dramatic Story that Capitvated a Generation

With this new edition, the classic best-selling autobiography by the late playwright Moss Hart returns to print in the thirtieth anniversary of its original publication. Issued in tandem with Kitty, the revealing autobiography of his wife, Kitty Carlisle Hart, Act One, is a landmark memoir that incluenced a generation of theatergoers, dramatists, and general book readers everywhere. The book eloquently chronicles Moss Hart's impoverished childhood in the Bronx and Brooklyn and his long, determined struggle to his first theatreical Broadway success, Once in a Lifetime. One of the most celebrated American theater books of the twentieth centure and a glorious memorial to a bygone age, Act One if filled with all the wonder, drama, and heartbreak that surrounded Broadway in the 1920s and the years before World War II.

Customer Reviews:

Timeless!.......2006-11-03

A look back in time to understand the struggles in defining-and reaching your goals. A study in human nature. Things haven't changed. Great lessons still!!

Good autobiography.......2006-03-19

This book is a down to earth, heart warming story of how Moss Hart became a premiere playwriter. Good book for those interested in working in the theater.

Act One.......2005-08-10

A great read; very inspiring and funny and well written. A tale of a writer in a city which he knew so well, at least Broadway, his own neigborhoods, and the subway. His spontaneous decisions are what great showbiz tales are made of and from! His book made me want an Act Two and Act Three....excellent investment. Book in GRAND shape. Quick delivery too.

Superb Theater Autobiography.......2003-06-23

Act One is one of my favorite books. I have rearead it often since the first time I picked it up in my late teens. I love the anecdotes about the Broadway greats ans near greats and how Mr. Hart became famous, but my favorite parts of the book concern his memorable Aunt Kate, a woman whose fate in life was other than she deserved. She is very humanely portrayed, and so is the rest of Mr. Hart's family. I also enjoyed learning more about George Kaufman and his wife. This book's great!

The best book about the theater ever written, Act One........2003-06-13

Moss Hart is arguably one of the finest and most successful authors of the 20th century theater in this or any other country. Like many successful men in the theater, he came from a background of serious poverty and the true drama of Act One is his perseverence and victory in extremely trying circumstances. There are fascinating glimpses into the theater world of NYC in the 40s and 50s, excellent sketches of George Kaufmann, Beatrice Kaufmann and Max Siegel, and poignant views into the people and places that forged Moss Hart into the extremely urbane, charming and successful man he became, against the hardest possible odds. Superb book!

Average customer rating:

Gift
A somewhat dubious sit- down comedian responds
As interesting as you expect... but more frustrating...
Still Invaluable
A rich rate treasure of info from 20th Century comedy greats

Great Comedians Talk About Comedy
Larry Wilde
Manufacturer: Executive Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0937539511

Book Description

This volume presents seventeen of the funniest people of the 20th Century talking about how they make people laugh.

Each engaging interview was painstakingly elicited by the author, who spent years researching, collecting the material and recording these intimate one-on-one conversations.

Customer Reviews:

Gift.......2007-03-21

I can't really review this book as I gave it as a gift to my son-in-law. I think he's really enjoying it - he's planning on trying a little stand up soon.

A somewhat dubious sit- down comedian responds .......2005-07-05

Almost all the reviews on Amazon are by stand- up comics who claim that this book has been a great resource in teaching them how to 'get em' and 'leave em' laughing.
I am not a stand- up comedian and perhaps not even a sit- down one.
But many of the people interviewed here have given me, people I have known and millions of others a lot of laughs, and a lot of happy moments. I think of how much Jack Benny meant in the old days to my parents. And how when we were growing up Tuesday night had to be with Uncle Miltie or it was not. I think of the great heart of Jimmy Durante " Good Night, Mrs.Calabash wherever you are." And also of Shelley Berman( "Some people say Aristotle died in Chalcis Euboea. I think Aristotle died 'of' Chalcis Eubeoa") Also others featured here, Carson who passed away this year who gave so many Americans their nighttime entertainment, and George Burns who with his, "Gracie.Say good night" always brought a smile. And even Joey Bishop who never seemed to me in the least funny , and Woody Allen( Unlike everyone else who reviewed this book I did not find his interview either interesting or funny, though I admit he has made a few clever remarks in his time. ie." I don't want to be an immortal. I just want to go on living forever".
Any gathering of such a great group of personalities has to be a source of entertainment.
This book as I understand it has served as a kind of 'Bible ' for stand- up comedians.
I suggest even some of the sit- down ones may get real pleasure from it.

As interesting as you expect... but more frustrating..........2004-08-07

There is very little to dislike in the content of the book. He interviews some of the great comics,comedians,funnymen of the 20th century about craft. The candidness of each interviewee is what struck me upon first reading. It often seems that comics can be quite elusive when it comes to discussing their craft. The general consensus among the subjects is that one has some innate funniness present that he can hone and sharpen in order to become a truly great comic. Wilde asks some very poignant questions about each one's process: writing, performing, and breaking into the business. He also requests of each that they divulge their major influences and what specific things they might have picked up from each. Very interesting stuff (I found out about several comics I had never heard of). There is also the requisite interview fodder of personal history and amusing anecdotes. This book seems to be the only one of its kind and is invaluable for its diverse perspectives from some of the greats. Berle, Hope, and Burns in particular provide interesting contextual history of their vaudeville days starting out (and the transition to post-vaudeville). The subjects chosen each share an unparalleled longevity in the business. I especially enjoyed the Berle and Woody Allen interviews. Each sheds light on specific aspects of "technique." The comics chosen represent a wide range of comedic styles: the reader is bound to be a fan of at least one. The book is an interesting historical document and quite unique: +5 stars.

I do have some criticisms of the book (-1 star). During later interviews in the book (chronologically), Wilde becomes a bit too referential. For example, he might begin a question with "Milton Berle once said to me..." Though it's interesting to see if a particular comic agrees with the others on certain points, this is not a terribly effective way to ask a question. Who in their right mind in the business would say that Milton Berle is full of it? The question can be asked without reference to the source (and therefore without the consequence of bias). Furthermore, the price is outrageous considering that the book could have been half the length if such a massive font was not used. Many responses to questions in the book have been edited and ostensibly continue beyond the transcription. You will notice the liberal use of elipses in nearly every interview. Perhaps if a standard font was used more of the abridged interviews could be included at no additional cost. This 2000 edition adds an interview with Jerry Seinfeld, but I'm not entirely certain how he was chosen as the only modern comic included. Could the book (originally published in 1968) have been put out cheaply in paperback? Only Larry Wilde's accountant may ever know.

Still Invaluable.......2002-09-06

I first read "Great Comedians" in 1972 when I was starting out as a comedian. I found it to be just what I needed as a young aspiring comedian. The interviews of Woody Allen, Shelley Berman, Jack Benny, and Phillis Diller resonated with me and helped me immensely in my standup comedy development. It also inspired me to write my own book probing the methods of my generations great comedians ("Comic Insights") in order to help today's young comedians get a better idea of what it takes to do quality standup. I recently read "Great Comedians" again, and my original verdict still stands. This book is still of immense value to all aspiring comedians.

A rich rate treasure of info from 20th Century comedy greats.......2002-02-28

It's no secret that comedians -- great and not-so-great -- are influenced by the WORK of other comedians. The advent of film in the 20th century made this a lot easier since when a comedian died the work was still available...and now with videos etc. it's easier than ever.

But what about HOW these comedians made laughs...how they were inspired...what specific techniques they used and did not use...and what advice they would give anyone interested in going into any area of comedy?

Those have been tough answers to get. To do it you'd have to buy a slew of good and sometimes rotten bios, many of them out of print. Until now. Stand-up comedian Larry Wilde's Great Comedians Talk About Comedy brings it all together.

Great Comedians is a superb, singular achievement that collects within one lively, 402-page, info-packed volume, detailed interviews done over several years with some of the 20th century's greatest comedians and comedy actors.

The selection is absolutely mind-boggling: Woody Allen, Milton Berle, Shelly Berman, Jack Benny, Joey Bishop, George Burns, Johnny Carson, Maurice Chevalier, Phyllis Diller, Jimmy Durante, Bob Hope, Dick Gregory, George Jessle, Jerry Lewis, Jerry Seinfeld, Danny Thomas and Ed Wynn.

Each interview is presented in straight Q&A format so you get to "hear" the question and "hear" the response, from what the comedian/comedy actor says to his/her own speech pattern. These folks worked in venues from vaudeville, to radio, to night clubs, to radio to early silent movies to talkies to TV. And their responses to questions contain revelations and constant inspiration.

A key theme: how "making it" in comedy requires timing, good material, dogged persistance, constant analysis of jokes/laughs and being LIKEABLE to an audience. Copying someone's stage personna or stealing their jokes just won't do it.

My favorite interviews were with Woody Allen (how he writes ten jokes on everything from matchbooks to napkins and only uses a few; how he won't try jokes out on friends since they're often too negative; how audience appeal MATTERS...and his pointing to Jackie Gleason as someone who often had a lousey show but people loved him), Jack Benny (the importance of learning comedy and advancing step by step...an explanation of his legendary timing), Joey Bishop ("...Luck cannot sustain you.Only talent can sustain you.."), George Burns (tips on timing, attitude and the importance emulating but not copying other performers), Phyllis Diller (five truly SUPERB short inspirational tips that can advance MANY careers...Her high laugh per minute standards), and Jerry Seinfeld (timing, getting into a focused mental framework and how his love of comedy as a kid blossomed).

This book an essential for ANYONE interested in comedy, or for students of comedy, public speakers, or anyone who simply wants to be funny in public. It's ALL HERE: the inspiration, the tips, the stories, the bios...the TOOLS.

Book Description

Comedian, writer, director, actor, musician, and deep thinker, Woody Allen is clearly trying to say something, but what? And why should anyone care? Fifteen philosophers representing different schools of thought answer these questions, focusing on different works and varied aspects of Allen's multifaceted output. These essays explore such topics as how Schopenhauer's theory of humor emerges in Annie Hall; why, for all his apparent pessimism, Allen gives a brighter alternative to the Bogartian nihilism of film noir; the importance of integrity for the Good Life, as found in Manhattan; and the fact that just because the universe is meaningless and life is pointless is no reason to commit suicide. Also here are droll, probing essays on why hedonism is a health hazard, and why, despite the fact that Earth may be swallowed by a black hole and crushed to the size of a peanut, the toilet continues to overflow.

Customer Reviews:

Could have been a lot better........2006-09-25

The first thing to know about this book is that it is but one in a series. "Woody Allen and Philosophy" is brought to you by the same folks who brought you "The Simpsons and Philosophy," "Seinfeld and Philosophy," and so on. I have not been impressed with this series. Generally, the pop culture topics chosen have no explicit philosophical inspiration. Philosophy must be read-in to otherwise superficial material. Some of these movies and sit-coms constitute good illustrative examples of philosophical topics (e.g. the tired observation that Seinfeld is a "deconstructive" comedy about nothing), but none of them was consciously embedded with philosophy.

Woody's work is different. The attempt to understand the intellectual references contained in Woody's early films is precisely what led me to study philosophy in the first place. They contain deeply philosophical themes and explicit philosophical references. Films like Annie Hall, Love and Death, and Bananas are absolutely packed with high-culture easter eggs waiting for a good interpreter. Sadly, the essays in this book miss pretty much all of them.

Of course, I admit I am the sort of snob who thinks that philosophy should not be the handmaiden to pop culture. I am embarrassed to see Schopenhauer wasted on Seinfeld.

The bottom line is that you will enjoy this book if you enjoy the series itself. Serious Woody Allen fans and philosophers alike will probably be disappointed.

In depth.......2006-02-24

Really heavy philosophical stuff. If you're an avid fan [like me] of Woody Allen and understand philosophy a little [like me] you will enjoy this book. I found out more than I thought I would ever know about Allen's films from reading this book. Thoroughly engrossing and fun to read.

Articles focus on Allen's philosophy and viewpoints .......2004-10-12

How often has the reader combed a casual survey of actor Woody Allen longing for insights into the witty sayings and cutting remarks Allen is notable for? Wonder no longer. In Woody Allen And Philosophy, Mark Conrad and Aeon Skoble edit a fine philosophical approach to Allen's sayings and life, presenting articles which survey his pragmatic optimism, his sex comedys and spoofs, and his artistic films alike. Articles focus on Allen's philosophy and viewpoints and provide plenty of personal insights in the process of analyzing his works.

Average customer rating:

A must-have for Woody's fans
An interesting perspective on Allen's major films
Deconstructing Woody

The Reluctant Film Art of Woody Allen
Peter J. Bailey
Manufacturer: University Press of Kentucky
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 081319041X

Book Description

For thirty years no American filmmaker has been as prolific—or as paradoxical—as Woody Allen. From Play it Again, Sam (1972) to Sweet and Lowdown (1999), Allen has produced an average of one film a year. Yet with each new film he reveals a progressively skeptical attitude toward art.

Merging criticism and biography, Peter Bailey uses Allen's ambivalent views of the artistic enterprise as the key to understanding his entire career. In an exhaustive, jargon-free reading, Bailey demonstrates how Allen's films constitute a debate he is conducting with himself about the capacities of art to improve the quality of life and about the resulting price exacted upon artists and those around them. Bailey identifies the underlying tension between reality and image in film after film, demonstrating how the resolution of this conflict in each movie is revisited, critiqued, and reconfigured in the next.

Customer Reviews:

A must-have for Woody's fans.......2004-01-24

I have read several books on Woody Allen and this is the most brilliant so far. Those who are tired of hearing about his squabble with Mia Farrow will be relieved to find that the author concentrates on his work and only mentions facts of Woody Allen's life that are relevant to his films. The book painstakingly analyzes the psychological and philosophical undercurrents in Woody's work, and especially delves into the issue as to whether art cand lend coherence to an otherwise contingent and random life. It'll help you see Woody's films from a broader standpoint but also set you brooding over your life as well.

An interesting perspective on Allen's major films.......2003-12-04

Peter Baily establishes his thesis that a primary thread running through many of Allen's major films is an examination of the tension between art and life and the struggle of the artist to disengage from the real world to unleash the creative juices. Citing examples from many of my favorite Allen films and following through on his major premise Baily delivers a fine book that challenged me to look at this films from a new perspective. I highly recommend this to fans of Woody Allen. I am cueing up my DVD copy of Hannah and her Sisters as soon as I log off.

Deconstructing Woody.......2001-06-07

If you've ever wanted to reach right into the movie screen, shake one of Woody Allen's characters by the shirt collar, and say, "Snap out of it, bub," here's a book for you. Peter J. Bailey's The Reluctant Film Art of Woody Allen offers a fascinating, crystalline analysis of one of the most vexing questions to dog three generations of Woody Allen characters: Is the fictional world of art--especially film art--more a help or a hindrance in our difficult lives?

Bailey, an English professor at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., demonstrated his gift for making sense of challenging contemporary literary art with Reading Stanley Elkin in the mid-'80s. In The Reluctant Film Art of Woody Allen, he takes on a more readily accessible subject but does not hold back any of the tremendous critical insight at his command. The result is a book both for serious film buffs--that is, buffs of serious film (a subjective distinction taken up in this book)--and for film scholars alike. I was impressed by Bailey's scholarly precision, yet after reading the first couple of chapters I wanted to dash out and rent Stardust Memories, Manhattan, and several other signature Woody Allen flicks. This book has actually made watching his movies a more intellectually stimulating experience without killing the comic moments so abundant in them.

A college English instructor myself, I appreciate the challenge of leading a critical investigation of something fun and entertaining without making that subject, well, less fun and entertaining. Bailey succeeds admirably with this book, mainly because he never puts Allen on a pedestal. The author is a fan, to be sure, as indicated by his generous praise for what Allen does well--and has done well at a pace of roughly one film a year since 1972. This book's thesis, however, delves more deeply into a particularly compelling set of questions at the core of most of Allen's films: What do they say about the role of art in our lives? Is it a redeeming social force or merely a pleasant diversion from life's suffering? Are Woody Allen's films art or merely pleasant, entertaining diversions?

Bailey combines his own convincing interpretations of Allen's film work with previously reported comments from Allen on these questions to show not only how equivocal Woody Allen movies are on the matter of art's benefits and costs, but how central a theme this equivocating is in those movies. To his great credit--and unlike many scholarly investigations of film and literary art--Bailey avoids overbearing suggestions that HIS interpretations are REALLY what Allen's films are all about. Rather, the author has found a thread running through Allen's work that he holds up to the light--a light that has lingered too long on the personality of Woody Allen and the attending tabloid drama. This more illuminating thread--the vexed relationship of art to life and the difficulty of reconciling the two, both in art and in life--is of such enormous importance in the broader conversation of American popular culture that the absence of details on Allen's personal travails reads as a virtue in Bailey's book.

While Woody Allen fans will definitely find The Reluctant Film Art of Woody Allen most enjoyable and accessible, any moviegoer who has ever contemplated what distinguishes the cinematic good and bad from the ugly will find this book thought-provoking, perhaps at times profound. Ultimately, this is not a portrait of a filmmaker so much as the study of an intriguing film mind at work--and a snapshot of a possible film legend as a work-in-progress.

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