Bryan

This book took me forever to get through. I almost abandoned it twice but kept on pushing through it hoping to come upon the chapter that provided the "evidence". I guess one persons "evidence" is another persons "speculation". This book is pure speculation and argument. There is NO REAL EVIDENCE presented in any fashion.Existentialism and philosophy is NOT science. I cannot make the assumption that something exists just because I cannot prove that it does not. I am open to the idea, that's the best any of us can do unless I look at the subject with blind faith. I want to believe with all my heart. I do believe something is there, but is it true consciousness or something else, or oblivion? Read for yourself. Make your own assumptions or conclusions. For me I guess the reason we haven't seen any real proof of an afterlife on the evening news is because there is no way to tell, until we make that trip for ourselves. I guess I'll find out soon enough. So no more books like this for me. I'd rather focus on the "Current Life".

This was a very enjoyable book. It is composed mainly of funny anecdotes from her early days and throughout her variety show. There are however several emotionally moving stories, specifically those dealing with her childhood, growing up with her grandmother and the loss of her daughter. Reading this book brought back many memories from my childhood. I spent many a Saturday night watching the Carol Burnett show. Who can forget Carol, Harvey Korman & Vicky Lawrence and how they would all crack up on camera at Tim Conway, though I haven’t seen the show in years, I remember many of the sketches she mentions. Especially the “Gone with the Wind” sketch. If you were a kid from the 70’s like me, before the days of cable and satellite TV then you probably seen spent Saturday night with her too. I have no doubt you enjoy reading this just as much as I did.

I started this book with hopes of humorous anecdotes from the making of his more memorable films such as "Young Frankenstein" & "Blazing Saddles" and possibly a glimpse into is life with the comic genius Gilda Radner. What I got was a look at what many would perceive as a life filled with sorrow and melancholy. This autobiography portrays Gene not as a movie star or comedian but as a human being with many hurdles in his life both mentally, physically and creatively. The final chapters, his first meeting with Gilda and all they went through and ultimately the loss of her life along with how he met his current wife and his own personal struggle with cancer were the ones that really grabbed me and kept me glued to the book. I will never look at Gene Wilder the same way again. While I did not agree with his every philosophy especially those concerning marriage and family, I have a greater respect for him as celebrity and human being.

While I found this mildly amusing and I did chuckle out loud at a few parts I did not find this a hilarious as some of the other reviewers probably because I identify my self with the father in the story. I found that I have said some of the things to my boys and it kind of made me take a step back and reflect a bit. I kind of wished I got this from the library rather than spending my own money on. None the less you may enjoy it so read on!

This book starts out very interesting but gets a little long winded and when it finally winds up I was glad it did. The early days of SNL was the most interesting. The first cast were the ones I grew up with and there was actually very little revealed in this book that hasn't been common knowledge for many years. I was surprised at a few things and especially all the negative comments about Chevy Chase even from some of the more recent cast members.