My Forty-Five Years in Hollywood and How I Escaped Alive

By: Michael B. Druxman

Narrated by: Hopper Stone

Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Michael B. Druxman followed his dreams to Hollywood, and although he may not have "reached the stars", his persistence made it possible for the vast majority of those dreams to come true. His new book My Forty-Five Years in Hollywood and How I Escaped Alive, a memoir, is the story of that remarkable adventure.

Beginning with his boyhood in Seattle and Soap Lake, Washington, it traces his steps on his journey to Los Angeles, where, without any show business contacts whatsoever, he was able to create a successful career for himself as a publicist, playwright, screenwriter, director, and Hollywood historian.

From Jimmy Durante and Elvis Presley to Jack Lemmon and Cary Grant to the cast of the hit Dallas television series and legendary producer Roger Corman, the work is filled with amusing stories of Druxman's encounters and lessons learned from Hollywood's rich and famous.

Screenwriter Charles Edward Pogue (The Fly, Dragonheart) reports: "Michael B. Druxman may have escaped Hollywood after forty-five years, but he also survived and thrived there all those years...hardly a feat for the faint-hearted. His entertaining and amusing memoir tells us how he did it. With tenacity and talent, he went from PR agent to screenwriter to director and, along the way, rubbed shoulders with a fascinating array of characters, con men, and artists. From the stars to the strugglers, from the saints to the scammers, from those who soared to those who took a swan dive, they're all here. We meet the great, the near-great, the not-so-great who make Hollywood their home and their hunting ground. Druxman depicts their triumphs and follies, as well as his own, with the nuanced eye of one who has seen Hollywood at its meanest and most magnificent."

And, according to writer-director Bruce Kimmel (The First Nudie Musical): "Michael Druxman's new book is like taking a time machine back to those thrilling days of yesteryear, a time when there was a real Hollywood with real movie stars and the kind of class that no longer exists in that place they call Hollywood today. The tales of his days as a ‘publicist for a price' are endearing and droll, and the celebrities he handled make for a grand cast of characters in this very affectionate memoir. Add to that the stories of writing and directing for Roger Corman, as well as his childhood memories, and you have a book that's a fun, fast read."

Lastly, from veteran film producer Stanley Rubin (The Narrow Margin, River of No Return, and White Hunter, Black Heart): "As a working publicist, Michael Druxman was probably responsible for five or ten percent of all the baloney written about so-called Hollywood celebrities over the last thirty-five, forty years. I oughta know. He was also my publicist for much of that time. But now, finally, here he is writing about the real Hollywood, and it's plain that he's lived it and knows it. So, get the book - read it - and learn."

©2010 Michael B. Druxman (P)2020 Michael B. Driuxman

Narrator Hopper Stone was perfectly cast

Honest disclaimer #1: I’m only three chapters into this story but I’m already enjoying the hell out of it.

Honest disclaimer #2: I know the narrator Hopper Stone both professionally and personally. However, I think this gives me credibility in my opinion that Hopper was the PERFECT casting choice! If you know him or know his history you will know why. He’s a living legend with a wealth experience from the world of Hollywood moving pictures, the trenches of war still photography, and the place where the two worlds meet as a highly-respected and talented unit stills photographer in the the film industry. A brilliant man who is fluent in multiple languages and passionate about humanity, Hopper has a voice that is simultaneously entertaining, engaging and soothing with just the right touch of humor and amusement. He’s got that voice that is perfect for telling the stories that were hellacious in experience but become your most exhilarating and hilarious stories to tell at parties in retrospect. Every story is better when it’s told by Hopper. I can’t wait to hear more from him!