Janice - reviewed Wonderful audiobook on 4/23/2009 + 631 more book reviews

Outrageous, self-centered, charming, obsessive and smart as a whip, Robert Evans ran Paramount during the late 1960s through mid-1970s, after which time he became an independent producer of such movies as Chinatown, The Cotton Club, Urban Cowboy, Black Sunday and The Saint. During his tenure at Paramount as production chief, his studio went from the bottom of the barrel to the top, with such movies as Rosemary's Baby, The Godfather, Harold and Maude and The President's Analyst. As he is revealed in his own words, he's an odd mixture of deep loyalties and flagrant infidelities, lifelong friendships and epic rivalries, selfishness and selflessness. He's always funny, frequently surprising, and unsparing of himself in describing his highs and lows. After reading his book, I wound up knowing a lot about him, a lot about his generation, and a whole lot about men in general, and I learned some new cuss words as well. I highly recommend this book - the most authentic and brilliant book about Hollywood I've ever read.

This is the audiocassette version of the book, "told" by Evans. When he recorded it, rather than reading word for word from the book, he'd read a chapter, close the book, and then tell it again, often imitating the voices of the people in his anecdotes - Cary Grant, Charles Bluhdorn, Frank Sinatra among others. It's a marvelous vocal performance. This version differs from the printed book in that it includes some material not in the book and shortens or omits quite a bit that is in the book. It should be regarded as a separate work from the book.

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