Matthau
A Life
1st Edition
Published on 4. September 2002
368 pages
978-1-4616-2519-3 (ISBN)
Description
Funny yet down-to-earth, honest yet full of exaggeration, actor Walter Matthau (1920-2000) will always occupy a place in America's heart as one of the great comic talents of his generation. Born Walter Matuschanskayasky into Jewish tenements on New York's Lower East Side, he was a child actor in New York Yiddish theater, and later a World War II Air Force radioman-gunner. He paid dues for ten years on Broadway, in summer stock, and on television before landing his film debut The Kentuckian in 1955. By the time of his 1968 casting as cantankerous but lovable slob Oscar Madison in the film version of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple, Matthau had won major Hollywood stardom.
Based on dozens of interviews and extensive research, this book covers the breadth of his often-complicated personal life and multi-faceted career, including his unforgettable performances in such films as The Fortune Cookie, A Guide for the Married Man, Plaza Suite, Charley Varrick, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, The Sunshine Boys, The Bad News Bears, California Suite, and Grumpy Old Men.
Based on dozens of interviews and extensive research, this book covers the breadth of his often-complicated personal life and multi-faceted career, including his unforgettable performances in such films as The Fortune Cookie, A Guide for the Married Man, Plaza Suite, Charley Varrick, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, The Sunshine Boys, The Bad News Bears, California Suite, and Grumpy Old Men.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Lanham
United States
File size
2,59 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-4616-2519-3 (9781461625193)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
09/2002
Taylor Trade Publishing
€24.50
Shipment within 3-4 weeks
Persons
Rob Edelman and , authors of Meet the Mertzes, Angela Lansbury: A Life on Stage and Screen, and The John Travolta Scrapbook, are both lecturers in film history at the State University of New York-Albany. They live in Amsterdam, New York.
Content
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication Page
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Chapter 1: Matuschanaskayasky?
- Chapter 2: Dreaming the Dream
- Chapter 3: Building Confidence
- Chapter 4: The Gambler
- Chapter 5: War Stories
- Chapter 6: "Possibility, Comedy
- Chapter 7: Geri
- Chapter 8: Stage Presence
- Chapter 9: Live from New York
- Chapter 10: "To the Ends of the Universe
- Chapter 11: The Family
- Chapter 12: Supporting Actor
- Chapter 13: Footnotes in a Filmography
- Chapter 14: Back to the Boards
- Chapter 15: Oscar
- Chapter 16: "Whiplash Willie
- Chapter 17: Odd Couple Redux
- Chapter 18: Character Actor/Star
- Chapter 19: West Coast Life
- Chapter 20: L'affaire Streisand
- Chapter 21: Building on Success
- Chapter 22: Return to Roots
- Chapter 23: "...He Thought He Was Going to Die
- Chapter 24: Aging Star
- Chapter 25: Personality
- Chapter 26: A Star is Reborn
- Chapter 27: The Return of Oscar and Felix
- Chapter 28: "My Best Friend
- Chapter 29: On the Decline
- Chapter 30: A Good Life
- Credits and Awards
- Bibliography
- Index
- About the Authors
