Cautionary Tales (Kindle Single) [Kindle Edition]

Stephen Tobolowsky (Author), David Chen (Editor), Mark Crilley (Illustrator)

Book Description

Actor Stephen Tobolowsky has appeared in over 200 movies and television shows. He has played everyone from Ned Ryerson in "Groundhog Day" to Sandy Ryerson in "Glee." He has amused thousands with his true stories on "The Tobolowsky Files" at Slashfilm.com and iTunes. Here he shares some homespun philosophy and more true stories that prove tales of sex, drugs, and rock and roll are often the most humiliating and almost always the most enjoyable.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Despite the occasional dramatic role, TV and film actor Stephen Tobolowsky (Glee, Groundhog Day) trades largely in humor, and no less so here. His Cautionary Tales--three personal narratives in the service of an armchair theory about what motivates human decision-making--bear all the charisma of his work on the small and silver screens. Superficially, these stories serve a light menu of sex, drugs, and rock n' roll, but there's no need to approach with caution: they do so with the wholesome, folksy wisdom of NPR programming on a weekend afternoon. --Jason Kirk

Product Details

• File Size: 161 KB
• Print Length: 25 pages
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004PLNIPE
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,377 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #13 in Kindle Store > Kindle Singles > Humor
  • #25 in Kindle Store > Kindle Singles > Memoirs

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Stephen Tobolowsky Brings His Magic to the Kindle March 2, 2011

By Corey Atad

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've been a listener of The Tobolowsky Files podcast since the start. Dave Chen decided to branch off from the /Filmcast to do something entirely different and entirely unique, and where Dave Chen goes I follow. Amazingly, the show he produces immediately proved itself to be one of the best, most compelling and most original podcasts out there. Stephen Tobolowsky may be one of the ultimate "that guy" actors, but he has proven himself to be so much more.

Simple put, Stephen Tobolosky is the best storyteller I have ever heard. With each episode of The Tobolosky Files, Stephen makes me laugh and cry and ruminate on life's greatest mysteries and beauties. And luckily none of that great quality is lost in mere written word. Stephen's incredible voice comes through loud and clear in the pages of this, his first Kindle Single.

Cautionary Tales is a quick read, but it's a quick read filled with anything you could want from great writing. It's got charm and wit and pathos. It's funny and thought-provoking and inspiring. Beat of all, Cautionary Tales is a deeply human piece of writing. It speaks to the core of what drives us as people and it revels in finding the good even in the bad.

At $1.99, Cautionary Tales is an absolute steal. It's a very quick read, but it's worth absolutely every penny. If you are a fan of great stories told well and with great sense of the author's character I suggest you drop whatever you're doing, pay the two bucks and enjoy some quality time with Mr. Stephen Tobolowsky. I know I can't wait for more.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Commuter's Must-Read! March 1, 2011

By dommerdog

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

So what could possibly make a mild mannered rail commuter shriek-gasp, drop her purse to free a hand to cover her mouth while keeping her Kindle securely in hand so as not to miss a printed word, and snort laugh real tears while picking up a new take on Mazlow's hierarchy as can only be presented by Stephen Tobolowsky - as concerned fellow travelers look at her, well, with concern? Cautionary Tales.

You'll never be able to look at a horse again without laughing; yet Cautionary Tales is not a horse story.

We've all experienced awkward moments in life, but Tobolowsky just has this way of describing his and the lessons learned that's totally incomparable and impossible to leave until you've read it through. The good news is that it can be digested on one leg of a commute (depending on how long the commute). That's also the bad news, as true to his show biz roots, Stephen Tobolowsky leaves me wanting more!

I'll buy 'em as frequently and for so long as he can crank them out, and based on what I've heard in The Tobolowsky files podcasts (awesome, BTW), he can do that for a very long time.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Walk On The Wilder Side February 28, 2011

By Matthew Phillips

Format:Kindle Edition

For those who may be missing it, Tobolowsky's podcast on iTunes (Tobolowsky Files) is an always entertaining look on life and, in particular, the entertainment world from the man who has appeared as a character actor in hundreds of films and TV shows. Tobolowsky now brings this same nostalgic yet irreverent sensibility to e-print as a Kindle Single. This is a solid value for your entertainment dollar and is money well spent.

More About the Author

The quintessential character actor, Stephen Tobolowsky has appeared in more than 100 movies and more than 200 television shows in his career (USA TODAY recently noted that he was the ninth most frequently seen actor in film today). Along the way his roles have spanned almost all aspects of being a working actor, from the big-budget and Oscar Award-worthy (as head of the Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi Burning), to the cult phenomenon (Groundhog Day), to the buzzworthy (Glee). But despite a lifetime devotion to the craft of acting that also includes a classical theater training and a Tony Award nomination, you probably wouldn't recognize him if you saw him on the street. He lives in Los Angeles.