George Burns: All My Best Friends [UNABRIDGED] (Hardcover)

~ (Author), (Collaborator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the spirit of Gracie: A Love Story and Burns's other books, this memoir is funny and touching. Now in his 90s, the veteran comic, writing with freelancer Fisher, describes life in show business from the 1900s onward, recalling how he and his young friends broke into vaudeville and made it to stardom on radio, in films and on TV. The master raconteur invigorates his story with anecdotes about Eddie Cantor, Sophie Tucker, Jolson, Fannie Brice, Jack Benny, the Marx Brothers et al., fellow performers living today only in memory. "Most of what I said is true, the rest is show business," Burns disarmingly admits. In any case, this is a singularly entertaining, personal history. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons; 1st edition (November 6, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399134832
• ISBN-13: 978-0399134838
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #852,450 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny Man, January 31, 2001

By	B. Black "bblack17" (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: All My Best Friends (General Series) (Paperback)

George Burns is a funny man! This book deserves to be in print. It chronicles his and many other famous comedian's lives, like Al Jolson and Jack Benny. Al in all a great read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the men who invented show business, November 13, 2007

By	Ukulele Guide. (Amarillo Tx) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All My Best Friends (Paperback)

This is one of the funniest books I have ever read as well as an informative and authoritative history of American show business and the men who invented it from burlesque to vaudeville, radio, movies and tv.

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Funniest Books I've Ever Read, November 6, 2006

By	rain cloud (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: All My Best Friends (General Series) (Paperback)

This book contains a treasure trove of hilarious anecdotes.

Here's an example. George Jessel had a lot of girlfriends. Once in Florida one was running away with another man when George took out a pistol, shot at the other man, missed him completely and winged a Japanese gardener two blocks away. He was charged, of course. When the judge sourly asked him, "Mr. Jessel, how does a man take aim at someone and hit someone else two blocks away?"

George replied, "I'm a comedian, not Buffalo Bill."

If you liked that one you should get this book. It probably has sixty stories that good.

by now.