Customer Reviews

With Love and Laughter, John Ritter

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I couldn't put the book down. It tells vignettes of John's life that are both funny and poignant. You learn from Amy's insights that he was just the same in real life as was on TV and in movies. John Ritter's loss became a crusade for Amy to make people more aware of aortic health. She has established the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health and continues to educate others. It is a book worth reading.

I have always loved John Ritter. From Three's Company to 8 Simple Rules. He was the man of my dreams, I wanted to marry someone just like Jack Tripper. When he died I cried, a lot. I, of course had never met John but he had been in my life for years. Watching episodes of 8 Simple Rules after he died was too hard for me. I grieved for him as if I knew him in real life.

It always bothered me that Johnny Cash had gotten all the recognition for dying that same day September 11, 2003. Not that Johnny Cash wasn't worth it but John Ritter was truly a good man both on stage and off. It was good to read that John Ritter liked Johnny Cash. I won't spoil their interesting connection they had on Sept 11, 2003.

The way John's wife Amy wrote this book was so conversational and so smooth. I never wanted to put it down and I definitely didn't want it to be over. I do plan on reading it again and I never read books more than once.

I never realized that Amy Yasbeck was Maid Marien on Robin Hood Men in Tights which has always been one of my favorite movies and that helped me to connect to her.

I love reading and this was definitely one of the best books I have ever read in my life. I give it 5 stars and 2 thumbs way up! I encourage everyone to read it.

Loved this book!! I couldn't put it down.It made me laugh...and cry.John was such a unique individual and Amy did a great job portraying that.I definitely recommend this book to all John's fans.....you WON'T be disappointed!

Amy Yasbeck, widow of comedian/actor John Ritter has written a very poignant autobiography/biography of her life and her life with John Ritter. They were blessed with their daughter Stella in 1998. Amy Yasbeck writes in a tone of loving tolerance and respect. John's first wife and family are treated with the utmost respect in this book.

A gifted comedian, John Ritter became a household name with his role as Jack Tripper on the 1977-1984 sit-com "Three's Company." As inane as the show was, his Dick Van Dyke-like pratfalls and masterful delivery made it palatable. It was simply a delicious escape into fun. The chemistry among the cast and John Ritter at the helm made this show, as inane as it was into something funny and fun to watch. Lucille Ball of "I Love Lucy" fame even said in an interview that "Three's Company" was not about "saving the world;" it issued no social or political statement and just provided viewers with light escapist fun. I admit that I enjoyed "Three's Company" and it was one of my guilty pleasures.

John Ritter was the son of cowboy singer Tex Ritter and even brings some cowboy humor to the show. In a 1981 episode, he plays his imaginary twin brother Austin, a cowboy from the Lone Star State. He made funny references to his roots in various episodes. From all accounts he was just as funny and pleasant off camera as he was on. He also had a string of successful movie roles to his name.

I just loved it when Stella, then 5 dodged the Santa bullet. She asked Amy if Santa was real. Sadly, Amy felt the only option was "instinct and fear." Since Santa is just a deception, the lengths people go to service the myth of his existence often proves disatrous and divisive. In some cases, mine included Santa can compromise trust issues.

Luckily, Amy leveled with her daughter. When asked how she'd respond if told Santa was real, Stella said, "I would know that I couldn't trust you anymore about anything because you don't trust me with the truth." How precocious and on target Stella's response was! That is why I am no fan of Santa and truly wish I'd never fallen for him. I felt deceived and tricked. How lucky Stella was to dodge the Santa bullet! Stella's response was even more poignant - she said, "That's okay. At least Dad was real." A better response could not have been made.

A Beatles' fan, John as Jack Tripper had a Beatles' poster on the bedroom wall on the "Three's Company" set. In 1978, he even got to STARR with Ringo in "Ringo!" His epitaph includes the lyrics to a Beatles' song: "And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make." In his case, one can say that the laughs one takes is equal to the laughs they make. That was his legacy, his legacy of laughter.

Shortly after his untimely death in 2003 of a congenital cardiac condition, Amy undertook championing the John Ritter Foundation for the treatment and prevention of death from Thoracic Aortic Disease. This is a book that will also serve the purpose of encouraging people to have regular cardiac screenings.

A truly lovely book and one that will evoke every possible emotion. This is what John Ritter gave and left as a permanent gift - his legacy of laughter. This book is not just after the laughter; it is maintaining the laughter and keeping readers aware that fun is one of the best gifts of all.

I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK. LAUGHED AND CRIED BOTH WITH PLEASURE AND SADNESS. IT WAS GREAT LEARNING ABOUT JOHN RITTER

I want to applaud Amy Yasbeck for sharing her story with us about her relationship and marriage to John Ritter. It gives us a glimpse of the man behind the characters and it is reassuring to know John was very much like his beloved characters in real life. This was a very visceral book in that I felt Amy's joy and her pain as the story unfolded. I remember watching Amy on I've got A Secret and admired her tenacity for getting back on the horse so quickly and maintaining her sensor of humor. I loved all the clever asides Amy and unlike that other reader I enjoyed reading about your career climb. This was a very good book. I am just sorry it had to be written under these circumstances but hopefully many lives will be saved due to what happened to John Ritter.

THIS BOOK WAS VERY WELL WRITTEN. DEFINITELY, A GOOD READ. THE STORY IS VERY SAD, BUT ULTIMATELY VERY INTERESTING.

I selected With Love and Laughter, John Ritter because I was a fan of the late actor. I grew up with Three's Company and those memories are part of my life, part of my growing up. Every time I saw him in an interview I felt he was a good, warm person. I even adored his guest role on Buffy. I didn't watch 8 Simple Rules, because I think I took for granted that this still young man would have time and many other roles, and that I'd catch up with this show eventually. Instead, we lost him and our loss is so much less than the loss felt by his loved ones.

I adored this book and read it in one long sitting. Just a wonderful read for fans of the late actor.

As I read, I was impressed by some of the clever lines, but there would be the odd sentence that let me know there really was no ghostwriter here. Amy Yasbeck clearly wrote this on her own and did a fabulous job. She also has a sense of humor that I could well-believe was a wonderful match for her late husband. And she does like puns. :)

The story she tells is beautiful, romantic, and heart-breaking, and she tells of a John Ritter who deserved all this accolades and fans. A man who loved his family first and foremost, but never forgot to appreciate the person on the street who approached him, and who also valued the moments where he wasn't recognized and could just be a regular guy. She describes him as everything we'd want him to be, and she makes it sound real and convincing, and she reminds us of why his loss was felt by so many people who'd never had the pleasure of meeting him.

She also writes of her own childhood and career, but it never feels intrusive, or like she's taking time away from the story of John. She is the woman he loved, who loves him, who had a child with him, and her story is part of his story. Her story is also interesting in its own right.

If you're a fan of the John Ritter, I highly recommend this heartwarming and ultimately uplifting story!

My (now adult) children loved Mr. Ritter's television work. I encourage Ms Yasbeck and her publisher to consider the issuance of an audio version of the book on CD. It would make an excellent gift for my children and others, who occasionally spend considerable time travelling in cars. Thank you.

Great, interesting read about a truly talented loveable man.
Also, very informative insights into Aortic Dissection.