There Are Worse Things I Could Do [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Adrienne Barbeau (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2006

Adrienne Barbeau never set out to be a sex symbol and she never intended to become the poster girl for women over 50 having babies, but both those stories and a lot more are detailed in this witty, revealing memoir of the Tony-nominated actress. This book covers Adrienne's early years in New York ("No one said Mafia out loud in those days. There was always the fear you wouldn't live to say anything else."), to starring on Broadway in Grease ("Alexander Cohen swore the only way we'd win a Tony was over his dead body"). She tells tales about her two hit television series (Maude and Carnivale), her many television and feature films (The Fog, Escape from New York, Cannonball Run, Swamp Thing, Back to School, Creepshow), her singing career ("Doc Severinson and the band had been in the audience during my nude foray off-Broadway in Stag Movie"), her romance with Burt Reynolds, her marriage to director John Carpenter, and marrying a much younger man and giving birth to twins at age 51.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Barbeau hits 60 fabulously in this straightforward, muscularly written memoir of the acting life. The Maude star proves herself a writer with flair, as well as a passionate singer, though she gained fame as a stage actress in New York City once she left her San Jose, Calif., home at age 19 in 1964. The daughter of Armenian parents, Barbeau was often typecast in ethnic parts thanks to her dark, bosomy good looks; working as a go-go girl, she got her first break in Fiddler on the Roof. After the nude musical Stag Movie and the hit Grease, Barbeau flew to L.A. to audition for Norman Lear's '70s spinoff to All in the Family, Maude, starring Bea Arthur. To Barbeau's astonishment, she was hired after an extensive search to play Maude's feminist daughter, Carole, and she stayed for all six years the show ran. Suddenly a recognizable star, she dated a string of sexy men including Burt Reynolds; she married director John Carpenter, who cast her in his forgettable suspense films. Barbeau found happiness in a second marriage with Billy Van Zandt, and motherhood, with twins, at 51. Endearingly, Barbeau never considered herself a sex symbol and only wanted to be loved for her singing. (May)
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About the Author

Film, Television and Broadway Star, Concert Stage and Recording Artist, Adrienne Barbeau's career spans 40 years and is still evolving.


She began performing in 1963 with the San Jose Civic Light Opera and by the time she was 18, she had already entertained our servicemen on army bases throughout South East Asia and was on her way to New York where she made her Broadway debut as Tevye's second daughter, Hodel, in Fiddler on the Roof. A Tony nomination for her creation of Rizzo in the original Broadway production of "Grease" led her back to California and the role of Bea Arthur's daughter, Carol, in the hit series "Maude" (currently in reruns on Nick at Nite's TV Land.)


Adrienne's numerous films for television include the Ace Award winning "Double Crossed: The Barry Seal Story" opposite Dennis Hopper, Scott Turow's "Burden of Proof" with Hector Elizondo, and most recently "The Santa Trap" with Stacy Keach and Robert Hays. Weekly audiences can see her in a recurring role on "Drew Carey" as Oswald's mom. She is currently starring as Ruthie in HBO's fascinating series "Carnivàle".


Film audiences know her best from "The Fog", "Escape from New York", "Swamp Thing", "Cannonball Run", "Creepshow", "Back to School", "Two Evil Eyes", and "The Convent". Soon to be released is the feature comedy "A Wake in Providence".


Los Angeles audiences have known her as a television talk show host and a weekly book reviewer for KABC talk radio. Her nightclub performances include Harrah's, Reno; The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel; the Gardenia and the Moonlight Tango Cafe in Los Angeles.


Adrienne has starred in over 25 musicals and plays, among them "Pump Boys & Dinettes"; "Women Behind Bars"; Kander and Ebb's "And the World Goes Round"; "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas"; "Love Letters"; the West coast premieres of "A Walk on the Wild Side" and "Drop Dead"; the Canadian premiere of Neil Simon's "Lost in Yonkers"; and the world premiere of "What the Rabbi Saw" by Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore. Most recently she returned to "Fiddler on the Roof" as Tevye's wife, Golde. "I figure if I live long enough, I'll be playing Golde's grandmother, Tzeitle."


Off camera, Adrienne is the voice of Catwoman in "Batman, The Animated Series"; the spokesperson for various television and radio commercials and the narrator of many books on tape, television documentaries, and the Imax film "The Living Sea". She has released a cd - not the expected musical showtunes but a great collection of the country, blues, jazz and pop tunes she does in her concert appearances across the country.


Adrienne is currently writing a collection of stories about her life called There Are Worse Things I Could Do, to be published in Spring of 2006, and is also in rehearsals for a new, two character play entitled The Property Known as Garland, written by Billy Van Zandt and directed by Glenn Casale.


In March of 1997, Adrienne gave birth to identical twin boys making her "the only woman on the maternity ward who was a member of AARP". She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Billy Van Zandt, the twins, William and Walker, and her older son, Cody.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (April 10, 2006)
• ISBN-10: 0786716371
• ASIN: B001G7RABI
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,974,952 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Adrienne began her theatrical career in 1963, entertaining American G.I.s on Army bases throughout Southeast Asia. From there she moved to New York where she made her Broadway debut as Tevye's second daughter, Hodel, in "Fiddler on the Roof". A Tony nomination and a Theatre World Award for her creation of Rizzo in the original Broadway production of "Grease" led her back to California and the role of Bea Arthur's daughter, Carol, in the hit series "Maude".

Movie fans know her best for her performances in "The Fog", "Escape From New York", "Creepshow", "Swamp Thing", "Back to School", and "Cannonball Run". She has a Golden Globe nomination and over 450 screen performances to her credit. Drew Carey fans know her as Oswald's mom and she starred as Ruthie, the Snake Dancer, on HBO's fascinating series, "Carnivale". Most recently, she has guest starred on "Grey's Anatomy", "Dexter", "Cold Case", and "The New Adventures of Old Christine".

In 2006, just as her first book was published, she returned to New York to garner standing ovations as Judy Garland in "The Property Known As Garland".

Off camera, Adrienne is the voice of Catwoman in "Batman, The Animated Series", Ms. Simone in "Scooby-Do on Zombie Island", and Scooter's Mom in the 3-D animated film "Fly Me To The Moon". She can be heard in a myriad of video games: "God of War" and "Batman, Arkham Asylum" among them.

Adrienne began her writing career with the best-selling memoir "There Are Worse Things I Could Do". She followed that with "Vampyres of Hollywood", a thriller about an A-list Hollywood scream queen who just happens to be a 450 year old vampire. The sequel "Love Bites" will be published this summer.

In March of 1997, Adrienne gave birth to identical twin boys making her "the only woman on the maternity ward who was a member of AARP". She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Billy Van Zandt, and the twins, William and Walker. Whenever she can, she travels to Japan to visit her older son, Cody Carpenter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars AN UNCOMMON STAR, July 10, 2006

By 

MediaYogi "Leon" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: There Are Worse Things I Could Do (Hardcover)

Adrienne Barbeau's "There are Worst Things I Could Do" is not your standard kiss-and-tell Hollywood memoir. Although she writes wittily about her affair with Burt Reynolds, her marriage to cult filmmaker John Carpenter, her liaisons with various Hollywood personalities, and behind the scenes mayhem during the filming of "The Fog", "The Swamp Thing", "The Cannonball Run", and her hit television sitcom "Maude", her memoir is more about her personal journey as a wounded woman who ached for peace and joy in her relationships with men.

Her candor is refreshing. She does not flinch from sharing with the reader intimate details about sex, psychics, gurus, and her quest to heal the trauma of being abandoned by her father when she was still a child. The forty or so chapters around which she has arranged her material reveal a vibrant woman who wanted to experience life fully, to learn from her experiences, to heal her wounds, and to grow as an actress and woman.

Though she deals candidly with "heavy" subjects, her style is never maudlin or judgmental or self-pitying. She is able to find humor and farce even in the most intense situations of life.

So read this book as a Hollywood memoir full of juicy revelations if you wish. But the pleasure I got from it was not reading about her career arc but her personal journey as a woman through the rapidly shifting zeitgeist of the past five decades.

In time, her well-rounded memoir will grow in stature.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Thing She Could Do, and Did!, June 1, 2006

By 

Sally O. Fallis (Plano, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: There Are Worse Things I Could Do (Hardcover)

Adrienne Barbeau has written a completely delightful autobiography. I loved it, and only put it down when I had no choice. Her life is fascinating, and her writing style is funny, touching, and endearing. The description of her wedding had me laughing uncontrollably, while parts about losses in her life had me almost in tears. I have been busy since I finished this book recommending it to everyone I know who reads! I sincerely hope Adrienne Barbeau will not stop now, but will write, and write, and write.

Sally Fallis

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read This Book, July 24, 2006

By 

l.l. black (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: There Are Worse Things I Could Do (Hardcover)

Adrienne Barbeau's first book is a wonderful testament to a life lived. Good, bad or indifferent she propels her readers to LIVE.

Memoirs are always tough, and Barbeau nailed it! Even if I did not know her voice, from the many films, plays and TV shows she has been a part of, her written voice comes through so clearly. It is simultaneously kind, comic and sad without ever being maudlin.

Barbeau has a wonderful ability to take the reader in as if writing each reader a note about the day to day, and then she turns things that note around. You are reading a note from a friend and then realize that: Yes she was married to one of the most notable directors of horror in the U.S, yes she had an affair with Burt Reynolds. And yes she has had many loves in her time. Wow! But rather than delivering a tell all revealing the warts of others - although we do read a bit about those warts - Barbeau manages to undauntingly keep the focus on herself. While laughing at herself, and her foibles as a person with loves gained and lost, she takes the comic and imbues it with such heart the reader can visualize how double sided comedy is within each us; as when we laugh at ourselves, there tends to be some sadness lurking - conversely she explores her own tragedies such as the passing of her mother and her best friend, and reveals hope.

When reading this book, I was reminded of being lost on occasion. In THERE ARE WORSE THINGS I COULD DO, the reader, along with Adrienne, takes a journey. Barbeau reminds us that when we are lost we seek acceptance, regardless of what that acceptance might mean. But as we lose ourselves amidst gaining acceptance, we discover how within that losing, we can all find ourselves anew.

What is so fantastic about this read is Barbeau's refusal to be consumed by circumstance.
She keeps on going, keeps living, and keeps growing. For me as a woman, what is so particularly compelling about this book, is that she lets all women know that age truly, does not matter. And she does this simply by revealing her life, not by being pedantic. This is a message to all of us, to keep on keeping on. Ultimately she finds the love she so deserves, and rediscovers her muses: her children. Still, Barbeau reminds us that each day is a blank slate. and although Adrienne has found her muses, she keeps working at her life - understanding that with each day, ones life may need some reconfiguring. And that reconfiguring is a good thing...

I was lucky enough to hear Barbeau read passages from the book, and the reading added a wonderful dimension to my understanding of her experiences. Her timing is impeccable, and I hope her publisher will push extensively for a nationwide tour with the author.