The way I was [Hardcover]

Marvin Hamlisch (Author), Gerald C. Gardner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1992

and co-creator of A Chorus Line recalls his childhood as the son of Viennese immigrants, his apprenticeship with Liza Minelli and Barbra Streisand, and his many successes--and notable failures. 50,000 first printing. $50,000 ad/promo.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Writing with freelancer Gardner, composer Hamlisch, now 45, sums up his life to date. Peppering his narrative with anecdotes about friends and colleagues such as Liza Minnelli, Groucho Marx, Ann-Margret and Michael Bennett, he describes his childhood with his Jewish Viennese immigrant parents who were determined to make him a classical musician, his 14 years studying at New York City's Juilliard School of Music and his determination to go into show business rather than onto the concert stage. He recalls his early jobs as a rehearsal pianist, his instant celebrity with three Oscar awards for The Way We Were , his highly successful scores for the movie The Sting and the Broadway show A Chorus Line , his marriage and his recent foray into symphonic music. Hamlisch's confession that he tends toward pessimism and anxiety and his assessments of his failures ( Smile and Jean , a musical about the life of Jean Seberg) as well as his account of three years of relative inactivity--during which Hamlisch realized that his successes had been at the expense of a satisfying personal life--add a bit of weight to this slight and sometimes amusing autobiography. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; 1st edition (November 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684193272
• ISBN-13: 978-0684193274
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #385,398 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, August 15, 2008

By 

Damien Slattery (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The way I was (Hardcover)

A very enjoyable read. I devoured it in one sitting, as it speeds along in a no-nonsence fashion. Mr. Hamlisch is candid but gentle in his critique of his career and life. As an A CHORUS LINE fan i particularly loved his diary extracts from 1974 on the creation of this show (the only part of the book that involves a diary.) You only don't have to agree with him about his assertions of his musical JEAN to enjoy his observations. My only cavil being that the final chapters about his love-life are a little bit sugary.
If only he had updated this book with his recent endeavours as this book was published in 1992.
A good read!

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read, May 19, 2010

By 

Andrea K. (CT) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The way I was (Hardcover)

Hysterically funny and very honest, this book is a must read. Very interesting and amusing stories how music and shows were born. Great anecdotes on so many show business people including Neil Simon, Liza Minelli and so many more. I did not find one page of this book dull or boring. All aspects of his life and that of his parents were a wonderful read. I highly recommend this book.