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47th out of 116 books
—
16 voters
The Dangerous Animals Club
If you ran into Stephen Tobolowsky on the street, you would not be mistaken: Yes, you’ve seen him before. A childhood dentist? A former geometry teacher? Your local florist? Tobolowsky is a character actor, one of the most prolific screen and stage presences of our time, having appeared in productions that range from Deadwood to Glee, from Mississippi Burning to Groundhog...more
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
September 11th 2012
by Simon & Schuster
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An actor I wouldn't have "heard of" but whom I have seen in dozens of television shows and films, from Thelma and Louise to Deadwood to Heroes to Glee. This man has been around. And he can spin a tale. An actor by day but a storyteller by night?
This book is funny and it's carefully woven together--it's not chronological but it's crafted. A reader will never feel lost. In places he repeats elements of a story, but not, as is so often the case, because writer or editor missed a duplication, but b...more
This book is funny and it's carefully woven together--it's not chronological but it's crafted. A reader will never feel lost. In places he repeats elements of a story, but not, as is so often the case, because writer or editor missed a duplication, but b...more
The Dangerous Animals Club
By Stephen Tobolowsky
Autobiographical Novel
The Dangerous Animals Club by Stephen Tobolowsky is a collection of stories and experiences of an actor. It follows his childhood mishaps, family blunders, collegiate errors, and riveting experiences with drugs.
This book has motifs. Shocker. Throughout the book, Tobolowsky juxtaposes his role as a student with the purpose of his book, which is to be a teacher. "I have always chosen to be a student. It's fun to learn." He keeps...more
By Stephen Tobolowsky
Autobiographical Novel
The Dangerous Animals Club by Stephen Tobolowsky is a collection of stories and experiences of an actor. It follows his childhood mishaps, family blunders, collegiate errors, and riveting experiences with drugs.
This book has motifs. Shocker. Throughout the book, Tobolowsky juxtaposes his role as a student with the purpose of his book, which is to be a teacher. "I have always chosen to be a student. It's fun to learn." He keeps...more
What a surprise, this book! I usually enjoy books by actors because they are entertaining but I don't expect much else besides laughs. Tobolowsky really goes above and beyond that standard. Each story focuses on a lesson that Tobolowsky has learned through experiences as varied as being held at gunpoint to writing an essay about Alaska to catching tarantulas as a child to a not-so-escaped elephant named Bubbles. The interesting part is that the lessons are never what you expect them to be and "T...more
Stephen Tobolowski—an excellent character actor who can play humor or menace or menacing humor equally well—proves also to be an excellent storyteller. This set of stories is a loose non-chronological memoir, mostly focusing on Tobolowski's early days as an aspiring actor in the 1970s and his relationship with the troublesome Beth, his live-in girlfriend for 15 years. But there are tons of sidelights about moms, siblings, dogs, Texas, Hollywood, Broadway, parties, friends, and various characters...more
Stephen Tobolowsky is like the world's best dinner guest. This collection of stories about his life and his acting career is so hard to put down because I just kept wanting to hear more! Just tell one more story about that goofy teacher you had in college, one more silly childhood memory, just please keep talking...
He is not only a talented storyteller but also shows himself to be a thoughtful human being that has learned from his mistakes and is more than willing to share them with you. And he'...more
He is not only a talented storyteller but also shows himself to be a thoughtful human being that has learned from his mistakes and is more than willing to share them with you. And he'...more
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As the second biography from a comedic actor that I have read in as many months, (I read the spectacular, poignant autobiog of Steve Martin, Born Standing Up), I found Stephen Tobolowsky to be witty, flippant and surprisingly, eloquent. His various screen roles have made him memorable, as the everyman with that wallflower tendency of the perpetually overlooked. What I didn't know, was how emotional his writing would be. I heard (on audio - read by him) his life stories spun into clever 15-20min...more
I've been a long-time listener of The Tobolowsky Files, practically since inception, and I've been lucky enough to see Stephen Tobolowsky perform his stories live in Boston. So it's fair to say that I've experienced these stories from all the mediums now: audio, live performance, and now through reading.
If you're already a fan of the podcast, the book might be worth skipping. It is almost an exact repeat of the podcast, which makes sense since Tobo sits down and writes everything out completely...more
If you're already a fan of the podcast, the book might be worth skipping. It is almost an exact repeat of the podcast, which makes sense since Tobo sits down and writes everything out completely...more
If you want to know whether to check out this book, I recommend that you start either with one of the freely available episodes of the Tobolowsky Files podcast, or the movie that inspired it, Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party. As an avid listener of the podcast since the beginning, I wanted to support the incredible work done there by purchasing this audiobook. It's like a greatest hits of the podcast, recorded in high quality, a bit more organized to have a flow and conclusion, and with some...more
The Dangerous Animals Club by Steven Tobolowsky (Simon & Shuster 2012)(Biography) is a funny and well-written memoir of the making of an actor. This volume follows the writer from his early years through his days in the acting departments of SMU and the University of Illinois. This guy can write! An interesting piece of trivia is that many readers (myself included) will recall having seen Tobolowsky in the movie "Groundhog Day." He plays the abrasively hilarious insurance salesman who rememb...more
Stephen Tobolowsky, The Dangerous Animals Club.
This is a collection of short stories with an underlying autobiographical theme; the four people Stephen considers his personal heroes. In the midst of telling stories from his life growing up and becoming a character actor, Stephen ponders deep questions of personal and social worth. He is Jewish but did not begin to consider scripture with any seriousness until an adult. He considers two Old Testament stories at some length, Joseph and Creation....more
This is a collection of short stories with an underlying autobiographical theme; the four people Stephen considers his personal heroes. In the midst of telling stories from his life growing up and becoming a character actor, Stephen ponders deep questions of personal and social worth. He is Jewish but did not begin to consider scripture with any seriousness until an adult. He considers two Old Testament stories at some length, Joseph and Creation....more
Mr. Tobolowsky is a writer who also happens to be an actor.
The Dangerous Animals Club is a perfect combination of wit and depth. It combines elements of the short story and autobiography. It mashes showbiz memoir to spiritual how-to. It contains real-life adventure and a slew of surprisingly wise aphorisms. Within its accessible yet beautiful prose lie elements of a suspenseful plot (complete with big reveal in the final chapter), and just the tastiest bit of unanswered question, leaving the rea...more
The Dangerous Animals Club is a perfect combination of wit and depth. It combines elements of the short story and autobiography. It mashes showbiz memoir to spiritual how-to. It contains real-life adventure and a slew of surprisingly wise aphorisms. Within its accessible yet beautiful prose lie elements of a suspenseful plot (complete with big reveal in the final chapter), and just the tastiest bit of unanswered question, leaving the rea...more
This is a book for listening to! Get it on audible.com and enjoy the author's voice reading his work. Note the author is an actor with a great voice. This is a true pleasure. Most chapters are self-contained, so it's easy to listen to just parts at a time. The stories involve a lot of reflection, so I don't really want to too much in at one time. The true stories of Tobolowsk's life will make you snort milk laugh one moment then get misty eyed with tears a sentence later. This is a book I want t...more
You know those imaginary dinner parties where you get to invite any five people from history for an evening of amazing conversation? This book is the reason Stephen Tobolowsky has always been one of my five. He is a raconteur of the first order, and I think an evening with Beethoven, Abe Lincoln, and Winston Churchill would be made ever more fascinating for his inclusion. But it’s not just that his stories are compulsively entertaining. It’s that they resound with insight and revelation. Tobolow...more
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This book funny, irreverent book was a gift from my daughter for Christmas. After leaving it mostly read at my daughter-in-laws, when it finally was returned in the mail I felt like it was Christmas again, and couldn't' wait to finish it. Peter Tobolosky is a name you have probably never heard but his face is at once recognizable. He was in Deadwood and on Glee. He has a podcast on PBS which is immediately addicting. I am so happy that my daughter introduced me to this writer and his astonishing...more
A collection of essays and autobiographical pieces by the veteran character actor, amounting a book that is both memoir and pop philosophy. He’s a witty and self-deprecating story-teller who seems to have an inexhaustible cache of bizarre anecdotes, from his childhood escapades hunting poisonous animals in Texas fields to the surreal experience of working under eccentric director David Milch on “Deadwood,” from the inexplicable and nasty vendetta an acting professor maintained against Tobolowsky...more
Tobolowsky has appeared in hundreds of film and television roles (e.g., in Groundhog Day; Deadwood; Glee); however, instead of being recognized as a movie star, he writes that he is often mistaken for an insurance salesman or former science teacher. Perhaps it’s this everyman quality that elevates his debut collection of essays. Rather than presenting a mere compilation of anecdotes, Tobolowsky tells each story for a reason, creating a tapestry encompassing catching tarantulas, broken hearts, Da...more
I realize now as an adult that I was extremely fortunate to grow up in a family that loved and utilized audiobooks. Living in Wyoming, road trips were a frequent occurrence. The nearest mall/bookstore/Target was 180 miles away, the closest family member 90 miles, and the majority of my family lived a minimum of a 13 hour car ride from our home. This meant that with some regularity we would pack up the car and take off, spending all day with pillows and suitcases piled about us. My parents would...more
Unlike your typical Hollywood tell-all, this book manages to entertain, make you think, and carries you along in total page-turner tradition. When I finished this book I sought more Tobo-stories on I-tunes with his free podcast. The author leaves you with the seemingly opposite thoughts..."wow what a life this guy has lived"...and....."this guy is just like everyone else"! (in the best possible way) I boringly bend the ear of everyone I know (including at the library where I work) pushing this b...more
Don't believe those beer commercials, Stephen Tobolowsky is the most interesting man in the world. While reading this book, and listening to his podcasts, I often questions how so many weird, wonderful and abject events could happen to one man.
This book leapfrogs back and forth and through his adventurous childhood in Texas, his life as a struggling and successful actor, relationships, heartache, parenthood, and swinging a water moccasin above his head.
I have only listened to some of the Tobol...more
This book leapfrogs back and forth and through his adventurous childhood in Texas, his life as a struggling and successful actor, relationships, heartache, parenthood, and swinging a water moccasin above his head.
I have only listened to some of the Tobol...more
Most celebrity memoirs are full of gossip and/or self-congratulatory pats-on-the-back. Some are even humble, but not many. But Stephen Tobolowsky's book, 'The Dangerous Animals Club' was a fascinating look inside the world of acting; the lessons learned, the roads not taken. But it is his philosophical bent that intrigued me. This memoir is a true step above the typical offering. Thank you, Mr. Tobolowsky, for not writing gossip. And thank you for being totally honest.
This book is transcripts of episodes of The Tobolowsky Files podcast - autobiographical anecdotes from character actor Stephen Tobolowsky. He is a wonderful storyteller. I have laughed out loud at some stories, choked up at others, and left pondering big questions a few times to boot. Highly recommended (perhaps better experienced as an audiobook since it is great to hear these in his voice).
I heard Stephen Tobolowsky read a few chapters out loud from The Dangerous Animals Club two weeks ago. It made me laugh and cry and I wanted to hear more, so I picked up this book from the library. It was wonderful. I couldn't stop laughing. He is funny in person and luckily for us readers that comes across in print too. He is also really insightful and taught me that nothing in life comes easy. Acting has definitely not been an easy path for him but he never gave up. I highly recommend this boo...more
I'll admit to my being mostly oblivious to Tobolowsky's renaissance as a Moth-like story teller, having never bothered to rent the Birthday Party thing or listen to his podcast. In hindsight, I probably should have since after only a few chapters, I learned that Tobolowsky's homespun stories are pretty bland, Christian-heavy and relatively conservative in tone (this is meeting him more than halfway since there are a few borderline offensive comments/descriptions throughout). Unlike the Tobolowsk...more
To be fair, I know Stephen. And I knew him to be one of the most original thinkers I had ever met. What I didn't know was great the impact of this book would have on me. It is insightful, funny, and it is both open and ironic. That is tough to do. And on top of everything else, I learned a lot; about Stephen, about myself and about a whole lot else. Read it.
Tobolowsky is an excellent writer and old school storyteller. My only complaint with this was that I had heard so much publicity about it the author actually stole some of his own thunder. If you only have time for one, I recommend the podcast where you can actually hear Tobolowwsky's voice. I'd love to have the author over to hear more stories not in the book.
Stephen Tobolowsky (that one actor from that one thing) is such and amazing story-teller that he elevates this collection of memories above and beyond the normal memoir. You would not believe all that has happened to him. I laughed until I cried and cried until I cried.
His podcasts, soon to be on PRI, are equally fantastic. http://www.slashfilm.com/public-radio...
His podcasts, soon to be on PRI, are equally fantastic. http://www.slashfilm.com/public-radio...
Stephen Tobolowsky is that actor you've seen in a million films and TV shows but have no idea who he is. Not because he's not a good actor, but because he never plays the leading role. In addition to being a good actor, he is a great storyteller. I enjoyed hearing about his childhood in Texas and the path he took to become an actor.
I really loved this book of essays. Tobolowsky is an excellent story teller. I kept thinking of Moshe Kasher's book, which I read last year. On the surface Kasher's life may be more interesting, but the way Tobolowsky tells a story is about 100 times for interesting that Kasher. I also didn't expect this book to be as romantic as it is. Really good stuff. Hope there are more volumes to come.
Actor Stephen Tobolowsky is a really good story teller. He recounts many events in his life as they are tied to animal. The story about vacationing with snakes mating in their pool cracked me up. Another fav was him talking about "faks." Interesting read. I can't recall why I chose this ebook, but I have most definitely enjoyed it!
What a glorious storyteller! If you have a chance to see Stephen Tobolowsky in person, do! He hits just the right note ...happy, poignant. Sad, the highs and lows of growing up, establishing a career, of relationships, family, competitiveness, etc.
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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...more
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