Too Much Is Not Enough

by Orson Bean

With the great wit that made him famous, Orson Bean describes his New England childhood, his days as a magician, his commercial success, his adventures with the rich and famous, and his "drop out" of the limelight.

207 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1988

About the author

Orson Bean (born Dallas Frederick Burrows) was an American film, television, and stage actor, and a comedian, writer, and producer. He appeared frequently on televised game shows from the 1960s through the 1980s.

Reviews

[Bill Krieger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book: "Too Much is Not Enough" by Orson Bean
Review: 3 bill-stars (out of 5)... good.

This was an enjoyable book. It's Orson Bean's quirky memoir. It's light as a feather and a fun read. This is a 3+ book...almost 4 stars.

I'm not as quirky as Mr. Bean (duh), but I do feel a bit of a kinship on two fronts:

1) His book actually reminded me a lot of my crappy blog. He just tells stories, little stories about his life. I definitely got the feeling that he wrote the book for himself for the most part.

2) He is very positive and feels he's the luckiest guy out there. Hey, that's my job! Seriously though, he describes being overwhelmed at time with a good feeling about how lucky he has been and all he has. I empathize!

Bean's second marriage is the focus of much of the book. He tells you right out of the box that their marriage doesn't last, and that added an interesting aspect of suspense when reading his stories. I was sort of on alert for things that would drive Bean and his wife apart. I won't spoil the ending, but I'll just say that the book's ending was strong.

QOTD
"Early on in the game I decided that it would not satisfy me to be less than the happiest son of a bitch who ever lived."
- Orson Bean, first sentence in his book

BTW, I bought this book used on Amazon. Incredible. I think it was $8, free shipping with Amazon Prime, and I had it in my grubby like 3 days after ordering it. Did I say incredible?

[G P Devine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently heard 87 year old Orson Bean interviewed on Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast. This book was discussed a lot, so I read it. Pretty good...he has led an interesting life, even though this book was written when he was in his late fifties. Enjoy!

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Orson always seemed rather white bread to me, so I was surprised to read about his open marriage, drugs, and life in Australia.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read about a guy who was more interesting than I would have guessed. Now I want to read his other books.