Publishers Weekly
Originally published in 1982 but out-of-print for years, '70s television icon Barris's forgotten autobiography is being reissued to coincide with the December release of a major film adaptation. After two decades of relative obscurity, Barris's memoir may finally find an eager audience. Readers will probably best remember Barris as the creator and host of The Gong Show, but his resume also includes such classic shows as The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game, as well as a hit song, "Palisades Park," and a New York Times bestselling book, You and Me Babe (1970). What will shock readers, however, is Barris's claim that, throughout his successful TV career, he was leading a double life as a decorated CIA assassin. While supposedly "scouting locations" to send his winning game show contestants, Barris was actually traveling to exotic locales to knock off America's Cold War foes. Or so he'd have readers believe. While far-fetched, the tension-filled scenes of Barris's supposed CIA activities provide an ingenious counterbalance to the story of his meandering personal life, the snarling critics who attacked Barris for dragging television into the gutter and hilarious recollections of how wholesome contestants would become inexplicably filthy once on the set of The Dating Game. Even though Barris's reputation as a wacky TV show host doomed this literary venture when it was originally published, it is in fact a remarkably well-crafted and entertaining book, both unflinchingly personal and at times laugh-out-loud funny. Twenty years later, it reads like a classic. (Nov.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind: An Unauthorized Autobiography
by Chuck BarrisView All Available Formats & Editions
Suspense, excess, danger, and exuberant fun come together in Chuck Barris's unlikely autobiography- the tale of a wildly amboyant '70s television producer nationally known as the host of The Gong Show. What most people don't know is that Barris also spent close to two decades as a decorated covert assassin for the CIA, claiming to have killed over thirty people.… See more details below
Overview
Suspense, excess, danger, and exuberant fun come together in Chuck Barris's unlikely autobiography- the tale of a wildly amboyant '70s television producer nationally known as the host of The Gong Show. What most people don't know is that Barris also spent close to two decades as a decorated covert assassin for the CIA, claiming to have killed over thirty people. Honestly. Barris, who achieved tremendous success as the creator of the hit game shows The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game, joined the CIA as an agent in the early 1960s. He inltrated the Civil Rights movement, met with militant Muslims in Harlem, and was sent abroad to kill enemies of the American state, even as his game shows began to soar to ratings success. Originally published in 1982, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind has been out of print for a number of years, but interest in Barris is about to reach an all-time high, with a major movie based on the book coming from Miramax Films in December 2002. The all-star cast includes Sam Rockwell, Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Drew Barrymore. Barris will be covered extensively in the media this fall. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is a wild and improbable tale spiced with intrigue, sex, bad behavior, and plenty of one-liners.
Editorial Reviews
Library Journal
Don earphones. Shield delicate ears. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind has sex, violence, and obscenities. As with his zany old TV productions (The Dating Game, The Gong Show), Barris tries to entertain. He describes his avocation as a CIA hit man, creating suspense, except one faux Raymond Chandler bit. The complete text includes his hilarious chase to Lisbon after an American beauty, added raunch, spoofs, and more. Nick Sullivan's phrasing in the unabridged program is smooth, sometimes underplaying foul words. The condensed version loses some humor but retains the author's ego. Even so, he freely admits failures. Barris's narration does not underplay; his voice is rougher. Some unshockable adults will be taken in by behind-the-scenes TV and CIA stories in either one of these audiobooks. For popular biography collections, it's a qualified thumbs up.-Gordon Blackwell, Eastchester, NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Product Details
- ISBN-13:
- 9780786888085
- Publisher:
- Miramax Books
- Publication date:
- 11/27/2002
- Edition description:
- Reprint
- Pages:
- 256
- Product dimensions:
- 5.18(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)
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