Synopses & Reviews
If you ran into Stephen Tobolowsky on the street, you would not be mistaken: Yes, youand#8217;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 andlt;Iandgt;Deadwood andlt;/Iandgt;to andlt;Iandgt;Gleeandlt;/Iandgt;, from andlt;Iandgt;Mississippi Burning andlt;/Iandgt;to andlt;Iandgt;Groundhog Dayandlt;/Iandgt;. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;But Stephen Tobolowsky, it turns out, is not just an actor; he is also a dazzlingly talented storyteller and writer. He has earned a devoted base of fans for his original stories, told in front of live audiences as well as in a popular podcast. Now, for the first time, he has assembled those stories here. The result is creative mitzvah, a work of art, and a narrative feat that combines biography and essay, ranging in tone from the hilarious to the introspective. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;To read these pages is to enter an astonishing world that, like all art, is universal yet individual, familiar yet disquieting. A dangerous world, indeed.
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andlt;Bandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Praise for Stephen Tobolowsky's work:andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;"These stories are about life, and about love, and about finding inspiration in anything, and they are told with enthusiasm, and optimism, and joy for life. I hate to sound like Iand#8217;m overselling it, but I think anyone who has listened to a andlt;iandgt;The Tobolowsky Filesandlt;/iandgt; will agree: They are a goddamn pleasure."and#8212;andlt;bandgt;Dustin Rowlesandlt;BRandgt; andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; "The andlt;iandgt;Citizen Kaneandlt;/iandgt; of podcasts."and#8212;andlt;bandgt;DC Pierson of Derrick Comedyandlt;BRandgt; andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; "I LOVE THIS!"and#8212;andlt;bandgt;Sarah Silvermanandlt;BRandgt; andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; "Great storytelling, beautiful stuff."and#8212;andlt;bandgt;Rian Johnson, director of andlt;iandgt;The Brothers Bloomandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;Brickandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
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"Stephen Tobolowsky has found his true calling as a storyteller. He is candid, insightful, often profound, and very, very funny, especially when he recounts his adventures in show business. By blending sharp memories of his childhood with astute, adult observations of the world around him, he weaves a spell not unlike Jean Shepherd or Garrison Keillor...but he has a voice all his own, and I love it." Leonard Maltin, film critic and author
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"Here are some of the dangerous animals you will meet in Stephen Tobolowsky's wise, funny memoir: rattlesnakes, tarantulas, talking dogs, attic raccoons, and Hollywood agents. What a pleasure it is to learn that one of the movies' most interesting character actors is also one of its most interesting characters." Ken Jennings, author of Maphead and Brainiac
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"No one spins yarns and knits them into a lyrical fabric of self like Tobolowsky: deep, warm and a little itchy but you love it." Marc Maron, host of WTF with Marc Maron
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"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. Tobolowsky's stories make me glad I'm alive. And they make me want to throw a dinner party every night." Jim Beaver, actor in Deadwood and Supernatural and author of Life's That Way
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"Funny, highly original, and quirky. Stephen Tobolowsky has written a memoir that is almost as enchanting and lovable as he is. Bravo!" Linda Bloodworth Thomason
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"Hard to find a guy in Hollywood whose colossal loyalty stands right up their with his colossal talent. Now I see what shaped it all. A great book from an uncommon man!" Harry Thomason
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"You already know Stephen Tobolowsky as an actor — his face, if not his name — but in The Dangerous Animals Club he opens his heart, soul and mind to you, along with a lot of belly laughs. He is a modern-day Job in his pursuit of an acting career, or maybe just a meaningful life. The odds seem stacked against him. And yet now, in the middle of his life, it is all within his grasp. Read this book and rejoice!" Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey, author of A Woman of Independent Means
Review
“Stephen Tobolowsky has found his true calling as a storyteller. He is candid, insightful, often profound, and very, very funny, especially when he recounts his adventures in show business. By blending sharp memories of his childhood with astute, adult observations of the world around him, he weaves a spell not unlike Jean Shepherd or Garrison Keillor… but he has a voice all his own, and I love it.”—Leonard Maltin, film critic and author
Review
and#8220;The actor has plenty of rich material to mineand#8212;he has been held hostage at gunpoint by a lunatic, suffered an apocalyptic infestation of fleas, barely eluded a goring by a bull, and auditioned with a broken neckand#8212;but the delight of the book is the authorand#8217;s voice: wry, discursive and full of generous spirit and curiosity [and#8230;] A copiously examined life rendered with humor and heart.and#8221; andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;and#8212; Kirkus, Starred Reviewandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
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"Stories that are quirky, funny and sentimental." -- Publishers Weekly
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"Funny, intelligent, and stylishly written..."and#8212;andlt;Iandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Booklistandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;/Iandgt;
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"[The book] deals withand#8230; first love and heartbreak, early efforts to break into show business, and the sometimes hazy line between perception and truthand#8230;. Tobolowskyand#8217;s narratives have a haunting, elliptical quality with motifs that circle back when you least expect itand#8212;one of the advantages, he speculates, of never shooting scenes in order. Above all, theyand#8217;re humane.and#8221;and#8211;andlt;bandgt;Jenny Lower, andlt;iandgt;Los Angeles Magazineandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
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and#8220;Profound delightand#8230;At its core, "The Dangerous Animals Club" is about an artist's passionate, heartbreaking and sometimes hilarious commitment to his callingand#8230; What Tobolowsky brings to all his stories is a pitch-perfect ability to tell a storyand#8230;That's the goal for all artists: To create work that deeply touches and moves other human beings. Stephen Tobolowsky hits the mark in "The Dangerous Animals Club."
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"andlt;iandgt;The Dangerous Animal Clubandlt;/iandgt; runs the gamut between the youthful, dreamlike compulsions of a brainy little boy, to the recollections and misadventures of a struggling actor in Los Angeles in the past 30 years, and in between you have story-telling at its finest: well-written, poignant, hysterical, heart-wrenching and above all and#8212; wise."
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and#8220;Stories that are quirky, funny and sentimental.and#8221; andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;and#8212; Publishers Weeklyandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
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Synopsis
From celebrated character actor and uncommonly talented storyteller Stephen Tobolowsky,
The Dangerous Animals Club is a series of stories that touch on life's great mysteries with a cast of characters that include legendary film directors, physicists, ghosts, pygmy hippos, and hostage takers.
The Dangerous Animals Club is a beguiling series of stories that woven together form the story of a man in the middle of his life reflecting on life's many mysteries. Parents raise children and then pass on, a girlfriend embarks on a theatrical career with Stephen and then breaks his heart, animals — dangerous and docile — come and go, toes are smashed and necks break, and children are born. Small incidents are later revealed as momentous turning points. Woven through these tales are lessons in quantum physics, Jewish mysticism, and stagecraft. Told in a unique voice and with a spiritual inquisitiveness, these tales have charmed live audiences and podcast listeners — and will charm a whole new audience on the page.
Synopsis
From legendary character actor Stephen Tobolowsky, comes a collection of memoiristic pieces about life, love, acting, and adventure, told with a beguiling voice and an uncommon talent for storytelling.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;I andgt;The Dangerous Animals Clubandlt;/Iandgt; by Stephen Tobolowsky is a series of stories that form a non-linear autobiography. Each story stands on its own, and yet there are larger interconnecting narratives that weave together from the book's beginning to end. The stories have heroics and embarrassments, riotous humor and pathos, characters that range from Bubbles the Pigmy Hippo to Stephen's unforgettable mother, and scenes that include coke-fueled parties, Hollywood sets, French trains, and hospital rooms.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Told in a vivid, honest, and wondrous voice, Tobolowsky manages to render the majestic out of the seemingly mundane, profundity from the patently absurd, and grace from tragedy. This book marks the debut of a massively talented storyteller.
About the Author
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 Burning), to the cult phenomenon (Groundhog Day), to the buzzworthy (Glee). But despite a lifetime devotion to the craft of acting that also includes a classical theater training and a Tony Award nomination, you probably wouldn't recognize him if you saw him on the street. He lives in Los Angeles.