Synopses & Reviews
Okay, so at least you're interested enough to pick up this book and look inside. I think you and I are going to get along just fine.
Life is full of choices. Right now, yours is whether or not to buy the autobiography of a mid-grade, kind of hammy actor.
Am I supposed to know this guy? you think to yourself.
No, and that's exactly the point. Bookstores are chock full of household name actors and their high stakes shenanigans. I don't want to be a spoilsport, but we've all been down that road before.
Case in point: look to your left - see that Judy Garland book? You don't need that, you know plenty about her already - great voice, crappy life. Now look to your right at the Charlton Heston book. You don't need to cough up hard-earned dough for that either. You know his story too - great voice, crappy toupee.
The truth is that though you might not have a clue who I am, there are countless working stiffs like me out there, grinding away every day at the wheel of fortune.
If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor is my first book, and I invite you to ride with me through the choppy waters of blue collar Hollywood.
Okay, so buy the damned book already and read like the wind!
Best,
Bruce Campbell
P.S. If the book sucks, at least there are gobs of pictures, and they're not crammed in the middle like all those other actor books.
Review
"A charming memoir..." Cinescape Magazine
Review
"The bulk of the book is about the grueling experience that became The Evil Dead...and it'll certainly enhance your appreciation for the finished product knowing the sheer amount of hardship and pain the cast and (tiny) crew endured....Bruce also covers the ill fated Crimewave shoot and of course the following flicks as well....[A] must-have for...[fans] of Bruce Campbell, but more importantly it also allows insight into the [movie] business and its pitfalls and virtues....[R]equired reading for knowledge and entertainment (lots of it) from one of our favorite B movie actors." CHUD.com
Synopsis
So, another actor writes a book about their glamorous, whirlwind life. Personally, as an ex-Detroiter, that crap bores me to tears. I've always been more interested in the working stiffs of Hollywood, 99% of whom are overlooked in those phony, "tell-all" books. For every Bruce Willis and Steven Spielberg, there are a hundred no-name slobs scraping out a living in a shockingly difficult profession.
Therefore, this is not a memoir about what I said to So-and-so at the Beverly Hills Hotel. It's also not about an actor's "meteoric" rise, or "tragic" fall. Rather, this book is dedicated to the players on the second string, the "B" people, if you will, and I cheerfully include myself in that lot.
Published by St. Martin's Press, If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a "B" Movie Actor is an autobiography chronicling the life of Bruce Campbell from his earliest childhood anecdotes to the conclusion of the syndicated series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Witty and down-to-earth, Campbell relates his ascension into obscurity and his misadventures as a cult icon.
In addition to the text, If Chins Could Kill is also highly visual, boasting an image on almost every page, including photos and documents from Campbell's archives, screen captures, and original supplemental graphic art by Craig Sanborn.
Synopsis
My Chin Can Kill is a delightfully irreverent, yet oddly touching, epic of ambition and disappointment, fame and anonymity, and lots of fake blood. Told in Bruce's wry, sarcastic voice, it is a "Hollywood from the bleacher seats" look at his experiences in film and TV and at his status as a cult horror and sci-fi movie god. This man with the face of a matinee idol and the heart of a Three Stooge first attracted what has grown into an enormous cult following as the star of Sam Raimi's legendary
Evil Dead trilogy of thriller-comedies. With tireless good humor and biting wit, Bruce acted, produced, and directed his way through a baker's dozen of "B" horror films and space operas before finally enjoying mainstream stardom on prime-time TV. Deeply earnest and fiercely funny, this book tells the story of an unlikely star who continues to lead a unique double life as cult movie icon and regular Joe.
Synopsis
From the star of the legendary "Evil Dead" movies comes the raucous, sardonic memoir of his life as a "B" movie king in an "A" movie world. Deeply earnest and fiercely funny, this book tells the story of an unlikely star who leads a double life as cult movie icon and regular Joe. 15 photos throughout.
About the Author
BRUCE CAMPBELL is the ultimate "B" actor with an ever-growing fan base. In addition to starring in the huge cult hit the Evil Dead series and a series of independent genre films, he's had featured roles in the blockbuster Congo, John Carpenter's Escape from LA, the award-winning independent crime drama Running Time, Paramount's romantic comedy Servicing Sara, Warner Bros's big business comedy The Hudsucker Proxy, and his first international film La Patinoire (The Ice Rink). Bruce has also done a lot of television work, including appearances in Disney's TV movies Gold Rush and their update of The Love Bug, the hit TV film Tornado!, and a starring role in NBC's top-rated In the Line of Duty: Blaze of Glory. He has also starred in the highly touted Fox series The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., then as a recurring guest star on the hit shows Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, Ellen, and Showtime's edgy TV industry comedy Beggars and Choosers. He has just completed the swashbuckling series Jack of All Trades for Studios USA and continues to share his experience in independent filmmaking at universities around the country. He looks forward to the release of his first documentary about fans entitled Fanalysis.