Second City: Backstage At The World's Greatest Comedy Theater
by Sheldon Patinkin, Harold Ramis
List Price:
Our Price: $18.95
You Save: $26.05 (58%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $5.25 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Harold Ramis, Sheldon PatinkinForeword: Alan Arkin
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2000-04
ISBN: 0756778352
Number of pages: 200
Publisher: Diane Pub Co
Summary of Second City: Backstage At The World's Greatest Comedy Theater
"The entire recent tradition of American theatrical satire can be summed up in three words: The Second City."--New York Times
Many of comedy's biggest stars cut their teeth at The Second City. Learn all of the backstage details--the laughs, loves, struggles, successes, fights and failures that have made Second City such a fertile ground for comedy over the years. And hear Second City's most outrageous and hilarious live performances on two audio CDs narrated by Robert Klein.
Hear:
--John Belushi try to bluff his way through an oral exam to avoid the draft
--Mike Myers as a Canadian border guard who "closes" Canada
--Bonnie Hunt singing "Up, Up And Away" as an annoying "on-hold" entertainer
--John Candy playing Dan Aykroyd's rebellious, hockey-hating son
And read about:
--Bill Murray demonstrating the proper way to deal with a heckler
--Alan Arkin's pre-Second City days as a troubadour with The Tarriers
--Where Gilda Radner first came up with "Emily Litella"
--How Second City alum Martin Short "discovered" Mike Myers
Since 1959, The Second City has been producing cutting-edge satire and wickedly funny improvisation, while keeping countless individuals of questionable character off the streets for a couple of hours each night. It has also trained thousands of young performers in the art of improv-based theater.
The Second City recounts the early years of the comedy troupe's biggest stars, including John Belushi, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Mike Myers, Gilda Radner, Alan Arkin, Joan Rivers, David Steinberg, Robert Klein, Chris Farley, Martin Short and John Candy, as well as some of today's hottest directors, like Harold Ramis (Analyze This), Mike Nichols (The Birdcage), Betty Thomas (Private Parts) and Bonnie Hunt (Return to Me).
Author Sheldon Patinkin, one of Second City?s founding fathers, tells the story of Second City like no else can--with rare photos, profiles and backstage stories you were never supposed to hear. The Second City is both funnier and more poignant than you could have imagined. The book includes two full-length audio CDs containing hilarious classic scenes like:
--"Football Comes to the University of Chicago" (with Alan Arkin and Severn Darden)
--"Brest Litovsk" (with John Belushi and Joe Flaherty)
--"Motivational Speaker" (with Chris Farley, Tim Meadows and Bob Odenkirk)
Plus new, never-before-heard material that will leave your sides aching.
Humor Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Humor Books
Snuffby Chuck Palahniuk
Anchor; Published: 2009-04-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Don't Eat This Bookby Morgan Spurlock
Penguin Audio; Published: 2005-05-19; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $4.89
Price in other shops:
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hellby Tucker Max
Penguin; Published: 2006; Paperback; Book
The Saber-Tooth Curriculumby J.Abner Peddiwell
Mcgraw-Hill; Published: 1959-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.00
Miss Americaby Howard Stern
It Books; Published: 2010-08-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.71
Price in other shops:
101 Places Not to See Before You Dieby Catherine Price
Harper Perennial; Published: 2010-06-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.49
Price in other shops:
My Life and Hard Times (Perennial Classics)by James Thurber
Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Published: 1999-10-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.81
Price in other shops:
Equal Rites: A Discworld Novel (Discworld Novels)by Terry Pratchett
Harper Perennial; Published: 2005-09-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.25
Price in other shops:
Mirth of a Nation: Audio Companion, Fellow Traveler and Friend for Life--Laff Tracks From America's Most Trusted Humor Anthologyby Michael J. Rosen
HarperAudio; Published: 2002-11-12; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $4.51
Price in other shops:
Red, White & Liberalby Alan Colmes
HarperAudio; Published: 2003-10-28; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Improvisation for the Theater 3E: A Handbook of Teaching and Directing Techniques (Drama and Performance Studies)by Viola Spolin
Northwestern University Press; Published: 1999-07-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.22
Price in other shops:
Impro: Improvisation and the Theatreby Keith Johnstone
Routledge; Published: 1987-01-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $23.14
Price in other shops:
Something Wonderful Right Away: An Oral History of the Second City and the Compass Playersby Jeffrey Sweet
Limelight Editions; Published: 2004-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.27
Price in other shops:
Improvise.: Scene from the Inside Outby Mick Napier
Heinemann Drama; Published: 2004-03-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.56
Price in other shops:
The Second City - First Family of ComedyTHOMAS,DAVE; Release date: 2007-02-20; DVD
Best price: $4.68
Price in other shops:
The Comic Toolbox: How to Be Funny Even If You're Notby John Vorhaus
Silman-James Pr; Published: 1994-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.15
Price in other shops:
The Second City Unscripted: Revolution and Revelation at the World-Famous Comedy Theaterby Mike Thomas
Villard; Published: 2009-09-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.49
Price in other shops:
Truth in Comedy: The Manual for Improvisationby Charna Halpern, Close, Kim Howard Johnson
Meriwether Publishing; Published: 1994-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.93
Price in other shops:
The Second City Almanac of Improvisationby Anne Libera, Second City Inc.
Northwestern University Press; Published: 2004-05-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.49
Price in other shops:
The Second City Unscripted: Revolution and Revelation at the World-Famous Comedy Theaterby Mike Thomas
Villard; Published: 2009-09-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.64
Price in other shops: