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Too Funny for Words

Backstage Tales from Broadway, Television, and the Movies

Published by Viva Editions
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

LIST PRICE $25.95

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Ships on or around May 21, 2024
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About The Book

This must read is your golden ticket to a trip down memory lane with of one of Hollywood's most iconic actors. . .

Who almost turned down his iconic role on The Sopranos because he could not sing? Did Katharine Hepburn really build the Uris building? How did a simple handshake with President Kennedy almost end in disaster? In his debut memoir, Too Funny for Words, Jerry Adler reveals all for the first time!

In his career as a theater director, producer and actor that has spanned over 70 years, Adler has certainly had his fair share of laughs, and is ready to take readers on a reminiscent journey of Hollywood tales past.

With numerous stories to tell, each funnier than the last, sit back and enjoy a trip behind the scenes. Including unforgettable stories about: Paul Rudd, Robin Williams, Meryl Streep, Larry David, James Gandolfini, Alan Arkin, Woody Allen, JFK, Marilyn Monroe, Barbra Streisand, Joe Pesci, Paul Reiser, George Clooney, Richard Burton, Richard M. Nixon, Katharine Hepburn, Julie Andrews, Orson Welles and many, many more!

About The Author

Jerry Adler is an American theater director, producer, and film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for his films Manhattan Murder Mystery, The Public Eye, In Her Shoes, and Prime. As well as his television work as Herman “Hesh” Rabkin on The Sopranos, he can be seen portraying Howard Lyman on The Good Wife and The Good Fight, building maintenance man Mr. Wicker on Mad About You, Bob Saget's father Sam Stewart on Raising Dad, Fire Chief Sidney Feinberg on Rescue Me, Moshe Pfefferman on Transparent, Saul Horowitz on Broad City, and Hillston on Living with Yourself with Paul Rudd. Jerry Adler resides in New York City with his wife Joan and dog Hesh. He is presently working on a mystery novel due out in early 2024. His debut memoir Too Funny for Words reflects his long and diverse career.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Viva Editions (May 21, 2024)
  • Length: 240 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781632280961

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Raves and Reviews

I worked with this Adler guy. Friendly, easy-going, totally professional. But if I had known he was a bit of a raconteur, loaded with engaging, funny, unforgettable stories, and that he ran with a crowd of interesting and famous people like the ones in this book, I certainly would’ve been a lot nicer to him.

Larry David

Congrats on finishing the book. Looking forward to reading. ( I can already tell I’m gonna love it.). . .

Paul Reiser

When I worked with Jerry, whenever we had a free moment on set, I’d pester him for stories about his years working in the theater. Well, lucky us: here are all those incredible stories (including many I never knew) gathered up in one fascinating, funny package. Broadway, film, television: Jerry Adler’s had a career like no one else. The man is a treasure—and so is his book.

Peter Tolan, writer and producer of Rescue Me, The Larry Sanders Show, Mad About You, and Analyze This

Too Funny For Words is the dishy show business book of your dreams. In his long, crazy career, Jerry Adler has worked with everyone from Jack Benny to Meryl Streep. To read about them all—from Jerry’s witty, insightful POV—is a thrill!

Michelle King, writer and producer of The Good Wife, The Good Fight, Evil, and Your Honor

Jerry Adler has seen it all, done it all, and has known just about everyone along the way. And, in his warm and wonderful book he shares the highlights of a ‘life in our biz’ with humor and joy. It’s a happy journey through decades of show business and a superb recollection of some of its most colorful characters. Great stories from a great storyteller. These are the kind of tales you only get to hear if you are at Sardi’s or Joe Allen’s after the show, sitting with the cast, swapping anecdotes. These are the tales we cherish. Bravo, Jerry for a wonderful chronicle of our crazy business.

Jason Alexander

A wonderfully engaging collection of personal anecdotes brimming with nostalgia and humor. Too Funny For Words will make you long for times gone by with its fond recollections of the most beloved figures in show business.

Alex Ephraim, PhD Candidate, History of Art & Architecture

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