Who Stole the Funny?
A Novel of Hollywood
Robby Benson
- A
- Hollywood
- insider
- and
- director
- of
- Friends
- delivers
- a
- scathingly
- brilliant
- and
- caustically
- comedic
- bird’s-eye
- view
- behind
- the
- scenes
- of
- comedy
- television.A
- wickedly
- delicious
- roman-a-clef
- about
- the
- making
- of
- a
- sitcom
- called
- My
- Urban
- Buddies,
- this
- satirical
- romp
- of
- a
- novel
- portrays
- life
- on
- the
- other
- side
- of
- the
- television
- lens,
- hilariously
- sending
- up
- self-serious
- Hollywood
- stereotypes
- across
- the
- board.Programmed-for-success
- director
- J.
- T.
- Baker
- has
- to
- bring
- an
- up-and-coming
- sitcom
- to
- fruition
- after
- its
- initial
- director
- shoots
- himself
- in
- the
- head
- with
- a
- nail
- gun.
- Comically
- annotated
- with
- helpful
- and
- enlightening
- Hollywood
- glossary
- terms
- (“Creative-type
- director:
- One
- who
- has
- no
- hope
- of
- working
- in
- this
- town
- again”;
- “Eccentric:
- Affecting
- a
- style
- of
- dress,
- coiffure,
- speech,
- mannerisms,
- etc.,
- carefully
- calculated
- to
- give
- the
- impression
- of
- creative
- credibility”),
- Benson
- creates
- an
- exaggerated
- world
- of
- crazy
- writers;
- backstabbing
- executives,
- agents,
- and
- producers;
- foul-mouthed
- everyone-elses;
- and
- hardcore
- cynics—and
- the
- ridiculous
- inner
- monologues
- behind
- them.“An
- irreverent
- and
- hilarious
- stroll
- down
- the
- dark
- alleys
- of
- Hollywood’s
- TV
- landscape.”
- —Peter
- Bart,
- Editor
- in
- Chief,
- Variety“Who
- Stole
- the
- Funny?
- benefits
- from
- Mr.
- Benson’s
- deep
- knowledge
- of
- his
- subject
- matter.”
- —The
- Wall
- Street Journal
pro-mbooks3 : libris
