Kiss Me Like a Stranger : My Search for Love and Art

by Wilder, Gene

• ISBN13: 9780312337063
• ISBN10: 031233706X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-03-01
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Summary

In this personal book from the star of many beloved and classic film comedies -- from The Producers to Young Frankenstein, Blazing saddles to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory -- Gene Wilder writes about a side of his life the public hasn't seen on the screen. Kiss Me Like a Stranger is not an autobiography in the usual sense of the word, and it's certainly not another celebrity "tell-all." Instead, Wilder has chosen to write about resonant moments in his life, events that led him to an understanding of the art of acting, and -- more important -- to an understanding of how to give love to and receive love from a woman. Wilder writes compellingly about the creative process on stage and screen, and divulges moments from life on the sets of some of the most iconic movies of our time. In this book, he talks about everything from his experiences in psychoanalysis to why he got into acting and later comedy (his first goal was to be a Shakespearean actor), and how a Midwestern childhood with a sick mother changed him. Wilder explains why he became an actor and writer, and about the funny, wonderful movies he made with Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Richard Pryor, and Harrison Ford, among many others. He candidly reveals his failures in love, and writes about the overwhelming experience of marrying comedienne Gilda Radner, as well as what finally had to happen for him to make a true and lasting commitment to another woman. A thoughtful, revealing, and winsome book about life, love, and the creative process, Kiss Me Like A Stranger is one actor's life in his own words.

Author Biography

Gene Wilder has been acting since he was thirteen. After a small role in Bonnie and Clyde pulled him away from a career onstage, he was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for his role as Leo Bloom in The Producers, which led to Blazing Saddles and then to another Academy nomination, this time for writing Young Frankenstein. Wilder has appeared in twenty-five feature films and a number of stage productions. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Karen.

Table of Contents

PROLOGUE	1	(64)
1. FIRST MOVEMENT	3	(4)
2. CAN A FEW WORDS CHANGE YOUR LIFE?	7	(12)
3. "TAKE ME."	19	(8)
4. THE "DEMON" ARRIVES.	27	(6)
5. MY HEART IS NOT IN THE HIGHLANDS.	33	(4)
6. A YANK AT THE OLD VIC	37	(4)
7. SHADES OF GRAY	41	(7)
8. DON JUAN IN NEW YORK	48	(5)
9. THE WORST OF TIMES, THE BEST OF TIMES	53	(12)
10. MOTHER COURAGE	65	(8)
11. A TASTE OF FREEDOM	73	(6)
12. THE KING IS DEAD. LONG LIVE THE KING!	79	(4)
13. "FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST. THANK MARGIE WALLIS, I'M FREE AT LAST."	83	(12)
14. "SORRY I CAUGHT YOU WITH THE OLD LADY."	95	(6)
15. SECOND MOVEMENT: SPRINGTIME FOR HITLER	101	(8)
16. BLACK IS MY FAVORITE COLOR.	109	(10)
17. "I HAVE A REASON-I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS."	119	(8)
18. NEW YORK, NEW YORK	127	(12)
19. THE BIRTH OF A MONSTER	139	(8)
20. LE PETIT PRINCE	147	(10)
21. SHERLOCK HOLMES HAS A JEWISH BROTHER.	157	(6)
22. CRISIS IN BLACK AND WHITE	163	(8)
23. LEO BLOOM HAS HIS PICTURE TAKEN.	171	(12)
24. SIDNEY POTTIER AND I GO STIR-CRAZY.	183	(4)
25. HANKY-PANKY WITH ROSEANNE ROSEANNADANNA	187	(20)
26. I DON'T BELIEVE IN FATE.	207	(6)
27. THIRD MOVEMENT	213	(10)
28. COMEDIENNE-BALLERINA 1946-1989	223	(8)
29. IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING.	231	(14)
30. STOLEN KISSES	245	(4)
EPILOGUE	249	(2)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS	251	(2)
INDEX	253