700 Sundays - Hardcover

Crystal, Billy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0446578673 ISBN 13: 9780446578677

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2005

Synopsis

A memoir based on the Emmy-nominated actor's Broadway play is a humorous and poignant portrayal of his youth that describes his experiences of growing up in a family headed by a father who worked two jobs to support the family before succumbing to heart failure when Crystal was fifteen. 750,000 first printing.

About this title

Review:

Actor and comedian Billy Crystal has forged a highly successful career by portraying other people in movies like When Harry Met Sally... and City Slickers. But in 700 Sundays, a memoir based on his one-man Broadway play of the same name, Crystal tells his own story, dissecting an often complex relationship with his father and how that relationship resonated in other aspects of his life. His father, Jack Crystal was an influential jazz concert promoter and operated an influential jazz record label, affording his son an opportunity to tell stories of being taken to his first movie by Billie Holliday and seeing his grandmother suggest that Louis Armstrong simply "try coughing it up." But Jack died when his son was fifteen years old, soon after a forever-unresolved argument between the two, leaving Billy to cope with crushing grief while simultaneously and perhaps ironically trying to launch a career in comedy. This lends 700 Sundays much needed gravity in a volume that is packed with zingy one-liners and whimsical observations that serve to illustrate the comedy career Crystal forged, while also providing some decent laughs. Interestingly, there is very little reference to the better known accomplishments of Crystal’s Hollywood career as the author chooses to focus instead on the seemingly mundane but highly entertaining aspects of his Long Island roots. Though 700 Sundays (the name comes from Crystal’s estimation of how many Sundays he got to spend with his father) is packaged here in book form, it reads like a piece of theater and, more specifically, like a selection of memories about a father, lovingly and touchingly re-told by his loving son. --John Moe

About the Author:

BILLY CRYSTAL has created one of the most versatile and prolific careers in the entertainment industry. Beginning with the popular series Soap, he went on to phenomenal success on Saturday Night Live, creating memorable characters, including his impersonation of Sammy Davis Jr. and Fernando of "You Look Mahvelous!" fame. A writer, director, and producer, Crystal was the first comedian to perform in the then-Soviet Union with his HBO special Midnight Train to Moscow. In addition, Crystal has hosted the Grammy® Awards three times, and, of course, the Oscars eight times. Billy Crystal's children's book, I Already Know I Love You was an instant New York Times bestseller. Some of Crystal's most memorable films include Running Scared, Throw Momma From the Train, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, City Slickers I and II, Mr. Saturday Night, Forget Paris, Hamlet, Deconstructing Harry, Father's Day, My Giant, Analyze This and That, America's Sweethearts, and Disney's record-breaking Monsters Inc. Crystal's film 61* for HBO showcased him as a director and a producer, garnering 12 Emmy nominations and the prestigious Directors Guild nomination.

About this edition

• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0446578673
• ISBN 13: 9780446578677
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192