When I stop talking, you'll know I'm dead : useful stories from a persuasive man
(Book)

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Contributors
Published
New York, NY : Twelve, 2010.
Status
Shirlington - Adult Biography
B WEINTRA J
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Shirlington - Adult BiographyB WEINTRA JAvailable

Description

Here is the story of Jerry Weintraub: the self-made, Brooklyn-born, Bronx-raised impresario, Hollywood producer, legendary deal maker, and friend of politicians and stars. No matter where nature has placed him--the club rooms of Brooklyn, the Mafia dives of New York's Lower East Side, the wilds of Alaska, or the hills of Hollywood--he has found a way to put on a show and sell tickets at the door. "All life was a theater and I wanted to put it up on a stage," he writes. "I wanted to set the world under a marquee that read: 'Jerry Weintraub Presents.'"In WHEN I STOP TALKING, YOU'LL KNOW I'M DEAD, we follow Weintraub from his first great success at age twenty-six with Elvis Presley, whom he took on the road with the help of Colonel Tom Parker; to the immortal days with Sinatra and Rat Pack glory; to his crowning hits as a movie producer, starting with Robert Altman and Nashville, continuing with Oh, God!, The Karate Kid movies, and Diner, among others, and summiting with Steven Soderbergh and Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen.Along the way, we'll watch as Jerry moves from the poker tables of Palm Springs (the games went on for days), to the power rooms of Hollywood, to the halls of the White House, to Red Square in Moscow and the Great Palace in Beijing-all the while counseling potentates, poets, and kings, with clients and confidants like George Clooney, Bruce Willis, George H. W. Bush, Armand Hammer, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, John Denver, Bobby Fischer . . .well, the list goes on forever.And of course, the story is not yet over . . .as the old-timers say, "The best is yet to come."As Weintraub says, "When I stop talking, you'll know I'm dead."With wit, wisdom, and the cool confidence that has colored his remarkable career, Jerry chronicles a quintessentially American journey, one marked by luck, love, and improvisation. The stories he tells and the lessons we learn are essential, not just for those who love movies and music, but for businessmen, entrepreneurs, artists . . . everyone.

More Details

Format
Book
Edition
First edition.
Physical Desc
xii, 291 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm
Language
English
ISBN
9780446548168, 9780446548151, 0446548154

Notes

General Note
Includes index.

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Published Reviews

Booklist Review

Weintraub is one of those guys you probably haven't heard of (unless you're a Hollywood insider), but you know his work. As a talent manager and agent, he handled Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Led Zeppelin, among many others. As a movie producer, he was instrumental in getting Robert Altman's masterpiece Nashville made, and he also produced Soderbergh's Ocean's 11 and its sequels. His memoir, written with coauthor Cohen, takes us all the way back to Weintraub's early days as an entrepreneurial youth; it's written in a personable, anecdotal style, as though Weintraub were just chatting with us about his life. In style and structure, the book is reminiscent of Sit, Ubu, Sit (2008), by television producer and Weintraub's fellow Brooklynite Gary David Goldberg. It's not a tightly organized, chronological recounting of a man's life but, rather, a series of episodes that illuminate the life of a very interesting fella. Fascinating reading for those interested in Hollywood behind the cameras.--Pitt, David Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Publisher's Weekly Review

Hollywood power player Weintraub, now 72, is always in control and goes to great lengths to prove it: besides having managed musical legends like Presley, Sinatra and John Denver ("I cooked [him] from scratch"), Weintraub once closed a deal by faking a heart attack, and won the respect of one of Chicago's most powerful men, Arthur Wirtz, when he cursed Wirtz out for making him wait (Wirtz would go on to become one of Weintraub's mentors). Weintraub's also produced plays, TV shows, movies (from Nashville to the Ocean's 11 franchise), and more, summing up his talent simply: "When I believe in something, it's going to get done." Edgy and honest but refreshingly spare in his criticism of stars, colleagues and family, Weintraub can be forgiven for glossing over speed bumps in his career (one failed business lost $30 million before it closed in the mid-'80s) and occasionally showing his age with wandering rumination. As Weintraub repeatedly states, he is not a star, which perhaps that explains the disappointing omission of photos. Still, with a bold voice, a storied career, and a cast of superstars, his memoir makes a rousing insider tour of some five decades in the entertainment industry. (Apr.) Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.

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Library Journal Review

A self-proclaimed hustler from the Bronx, NY, Weintraub worked his way up in show business with his driving ambition and an apparent ability to attract powerful men as mentors, including former president George H.W. Bush and the legendary Lew Wasserman, one of the most successful men in the entertainment industry. Weintraub began his rise via the mail room of the William Morris talent agency. Eventually, he became a producer as well as a talent agent, representing Frank Sinatra and John Denver (who fired him) and such offbeat personalities as chess champion Bobby Fischer. He admits that this is neither a biography nor a memoir but an account of his overweening need to succeed. Weintraub offers little insight into himself and those with whom he worked, and his perhaps deservedly large ego is reflected throughout. Verdict While sporadically interesting and occasionally humorous, this is, at bottom, little more than a name-dropping brag sheet. Its potential audience seems limited.-Roy Liebman, California State Univ., Los Angeles (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Booklist Reviews

Weintraub is one of those guys you probably haven't heard of (unless you're a Hollywood insider), but you know his work. As a talent manager and agent, he handled Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Led Zeppelin, among many others. As a movie producer, he was instrumental in getting Robert Altman's masterpiece Nashville made, and he also produced Soderbergh's Ocean's 11 and its sequels. His memoir, written with coauthor Cohen, takes us all the way back to Weintraub's early days as an entrepreneurial youth; it's written in a personable, anecdotal style, as though Weintraub were just chatting with us about his life. In style and structure, the book is reminiscent of Sit, Ubu, Sit (2008), by television producer—and Weintraub's fellow Brooklynite—Gary David Goldberg. It's not a tightly organized, chronological recounting of a man's life but, rather, a series of episodes that illuminate the life of a very interesting fella. Fascinating reading for those interested in Hollywood behind the cameras. Copyright 2010 Booklist Reviews.

Copyright 2010 Booklist Reviews.
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LJ Express Reviews

A self-proclaimed hustler from the Bronx, NY, Weintraub worked his way up in show business with his driving ambition and an apparent ability to attract powerful men as mentors, including former president George H.W. Bush and the legendary Lew Wasserman, one of the most successful men in the entertainment industry. Weintraub began his rise via the mail room of the William Morris talent agency. Eventually, he became a producer as well as a talent agent, representing Frank Sinatra and John Denver (who fired him) and such offbeat personalities as chess champion Bobby Fischer. He admits that this is neither a biography nor a memoir but an account of his overweening need to succeed. Weintraub offers little insight into himself and those with whom he worked, and his perhaps deservedly large ego is reflected throughout. Verdict While sporadically interesting and occasionally humorous, this is, at bottom, little more than a name-dropping brag sheet. Its potential audience seems limited.-Roy Liebman, California State Univ., Los Angeles Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.

Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.
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PW Annex Reviews

Hollywood power player Weintraub, now 72, is always in control and goes to great lengths to prove it: besides having managed musical legends like Presley, Sinatra and John Denver ("I cooked [him] from scratch"), Weintraub once closed a deal by faking a heart attack, and won the respect of one of Chicago's most powerful men, Arthur Wirtz, when he cursed Wirtz out for making him wait (Wirtz would go on to become one of Weintraub's mentors). Weintraub's also produced plays, TV shows, movies (from Nashville to the Ocean's 11 franchise), and more, summing up his talent simply: "When I believe in something, it's going to get done." Edgy and honest but refreshingly spare in his criticism of stars, colleagues and family, Weintraub can be forgiven for glossing over speed bumps in his career (one failed business lost $30 million before it closed in the mid-'80s) and occasionally showing his age with wandering rumination. As Weintraub repeatedly states, he is not a star, which perhaps that explains the disappointing omission of photos. Still, with a bold voice, a storied career, and a cast of superstars, his memoir makes a rousing insider tour of some five decades in the entertainment industry. (Apr.) Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.

Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.
Powered by Content Cafe

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Weintraub, J., & Cohen, R. (2010). When I stop talking, you'll know I'm dead: useful stories from a persuasive man (First edition.). Twelve.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Weintraub, Jerry and Rich. Cohen. 2010. When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead: Useful Stories From a Persuasive Man. New York, NY: Twelve.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Weintraub, Jerry and Rich. Cohen. When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead: Useful Stories From a Persuasive Man New York, NY: Twelve, 2010.

Harvard Citation (style guide)

Weintraub, J. and Cohen, R. (2010). When I stop talking, you'll know I'm dead: useful stories from a persuasive man. First edn. New York, NY: Twelve.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Weintraub, Jerry., and Rich Cohen. When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead: Useful Stories From a Persuasive Man First edition., Twelve, 2010.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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