Status
Available
Call number
Publication
New York : Penguin, 2005, c2003.
Description
"Richard is a 17-year-old kid from New Jersey with the gift of the gab and an eye for the ladies. He s bored with school and dreams of making it big in the dazzling world of 1930s Manhattan. Miraculously, he bumps into Orson Welles outside the yet-to-open Mercury Theatre a week before Welles history-making production of Julius Caesar, and is hired on the spot for a walk-on part. Suddenly Richard finds himself a heady world of high-stakes theatre and highly-strung celebrities, swapping bawdy jokes with Joe the Fertilizer Cotten, sweet-talking the gorgeous production assistant Sonja, attempting to master the ukulele, staying up all night and lying to his mother. But this is the world of the colossally talented, fearsomely charming, ruthless and ambitious Orson Welles, and by the end of the week, Richard must decide if this is really the world where he wants to live."… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member robotnik
My disbelief has limits: one too many dewy starlets fall for the nerdy young narrator in this coming-of-age tale. That said, Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater circa 1937 are entertainingly drawn. If you think of this as Spider-man with Welles in the role of radioactive spider, you won't go far
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wrong. Show Less
LibraryThing member ajramsden
A page turning coming-of-age tale with a theatrical and historical backdrop set in pre-war, Depression-era New York City, Me and Orson Welles is the story of Richard Samuels, a 17-years-old so in love with everything about the entertainment industry that he is constantly singing his favorite hits,
Many teens will enjoy the story’s humor as well as Richard’s honest dreams to live a life bigger than his imagination. The period details might add an extra level of fascination for anyone interested in theater, with the name-dropping of several actors and industry insiders of the day. As an extra bonus, the book has recently been made into a not yet released movie, starring current teen heartthrob Zac Efron, which should bring about new interest in the title.
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quoting lines from his favorite shows, and doing his best Hollywood impressions as if an “imaginary camera” were following him around in his ordinary New Jersey high school life. Richard’s favorite way of avoiding the mundane is through his little trips to Manhattan, where he finds inspiration in the museums, the music shops, and the general bustle of excitement of the New York arts scene. When Richard suddenly finds himself playing a bit part in Orson Welles’ new production of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, which opens in a week in the soon to be famous Mercury Theater, Richard’s life is thrown for a loop. Soon he is navigating schemes to skip school and get out of his regular job all while lying to everyone who knows him and falling in love with a beautiful production assistant. Richard casts the 22-year-old insanely ambitious Orson Welles as his mentor, but when his theater experience begins to conflict with Richard’s moral compass, he begins to wonder if he wants to follow in the footsteps of his role model. Many teens will enjoy the story’s humor as well as Richard’s honest dreams to live a life bigger than his imagination. The period details might add an extra level of fascination for anyone interested in theater, with the name-dropping of several actors and industry insiders of the day. As an extra bonus, the book has recently been made into a not yet released movie, starring current teen heartthrob Zac Efron, which should bring about new interest in the title.
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LibraryThing member kcslade
Good story of a young man involved with Orson Welles' early activities in NYC.
LibraryThing member LinkLuvor
Talent Only?
We are in New York, in 1937. Our hero, the 17-year-old aspiring Richard Samuels’ dream is to be an actor. While listening to the radio he feels that the world of celebrity is easily approachable for him. He is close to the truth: one day he finds himself face to face with the crew of
The book entertains us and stays true to reality at the same time: in the beginning, humor is provided by the character of Welles, but later he throws away the masque of every humanlike quality except his talent wrapping the critics and the whole crew of Mercury Theatre around his finger, including inexperienced Richard. And even the door of the radio studio read: Talent Only. So could the positive first impression and the influence of such a genius be enough to start the young actor’s career? Kaplow’s delightful but down-to-earth drama tells it to us.
We are in New York, in 1937. Our hero, the 17-year-old aspiring Richard Samuels’ dream is to be an actor. While listening to the radio he feels that the world of celebrity is easily approachable for him. He is close to the truth: one day he finds himself face to face with the crew of
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Mercury Theatre. After a neat compliment, few lines of singing and a well-composed answer Richard gets a small role in the soon-to-be-opened Julius Caesar. Robert Kaplow’s Me and Orson Welles shows us how the boy becomes an adult in a week and represents Welles’ ostentatious personality.The book entertains us and stays true to reality at the same time: in the beginning, humor is provided by the character of Welles, but later he throws away the masque of every humanlike quality except his talent wrapping the critics and the whole crew of Mercury Theatre around his finger, including inexperienced Richard. And even the door of the radio studio read: Talent Only. So could the positive first impression and the influence of such a genius be enough to start the young actor’s career? Kaplow’s delightful but down-to-earth drama tells it to us.
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LibraryThing member Dorritt
Given that this is being marketed as a coming-of-age tale, it probably doesn't bode well that the parts I disliked most were the bits about main character's coming-of-age!
Mind you, there are parts of this that I genuinely enjoyed: the dead-accurate period detail, the unapologetic depiction of Orson
And then there were the parts that irked me: the novel's self-absorbed teenage protagonist Robert, his obnoxious friends, the succession of starlets who throw themselves at him for no credible reason, the author's condescending tone towards women in general, and the novel's improbably pat ending. While Robert's obsession with sex may be realistic, his inability to view women as anything but potential conquests definitely undermines the author's attempt to portray him as an endearing innocent.
In a world full of coming-of-age stories, this one is neither particularly memorable nor endearing. However, clocking in at a mere 260 pages, this is a short and breezy read, and if you aren't too particular, I think many readers will find something to like in this lightweight tale.
Mind you, there are parts of this that I genuinely enjoyed: the dead-accurate period detail, the unapologetic depiction of Orson
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Welles at his most offensive and narcissistic, the glimpse into the business of producing a theater performance, the insights into Welles' enormous talent. Kaplow is at his best when recreating the authentic optimism and nostalgia of America in the 1940s, when the likes of Gershwin and Orson Welles ruled radio, and his depiction of Welles' legendary Julius Caesar is genuinely riveting.And then there were the parts that irked me: the novel's self-absorbed teenage protagonist Robert, his obnoxious friends, the succession of starlets who throw themselves at him for no credible reason, the author's condescending tone towards women in general, and the novel's improbably pat ending. While Robert's obsession with sex may be realistic, his inability to view women as anything but potential conquests definitely undermines the author's attempt to portray him as an endearing innocent.
In a world full of coming-of-age stories, this one is neither particularly memorable nor endearing. However, clocking in at a mere 260 pages, this is a short and breezy read, and if you aren't too particular, I think many readers will find something to like in this lightweight tale.
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LibraryThing member wordsampersand
3.5 stars.
It's light and breezy. The narrative revolves heavily around the "young man learns about life thanks to hero worship and sex" tropes, but the story occasionally surprised me in spots. There are some really nice moments. But I also thought it was pretty forgettable overall. That said, I
It's light and breezy. The narrative revolves heavily around the "young man learns about life thanks to hero worship and sex" tropes, but the story occasionally surprised me in spots. There are some really nice moments. But I also thought it was pretty forgettable overall. That said, I
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definitely enjoyed it. Show Less
LibraryThing member kslade
Great novel of a young man caught up in an early play in New York City with the young Orson Welles. It's a good movie too, but I read the book way before the film, which is not usually the case with me!
Subjects
Awards
Thurber Prize for American Humor (Finalist — 2004)
Paterson Fiction Prize (Finalist — 2004)
Language
Physical description
214 p.; 19 inches
ISBN
0143035223 / 9780143035220