…admire the good humor and gusto with which Walsh narrates his rocky path through the entertainment world. - Publishers Weekly
Joseph Walsh wrote the best gambling movie ever, California Split, and now he’s out with a spectacularly entertaining Hollywood memoir… - Ben Mankiewicz, Film critic/ host of TCM
Walsh’s wonderfully funny memoir of showbiz, gambling and the Hollywood elite, is one exciting roller coaster ride - whether dealing with hostile bookmakers looking to break legs - disastrous theatrical auditions - or a harrowing, near-death encounter with a bottle-slashing thug. From New York’s #1 child star in early TV, to ‘has-been’ by 18, back to ‘Hollywood somebody’, this true-life adventure will keep you smiling, then holding your breath, then laughing out loud.
Undaunted by a fading career, Walsh’s love of ‘action’ would intensify, giving rise to the obsessional belief that he was the greatest football handicapper known to man. Tapping his childhood friend, Elliott Gould, for his last 60 bucks, they would go on to destroy their first bookmaker for thousands, on a once-in-a-lifetime winning streak. Little did Walsh know it would lead him to the brink of death, and into ‘escape from New York’ mode. Arriving in Hollywood with hopes of cashing in on earlier fame, he quickly discovered Tinseltown had no interest in the kid who had starred with Danny Kaye in Hans Christian Andersen and Kirk Douglas in The Juggler.
Hanging tough, this never-say-die street kid would go on to eventually shine again - working with such notables as Steven Spielberg, Robert Altman, Elliott Gould, George Segal, Jack Nicholson, Robert Mitchum, Frank Sinatra, Gregory Peck, including memorable encounters with John Huston and Elvis Presley.
His destiny would be fulfilled when he turned his life experiences into the gambling film classic California Split. Anyone looking for an awesome comeback story, guided by grit and grace, is in for a real treat!
Quite a life. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, riveting and just so damn good I was sorry it came to an end.
Alan Ladd, Jr. / Former President of 20th Century Fox Pictures and Chairman & CEO of MGM Pictures, Academy Award
Winning Producer of Braveheart & Chariots of Fire.
It’s extremely entertaining. Walsh has led an incredible life.
Peter Gethers / Penguin Random House
…a gold mine about a one of a kind human being and indefatigable spirit you gotta love.
Elliott Gould / Actor
