Television Personalities - Biography

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

Name: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Author: Chuck Barris
ISBN: 9780743529389

by Chuck Barris, Chuck Barris (Read by)

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Overview

Suspense, excess, danger and exuberant fun come together in Chuck Barris' unlikely autobiography--the tale of a wildly flamboyant 1970s television producer, better known as the infamous host of The Gong Show. What most people don't know is that Barris allegedly spent close to two decades as a decorated covert assassin for the CIA.

Barris, who achieved tremendous success as the creator and producer of hit TV game shows such as The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game, claims to have joined the CIA as an agent in the early 1960s, infiltrated the Civil Rights movement, met with militant Muslims in Harlem, and traveled abroad in order to kill enemies of the United States.

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is now a movie directed by and starring George Clooney, with Sam Rockwell as the author, but the original story is wild and gripping, spiced with intrigue, sex, bad behavior and plenty of great one-liners. It is destined to become a classic.

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Editorials

Library Journal

Don earphones. Shield delicate ears. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind has sex, violence, and obscenities. As with his zany old TV productions (The Dating Game, The Gong Show), Barris tries to entertain. He describes his avocation as a CIA hit man, creating suspense, except one faux Raymond Chandler bit. The complete text includes his hilarious chase to Lisbon after an American beauty, added raunch, spoofs, and more. Nick Sullivan's phrasing in the unabridged program is smooth, sometimes underplaying foul words. The condensed version loses some humor but retains the author's ego. Even so, he freely admits failures. Barris's narration does not underplay; his voice is rougher. Some unshockable adults will be taken in by behind-the-scenes TV and CIA stories in either one of these audiobooks. For popular biography collections, it's a qualified thumbs up.-Gordon Blackwell, Eastchester, NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.