Wild and Crazy Guys: How the Comedy Mavericks of the '80s

Wild and Crazy Guys: How the Comedy Mavericks of the '80s Changed Hollywood Forever

The behind-the-scenes story of the iconic funnymen who ruled '80s Hollywoodâ€”Bill Murray, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and Eddie Murphyâ€”and the beloved films that made them stars, includingÂ Animal House, Caddyshack, and Ghostbusters

â€œAn enjoyable romp that vividly captures the manic ups and downs of the remarkable group of funny folk who gave us a golden age of small and big screen comedy, fromÂ SNLÂ toÂ Groundhog Day.â€â€”Peter Biskind,Â author ofÂ Easy Riders, Raging Bulls

Wild and Crazy Guys opens in 1978 with Chevy Chase and Bill Murray taking bad-tempered swings at each other backstage at Saturday Night Live, and closes 21 years later with the two doing a skit in the same venue, poking fun at each other, their illustrious careers, triumphs and prat falls. In between, Nick de Semlyen takes us on a trip through the tumultuous '80s, delving behind the scenes of movies such as National Lampoon's Vacation, Beverly Hills Cop, The Blues Brothers, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and dozens more. Chronicling the off-screen, larger-than-life antics of Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, John Belushi, John Candy, and Rick Moranis, it's got drugs, sex, punch-ups, webbed toes, and Bill Murray being pushed into a swimming pool by Hunter S. Thompson while tied to a lawn chair. What's not to like?

Based on candid interviews from many of the stars themselves, as well as those in their immediate orbit, including directors John Landis, Carl Reiner, and Amy Heckerling, Wild and Crazy Guys is a fantastic insider account of the friendships, feuds, triumphs, and disasters experienced by these beloved comedians. Hilarious and revealing, it is both a hidden history of the most fertile period ever for screen comedy and a celebration of some of the most popular films of all time.

Praise for Wild and Crazy Guys

â€œEminently readable . . . Children of the 1980s, take note:Â this is a fond, engrossing look back at the making of movies that became cultural touchstones.â€â€”BooklistÂ (starred review)

â€œNick de Semlyen smartly charts the pinballing career paths of the stars of this new comic wave. . . . His punchy, nonstop narrative . . . tells a [story] where art and commerce smash hard against each other, sometimes causing destruction, but sometimes making sparks fly.â€â€”The Sunday Times (UK)
Country USA
Brand Crown Archetype
Manufacturer Crown Archetype
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber Illustrations, unspecified
ReleaseDate 2019-05-28
EANs 9781984826640

Country	USA
Brand	Crown Archetype
Manufacturer	Crown Archetype
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	Illustrations, unspecified
ReleaseDate	2019-05-28
EANs	9781984826640

Wild and Crazy Guys: How the Comedy Mavericks of the '80s Changed Hollywood Forever

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