My Happy Days in Hollywood (44 page)

T
HERE ARE ALWAYS
many people to thank when a book is published, and now is my time to do that. I would like to thank my book agent, Amy Rennert, for taking the first meeting with my daughter Lori in San Francisco. Amy has been our enthusiastic champion from the very beginning, and her loyalty has always encouraged us and never waivered. Amy found us the wonderful team at Random House’s division of Crown Archetype where John Glusman started the book and then gave it to our new editor, Mary Choteborsky, who finished it. I am so grateful to everyone at Random House and Crown, including Campbell Wharton, for being so supportive of my book.

Closer to home, I want to thank my former assistants Diane Frazen and Barbara Nabozny, my current executive assistant Heather Hall and everyone at Henderson Productions, especially Kimberly Arnold, and the Falcon Theatre who helped with this book. My staff knows that I always have several projects going on at once, and they remain unflappable and dedicated to this book from beginning to end. I also want to thank the mysterious Yankee fan and the shnorrer, too. Many people often ask me why I never did just one profession, but instead chose to write, direct, produce, and act throughout my career. The answer is within the pages of this book. I never would have had so much to write about if I had just stuck with one career. The truth is I have never suffered from a moment’s boredom since watching the movie
Gaslight
when I was ten years old.

Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Barbara Sue Wells, my three kids, their spouses, and my six grandchildren. My happy days in front of the camera have been equaled and surpassed by our laughs just sitting around the dinner table. Whenever we go out to a restaurant, other patrons often point and stare because we have so much fun together. It is priceless to see the little kids laugh when I put a white napkin over my head in a fancy bistro and become the invisible man. I never wanted to change the world but rather to entertain the world. To know that I could make my own family chuckle is all a dad and grandpa could ask for.