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(More customer reviews)One thing Zmuda's book does that "Man on the Moon" did not is outline the M.O. for Andy's stunts, although it still doesn't really establish a reason for them. Of course, maybe there wasn't one. Andy tried to erase the boundary between comedy on the screen and comedy in the field, but whether or not there was a point to his efforts isn't completely decided in this book -- he still could have just been an idiot savant for all we know. The stories behind Andy's best-known antics are wonderful; he and Zmuda really did operate a precise machine of real-life theatre that, for better or worse, set a lot of precedents in show business. The Jerry Lawlor passage puts to rest one of the entertainment questions I've been wracking myself about for many years.
I also liked Zmuda's chapter on his adventures with Mr. X (btw, Mr. X is allegedly Norman Wexler, who wrote "Serpico" and "Saturday Night Fever," according to Roger Ebert); if it doesn't obviously show the inspiration for Tony Clifton, it's still a great story. But I also agree with many other readers that Zmuda intrudes a bit too much of his own biography upon the story of Kaufman's, and succumbs to cliches, and sometimes embarassing details, about his own sex/love lives too much for my taste.
I haven't read the other bio on Kaufman yet, but I suspect that seeing "Man on the Moon" and reading this book might provide you with a good summary of Kaufman's life and importance. Of course, what's really needed is a comprehensive video release of his television history -- a great idea would be a compilation of his appearances on "Saturday Night Live" and "Fridays" if such a deal could be worked out. Not a bad reference, and definitely an entertaining and quick, if flawed, read.
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