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When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead

Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man

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When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead

By: Jerry Weintraub, Rich Cohen
Narrated by: Jerry Weintraub
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About this listen

 Here is the story of Jerry Weintraub: the self-made, Brooklyn-born, Bronx-raised impresario, Hollywood producer, legendary deal maker, and friend of politicians and stars. No matter where nature has placed him--the club rooms of Brooklyn, the Mafia dives of New York's Lower East Side, the wilds of Alaska, or the hills of Hollywood--he has found a way to put on a show and sell tickets at the door. "All life was a theater and I wanted to put it up on a stage," he writes. "I wanted to set the world under a marquee that read: 'Jerry Weintraub Presents.'"

In When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead, we follow Weintraub from his first great success at age twenty-six with Elvis Presley, whom he took on the road with the help of Colonel Tom Parker; to the immortal days with Sinatra and Rat Pack glory; to his crowning hits as a movie producer, starting with Robert Altman and Nashville, continuing with Oh, God!, The Karate Kid movies, and Diner, among others, and summiting with Steven Soderbergh and Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen.

Along the way, we'll watch as Jerry moves from the poker tables of Palm Springs (the games went on for days), to the power rooms of Hollywood, to the halls of the White House, to Red Square in Moscow and the Great Palace in Beijing-all the while counseling potentates, poets, and kings, with clients and confidants like George Clooney, Bruce Willis, George H. W. Bush, Armand Hammer, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, John Denver, Bobby Fischer . . .well, the list goes on forever.

And of course, the story is not yet over . . .as the old-timers say, "The best is yet to come."

As Weintraub says, "When I stop talking, you'll know I'm dead."

With wit, wisdom, and the cool confidence that has colored his remarkable career, Jerry chronicles a quintessentially American journey, one marked by luck, love, and improvisation. The stories he tells and the lessons we learn are essential, not just for those who love movies and music, but for businessmen, entrepreneurs, artists . . . everyone. Direction & Production Entertainment & Celebrities Entertainment & Performing Arts Film & TV Celebrity Business Entertainment Inspiring Biography Russia

Critic Reviews

"Now, I could tell you stories about Jerry, but Jerry is the first and best to tell them. He's funny and grumpy and perfectly inappropriate. When it comes to work, nobody works harder. When it comes to charities, nobody guilts better. And when it comes to friendship, he has no peers. That's Jerry's great talent. He doesn't just light up a room, he lights it on fire. He's a great producer, a great organizer, a great friend, and truly the greatest showman on earth."—George Clooney
"He's somebody from another age."—Elliott Gould
All stars
Most relevant
I really enjoyed this book. Stories about seeing opportunities and taking risk while enjoying the ride of life.

Excellent

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Exceptional life lessons packaged in great fun, highly recommend! Really worth a listen/ read, enjoy the ride !

Brilliant!

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Didn’t know much about Jerry before picking up this book, but the lessons in his stories are amazing and the impact through his attitude and dedication was nothing less than amazing. Highly recommended.

Thoroughly enjoyable

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I will recommend this book to friends and family.
Really enjoyed it from start to finish.

Great story

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. Everyone must read this book at least once.

What did you like best about this story?

It showcased a man who had lived life to the fullest and achieved all his dreams.

What does Jerry Weintraub bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Listening to him in audio felt like you were at a dinner table with him and he was telling you the story of his life as his friend.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me go on an emotional rollercoaster and genuinely made me feel like I was his friend.

Any additional comments?

This book is not only made for the people aspiring to make it in Hollywood but if you want to listen to a man who has lived a life of truly legendary status, and is allowing us to enter into his life and find out what made him successful, this is a great book.

Too much of golden nuggets to handle in one book

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