One Lucky Bastard: Tales from Tinseltown

by Roger Moore

Overview

In a career that spans over seven decades, Roger Moore has been at the very heart of Hollywood. Of course, he’s an actor and has starred in films that have made him famous the world over; but he’s also a tremendous prankster, joker and raconteur. Despite the fact that he is well known as one of the nicest guys in the business, on and off the screen he has always been up for some fun.

In this fabulous collection of true stories from his stellar career, Moore lifts the lid on the movie business, from Hollywood to Pinewood.  One Lucky Bastard features outrageous tales from his own life and career as well as those told to him by a host of stars and filmmakers including, Tony Curtis, Sean Connery, Michael Caine, David Niven, Frank Sinatra, Gregory Peck, John Mills, Peter Sellers, Michael Winner, Cubby Broccoli, and many more. Wonderfully entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny, these extraordinary tales from the world of the movies is vintage Moore at his very best.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493007974
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	10/21/2014
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Sir Roger Moore is best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films between 1973 and 1985 and for his role as Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint. Born in London in 1927, he became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1991 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003.

Read an Excerpt

On lunch at the commissary at Pinewood Studios:

 “Prior to the lunch break each day, one of the carpenters or electricians would usually go down to the canteen to get a copy of the typed menu for the day, bring it back to the set for the crew to place their orders. On one particular day, an electrician produced the menu which offered: fried Spam and chips; cold Spam and salad, Rissoles and a couple of other items ... only the “R” on the old typewriter wasn’t working correctly and instead printed as a “P”.

“OK then,” said the spark to the formidable canteen manageress. “We’ll have three Spam and chips, four Pissoles and chips ...”

“What did you say?” she snapped.

“Four Pissholes ...”

“That is an R, an R – did you hear me?”

“Oh, sorry,” he replied and without missing a beat continued with, “We’ll have three Spam and chips and four R-soles and chips, please.”  

 

Table of Contents

Foreword 7

Introduction 11

Chapter 1 The Fun-and Feisty-Leading Ladies 17

Chapter 2 The Pinewood Years 47

Chapter 3 Stage-struck 91

Chapter 4 On-set Tales 113

Chapter 5 The Good Guys (and a Few Rascals) 139

Chapter 6 The Rat Pack 181

Chapter 7 The Creative Geniuses 199

Chapter 8 The Producers 229

Postscript 255

In Closing… 259

Acknowledgments 263

Picture Credits 264

Index 265

Editorial Reviews

11/10/2014
This collection of random anecdotes, repurposed jokes and tales of the many personages of Moore's vast acquaintance is as genial as it is superfluous. The 86-year-old former James Bond and star of the ‘60s British television show The Saint reels off a series of droning accounts, though many are third hand, such as a wheezy tale of Bette Davis' wit, circa 1931. With disjointed timelines and out-of-date references to past Hollywood hot spots like Ciro's and minor celebrities such as Don Rickles, the lack of structure gives the feel of this as a ghostwritten grab-bag of names and notions that didn't fit into his first two works of autobiography. To his credit, Moore makes no pretension about his own acting talents, nor does he exaggerate his celebrity status. He's an amiable raconteur, though his tales of yachting hijinks on the French Riviera are rarefied enough that Moore is really discussing glory days that will resonate with only the most hardcore fans of the Bond franchise and British actors of the 1960s. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

As you would expect from an actor who's never taken himself too seriously, One Lucky Bastard is charming and breezy, full of anecdotes, self-deprecating observations and salutes to many great actors who are no longer with us. . . .I loved every minute of it.

New York Post

"Roger Moore is as debonair on the page as he is on screen."
—Boston Globe

From the Publisher

As you would expect from an actor who's never taken himself too seriously, One Lucky Bastard is charming and breezy, full of anecdotes, self-deprecating observations and salutes to many great actors who are no longer with us.. . .I loved every minute of it.

New York Post

It's a breezy memoir filled with amusing anecdotes, including a delicious one about Joan Collins.

Daily News

Well-known actor Roger Moore proves he’s a worthy raconteur in this follow-up to his previous memoir. With self-deprecation on full display, this former James Bond provides mostly salacious recollections, often thirdhand, of a lengthy show business career on both sides of the Pond. Derek Perkins’s droll and cheeky narration suits the content and the British vocal style one associates with Moore. Setting a deliberate pace, Perkins deftly modulates his tone and creates a flawless performance. Nonetheless, this series of disjointed anecdotes will appeal primarily to Moore’s fans and those who enjoy scandalous recollections of old Hollywood. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2015 - AudioFile