Jack Douglas (1) (1908–1989)

I suspect that The Jewish-Japanese Sex & Cook Book and How to Raise Wolves was probably very funny when it came out in 1972. It's well written, that's obvious, but this is a sense of humor that I don't think has aged very well. It's worth a read just to say you've read it. It's worth a read for the descriptions of wolves and Mr. Douglas' thoughts on nature and ecological issues.

It's difficult for me to decide whether or not this book is any good. Part of the problem is that I haven't read show more any of Mr. Douglas' other work to compare. I have no idea if this is considered one of his better works or not. Knowing that would help me judge it. show less

Jack Douglas blunders forward in his hilarious, ill-fated search for the perfect place to live. This time wanderlust and typical Douglas logic lures him to, whereelse, the jungles of the Amazon where a giant anaconda with a taste for Volkswagens and a plantation full of leaky rubber trees are the least of the worries confronting the Douglas clan. Barritos, Brazil, used to be a quiet town. The neighbors were a little out of the ordinary, admittedly, by Jack Douglas, his paitent Japannese wife show more Reiko, and their two adventerous sons soon leaerned to get along with the willful nut baron and his feline, gun-toting wife; the sacrificing witch doctor; the local priest, fresh from Hollywood and his band of undulating converts; an over sexed pygmy king; even the platoon of goose-stepping Cubans drilling for teh revolution in the backyard swamp. Only when the curvaceous Dr. Victoria Ramsey arrives, hot from the States and fanatically determined to save the Brazilians from the population explosion, do things begin to go completely haywire. How does a man explain, delicately, to a luscuious M.D., that the fun-loving natives will continue to wear the funny round pieces of rubber on their toes until she demonstrates otherwise? As with all Douglas books, this one has its share of wit and humor. The pattern of his writing is certainly established at this point and that structure required of a Douglas book begins to grow weary. THe puns and countless references to bosoms are all good and fine but this one almost felt phoned it and even for DOuglas, a little ridiculous. The characters are sketched out but done so rather crudely, even Reiko comes across as 2-D in this one, with misspelled Japanese words to boot. The book is fine, easy-reading and a decent distraction but not the best of Douglas' works and certainly not the best humor book I have read. show less

Jack Douglas was a writer of jokes and monologues for Jack Paar. This is a sort of memoir, but is heavy on the punch lines. Apparently it keep over 2,000,000 Americans amused for long enough to buy the book. It wasn't bad, but not Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, or Spike Milligan.

A comedy writer, his family and odd inner circle of drunken friends who make up the Honansville Ecology Club, undergo a project to reintroduce his wolf to the wild. Jack Douglas, who wrote for Laugh-In and made numerous appearances on the earlier Jack Paar show, loved wolves and adopted his latest. After a time, he decided he needed to free it in Canada so got a female mate amazingly suggested by his Japanese wife. Douglas wrote a number of books including The Neighbors Are Scaring My Wolf show more and Shut Up and Eat Your Snowshoes. He and dancer wife Reiko had an act together in the late 1950s. But his books, shamefully long out of print, were his main claim to immortality. I loved them back when they were coming out, I'm glad this fell into my hands so I could reintroduce myself to Jack's family and experiences. Funny stuff, great reading. show less