Damn Glad to Meet You: My Seven Decades in the Hollywood Trenches

by Tim Matheson

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"If you know Tim Matheson, odds are it's as Eric "Otter" Stratten, known for the iconic line "Damn glad to meet you" in Animal House-the National Lampoon's iconic, endlessly imitated raunch comedy that imprinted at least three generations with all kinds of terrible ideas of what college was going to be like. But that's not the only time Matheson has graced our screens-in fact, FAR from it. A longtime pro actor in Hollywood, Matheson was a contract player in the studio system. He's been an show more on-screen favorite all the way back to Leave It to Beaver, then on classic TV like Hawaii 5.0, The West Wing, Ironside, Kung Fu, Medical Center, Police Story, Adam 12, and Night Gallery, as well as films like Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry vehicle Magnum Force, National Lampoon's Van Wilder, the Chevy Chase comedy smash Fletch, and the role of Carol Brady's "presumed-dead" husband in A Very Brady Sequel. What's more, he's far from slowing down in his career; he's enjoying a fifth season as Vernon "Doc" Mullins on the Netflix smash hit, Virgin River. He's old school Hollywood and, at some point or another, he's crossed paths and collaborated with, quite literally, everyone. In this memoir, Matheson reveals what it was like to learn from and work alongside everyone from Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, Dick Van Dyke, and Debbie Reynolds to Chevy Chase, Mel Brooks, John Belushi, Steve Martin, John Candy, Chris Farley, Ryan Reynolds, and so many more. In addition to sharing his favorite stories from behind-the-scenes of his most iconicprojects, he also talks about how he transitioned from acting to directing, the time he bought (and then sold) National Lampoon with a business partner in the '90s, and how his recurring role as Vice President Hoynes on The West Wing nabbed him not justone, but TWO nominations for "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series" at the Primetime Emmy Awards. Thoughtful, heartfelt, and filled to the brim with fun stories of the ever-changing entertainment industry, you're gonna be "damn glad" you read this fascinating memoir"-- show less

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4 reviews
Tim Matheson is an actor whose work I've enjoyed over the years, is a fast, easy read, covering his time as a kid actor to the present. Probably best known for playing Otter in "Animal House," he takes the reader through the good and bad times a working actor/director faces. He writes a lot about needing to reinvent himself as he outgrows certain types of roles while wanting to improve his performances and break out of typecasting. Peppered through the book is acting advice, something not relevant for me but enjoyable none the less.
Entertaining book. Enjoyed the stories of Matheson's initial acting experiences. His work at Desilu, with Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda. His work with Belushi in Animal House and the work on the West Wing. I especially enjoyed seeing his mention of John Burroughs High School and his time living in Burbank, California. There is good background on the back stories of Hollywood, the directing and so forth. The book is recommended for those who enjoy biographies of motion picture or television stars.

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Original publication date
2024

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Genres
Biography & Memoir, Nonfiction
DDC/MDS
792.02Arts & recreationRecreation, sports, and performing artsStage presentationsmodified standard subdivisionsTechniques, procedures, apparatus, equipment, materials, miscellany
LCC
PN2287 .M54283 .A3Language and LiteratureLiterature (General)Literature (General)DramaDramatic representation. The theaterSpecial regions or countries
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