(Reviewed by Don Jung)
This memoir is a dazzling look into the wild and bizarre life of the talented Phil Proctor. While he is known as one of the four founding members of the Firesign Theatre, his story is full of bits of his career where he meets most of the show business celebrities from the 1960s through this current century.
The story starts where he witnessed a bloody Chinatown massacre in San Francisco and how lucky he was to survive one of the first mass shootings in America. Then he goes back to his early New York City childhood, and how he got the showbiz bug, to where he made it to the drama department at Yale.
Phil relates stories that are full of “behind the scenes” from Broadway musicals to nationwide tours with Peter Bergman, which are filled with intrigue and hilarity. How the Firesign Theatre evolved is filled with humous bits where the four creative minds take comedy to extreme heights. Their comedy albums like “How can You Can Be Two Places At Once When You’re Not Anywhere At All” was ahead of its time and a prelude to the Saturday Night Live shows.
When their comedy albums were fading out. the Proctor and Bergman comedy team
went on national tours where they have many adventures and comedic events that
are entertaining to read. When not touring, Phil Proctor acted in many films and did
radio commercial spots. He also created radio shows for NPR as well as writing for
TV shows.
Phil is also established as a voice-over actor for Rugrats and other cartoon shows. We learn about his long career with the ups-and-downs of the entertainment industry but he always
has a laugh in his side pocket.
If you are fan of the 1960s – 1990s entertainment scene, you will enjoy Where’s My Fortune Cookie and reading about the who’s-who of show business.