Charles Grodin got to be who he is with a lot of thought and caring!
I don’t know how many of you have seen Charles Grodin’s great comedic roles in The Heartbreak Kid or Midnight Run, but his performances are laugh-out-loud funny. What you may not know, is that he’s also a really great person who has spent much of the last 20 years giving back to those who need help–from the homeless (he is a major fundraiser for Help USA) to those who are suffering extremely long imprisonments under the felony murder rule.
We are so proud to have published HOW I GOT TO BE WHOEVER IT IS I AM, Chuck’s recent memoir that recounts the “teaching moments” in his life from his days in Hebrew School to his days as a talk show host. His stories are funny and revelatory. I am lucky enough to know Chuck; I’d like to introduce him to you through his book.
I’ve been shipping Charles Grodin’s books from the US to my tiny town on the west coast of Scotland for 17 years; he writes as he speaks and knows the value of words; through a deceptively simple style he is - as the lady says -utterly hilarious, not to mention perceptive, discrete and candid. The latest book underlines all of the above.
Why he didn’t at-least get an Oscar nomination for Midnight Run or The Heartbreak Kid goes with Peter O Toole’s Lawrence of Arabia omission, and I hope he can consider further film roles or screenwriting.
Forgive this one last point; Charles Grodin has continually discussed the relationship with his parents, and his implication is that he has somehow fallen short.
Based on what little I know of him from his books, I would argue that he has more than exceeded any parent’s expectations, and, as an after-after thought, can I add one last point;
My brother is a good man, but we have never got on especially-well; he is, without trying, almost exactly like the Bob de-Niro character in Midnight Run, and I, for my sins, have always been very-similar to the Charles Grodin character; (not the accounting embezzler bit; just the character.)
In a deranged way, that film has helped to maintain a strong bond with my brother which otherwise may not be there.
Art and literature and popular culture help people in marvelous unexpected ways, and though his own contribution to the melting pot, I offer Charles Grodin my own thanks.
By Frank Comiskey on Nov 4, 2009