Download or read book Eighty Is Not Enough written by Dick Van Patten and published by Phoenix Books. This book was released on 2009-11-01 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In his riveting memoir, beloved actor Dick Van Patten reflects on his prolific career, vibrant life, and the people who shaped both. From growing up during the Great Depression when poverty and racially biased ideologies dominated America, to witnessing the advent of television and its subsequent influence on culture, Dick Van Patten’s life is a rich record of change and progress in America and Hollywood. He commenced his career by lighting up the Great White Way as a child star alongside Broadway staples such as Tallulah Bankhead, Melvyn Douglas, Alfred Lunt, and Lynn Fontanne, early influences who fueled his relentless thirst for acting and stardom. Although perhaps best known for his role playing the mild mannered “every-dad” in 70s sitcom Eight Is Enough, Dick Van Patten has appeared in thousands of television, film, and radio roles viewed by millions of people. Van Patten divulges anecdotes, both amusing and emotional, that paint a fuller picture of many eminent entertainment idols. He chronicles throwing back drinks with notorious Hollywood producer Robert Evans, forming his family’s close friendship with pop icon Farrah Fawcett, rooming with the legendary Burt Lancaster, and living next door to the eccentric Michael Jackson and clan, just to name a few. Van Patten encountered struggles with family, gambling, and the fickleness of Hollywood. Retaining his signature optimistic outlook, even in the face of tragedy and admitted mistakes, shaped his experiences and allowed him to appreciate the simpler parts of life. Eighty Is Not Enough provides a look back on the evolution of entertainment in a manner rarely glimpsed—straight from the man who has experienced it all.