Self-Amused: A Tell-Some Memoir

Review\n"A memoir by a TV legend's son that includes analysis of the changing media landscape as well as a great many jokes. ... The author did have an unusually varied professional life outside of Candid Camera, however, including stints as a radio editor, freelancer for the New York Times and a brief interlude as a pine cone and cattail wholesaler. ... There are also several touching anecdotes about Funt rescuing cats; about how Fred Rogers, of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood fame, turned a Candid Camera appearance into a public appeal to help the homeless ... A fun read for Candid Camera fans..." —Kirkus Reviews\n"This book is a must read! I haven't read it, but someone might." -Howie Mandel"When Peter told me I was in his book, I didn't realize I'd have to read all the way to Chapter 15 to see what he wrote. This book is funny, but it really needs an index." -Ray Romano"Peter Funt's collection of stories, memories and misfit adventures is insightful, hilarious, and just plain fun. I loved following Peter's journey and I'm honored to be a part of it!" -Mayim Bialik"Making a fool of myself on 'Candid Camera' in high school had as big an impact on my career as did Buster Keaton and Lenny Bruce. After reading this book, I'm reminded that Peter was quite the fool himself." -Richard Lewis\nBased on a lifetime doing TV's original reality show, "Candid Camera," as well as experiences from an insane number of odd jobs, Self-Amused offers laughs, loves and "Candid Camera" secrets, with zero universality.
Peter Funt is surely the only person to ever be profiled in The New York Times while also writing for The Times, and at the same time selling copies of The Times on street corners. He was an award-winning journalist at ABC News, launched a national magazine that reached 1.5 million circulation-and also sold birthday cakes, dried flowers and restaurant placemats on which he printed news reports.
Against the advice of lawyers, Peter argued a case on Court TV. He foolishly hit Cybill Shepherd with a four-layer cake, and sat next to Clint Eastwood on a private jet as Clint cuddled a baby pig. He spent a day with Mickey Mantle and painted a billboard on a highway outside Denver. Peter's bookkeeper stole $250,000 and his house was twice burglarized. He's rescued three cats and one crow, kidnapped a baby deer, and battled raccoons. Dad Allen Funt once painted Peter white from head to toe and had him pose as a Roman statue in an art gallery. He also ordered Peter to hang from a 10-foot ceiling so people might think they were in an "upside-down room."
Peter says he's most proud of an award from a plumbing supply company, declaring the famous slogan "Smile, you're on Candid Camera" the most popular graffiti above restroom urinals.
BONUS: Self-Amused comes with a free download of 15 "Candid Camera" sequences.\nFrom the Author\nI figured that during the pandemic, sheltered and cooped up Americans would create a baby boom. It never happened. In California, for example, births in 2021 are expected to be about 50,000 fewer than in 2020. There was, however, a boom in books. According to Publishers Marketplace, which tracks book deals, memoir acquisitions were up about 9 percent in 2020. Among the first to land contracts were actors Michael J. Fox, Billy Dee Williams and Hayley Mills. Soon, PBS reporter Yamiche Alcindor and retired Nascar driver Bill Lester had sold their stories, as had country music superstar Dolly Parton. Willie Nelson got deals for two memoirs. As the pandemic wore on, former National Football League coach Bill Cowher signed a memoir deal, as did actors Stanley Tucci and Julianna Margulies. Alone at my kitchen table day after day, I decided to give it a try. I found the notion of putting my life into a book so totally amusing that I titled it "Self-Amused." Then, as I pushed ahead I discovered there was too much to cover, so I subtitled it, "A Tell-Some Memoir." Voila! My first draft didn't get far with family a