Lights, Camera... Travel! On-The-Road Tales from Screen Storytellers

by Andrew McCarthy

Lights, Camera…Travel!

Since the Ancient Greeks, actors have been society’s storytellers. And ever since Hollywood first left the back lot, these storytellers have been traveling to far-flung corners of the world to tell those tales. We decided to ask some of the most widely traveled people in the film industry to sit down and tell us their own stories – personal, inspiring, funny, embarrassing and human experiences from their time on the road.

Featuring contributions by Alex Baldwin, Brooke Shields, Richard E. Grant, Neil LaBute, Bruce Beresford and Sandra Bernhard.

Edited by Andrew McCarthy (Pretty In Pink, St Elmo’s Fire, Less Than Zero), and Don George (A Moveable Feast, Tales from Nowhere, National Geographic contributing editor).

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Memoir, Essays

262 pages, ebook

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

Andrew McCarthy is a director, an award winning travel writer, and—of course—an actor. He made his professional début at 19 in Class, and has appeared in dozens of films, including such iconic movies as Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo’s Fire, Less Then Zero, and cult favorites Weekend At Bernie’s and Mannequin.

He has starred on Broadway and on television, most recently appearing in The Family, on ABC. McCarthy is also a highly regarded television director; having helmed Orange is the New Black, The Blacklist, Grace and Frankie, and many others.

Simultaneously, McCarthy is an award winning travel writer. He is an editor-at-large at National Geographic Traveler, and has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, Travel+Leisure, AFAR, Men’s Journal, Bon Appetit, and many others. He has received six Lowell Thomas awards, and been named Travel Journalist of the Year by The Society of American Travel Writers.

His travel memoir, THE LONGEST WAY HOME, became a New York Times Best Seller, and the Financial Times of London named it one of the Best Books of the year. He served as guest editor for the prestigious Best American Travel series in 2015.

His debut novel, JUST FLY AWAY, will be published by Algonquin in the spring of 2017.

McCarthy lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Ренета Кирова · Rating 4 out of 5]

С тези пътеписи си направих пътешествие по света и успях да почувствам какво е да снимаш филми на непознати места. Разказите на актьори, режисьори и сценаристи бяха приятни за четене. Направи ми впечатление, че американците са много придирчиви към местата, в които отсядат и мрънкат за условията и храната. Не че и ние не искаме да сме на хубави хотели, но малцина са тези, които могат да си позволят петзвездни места за отсядане. Към всеки пътепис имаше кратка биография за автора и с какво е известен. Липсваше ми снимков материал. Самите разкази бяха разнообразни и има за всекиго по нещо.

[Sir He-Man · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of these stories are not well written. The idea was to get actors or other people from the movie industry to write about their travel experiences, good or bad.

The only saving grace is the visual image of Brooke Shields eating seal fat and making an igloo in the Arctic. She's a terrible writer but it was amusing.

Most of these stories come across as whiny.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had this book on my phone, I like sort stories to read while I’m waiting in line or at appointments, and this looked interesting. Who better to have interesting stories of their travels around the world than people who make movies and go to exotic locations, right? Well, I was bored really. Honestly this probably should get fewer stars, but some of the stories started out really great, but then they just ended-sometimes with no warning. It was almost like when you have to write a 500 word essay for class and when you get close you just end the story without resolving the plot. That’s what a lot of these felt like. The last story was about someone’s kid who pooped his pants while rafting in India. She tried to turn it into the whole experience will outweigh the embarrassment thing. No it won’t, and you made sure by writing it down and sharing that story with everyone. A fitting ending to a poopy collection.

[Suzanne Fournier · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of travel stories from those who work in the film industry, including John Seale, Richard E Grant and Andrea Martin.

I really enjoy these Lonely Planet collections, I borrowed this copy from my local library and it seems that I might be the only person who's read it. There's such a wide variety of experiences, perspectives and locations. Particularly enjoyed Honeymooning with Sharks, Egyptian Magic and A Shaggy Dog Tale . These collections always expand my 'to-read' list by adding new authors I wouldn't have encountered otherwise.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

These short travel stories by some famous and not so famous people. There is a least one near death experience, some more pretty miserable experiences and some pretty wonderful experiences. The book does give you glimpses into parts of the world that you may not ever visit and is interesting for that reason alone. I, however, prefer longer travelogues that give you a better feel for the places and people. So I cannot rate this higher then 3 stars.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of these stories were very good, the one who travelled around the world. Others were okay Stephanie March's trip to India and Dana Delaney's about the Amazon. Still other like Alec Baldwins which was about moving to LA and didn't involve travel at all weren't good at all.

[Lisa Hall · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book is a compilation of stories from professional storytellers, yet most are boring, short on description and short on emotional impact. Very disappointing.

[Adam Della Rocca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good stories but not as curated as I felt it could have been. Just read it on a whim as was waiting for another book to arrive.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

As this is an anthology, a single rating really doesn't do it justice. Stories ranged from the superb (Malcolm McDonald, Bill Bennett, Stephanie March) to the wonderfully good (Brooke Shields, Anthony Sattin) to the abysmal (not naming names). There were also a few places that were downright offensive, such as a passage that just had to refer to race when describing the laziness of a local and another in which the writer punctuated her long-held wish of being Jewish by listing some of the qualities she shared--all negative stereotypes, of course. Yet, there are some true gems to be found within this volume. But, do I agree with the editors' contention that actors are the best storytellers? Not really, although some are indeed exceptional. I did find, however, that the scouting agents had some terrific stories and this did give me a new-found appreciation for the job. Other than that, the reason the stories held my interest was NOT because of WHO told them; rather, it was because of the anticipation of the place we would be visiting next through its pages.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I'm a fan of travel anthologies and always enjoy the Best American series. But this series felt somewhat lacking. A well-edited series will have a story arc this this collection was lacking. In the interview interview that caused me to purchase the book, Andrew McCarthy talked about how after he reminded his friends/contact to submit, a rush of submissions came in right away. His feeling was that it was their fabulous and fast writing skills that saved the deadline. I put it down to a rush job.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really a fan if this read. As one who rarely puts down a book unfinished, I couldn't get past page 150 or so. While some of the stories were great, taking you to new places where you can almost taste the food and see the people... Others were poorly written, falling short of the point. About halfway through come too many tales of difficult travels or failed film attempts in the Middle East, where two or three would have done fine. From there I lost my thirst to go on. Glad I bought it as a "nook daily deal" for $1.99.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this collection of short stories enough, but I had to read it in small doses. Sometimes the writing just didn't grab me and other times I really had no interest in the place I was reading about. But for a free Nook Book, it was good!

[Habiba Nabila · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's kinda boring.I was expecting more...

[Jod · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read, my favorite essay was by Anthony Edwards.

[John Orman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little review of travel stories by some celebrities--Dana Delany (Brazil), Alec Balwin (Los Angeles), and Brooke Shields (Arctic). Could use some more exciting details of their adventures.

[Marlene Leblanc · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book containing short stories of various travels would have been rated higher if the language had been cleaned up.

[Phil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Series of essays by folks variously related to the entertainment industry. Some interesting, some not.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

The quality of the stories varied widely.

Book really rates 3.5 stars, but have put it up to 4 on the basis of Brooke Shields' story about building an igloo in the arctic.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. Reading the blurb had me anticipatory of interesting, meaty tales and anecdotes. Instead it's a mishmash of very brief, oddly assembled and poorly edited sets of words. Not pleased.

[Virginieadam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually not a huge fan of short-stories, but these were original, well-written, candid tales.