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Bunny Bunny: Gilda Radner: A Sort of Love Story
(Applause Books). In a series of funny, tender, and touching dialogues, former Saturday Night Live writer Zweibel recalls his buddy-and-almost-lover friendship with SNL actress Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer. Zweibel claims he "merely scribbled the dialogues playing in my head," and, indeed, these recreated conversations have a neurotic, sarcastic, and vulnerable air of aunthenticity. The actress and writer become fast friends on the SNL set and segue into personal revelation.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 23, 1994
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658 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
September 15, 2020
Touching book by comedy writer Alan Zweibel about his best friend Gilda Radner. They were kind of in a platonic romantic relationship that spanned their marriages to other people. Alan decided to write this book in a dialog joke form recreating conversations they’d have during the years. They are very sweet and amusing. It’s called Bunny Bunny because that is what Gilda used to say at night when she got scared of the dark as a child. She’d put the blanket over her head and say Bunny Bunny. Touching memory book of Gilda Radner byAlan Zweibel.
August 29, 2007
Gilda: Zweibel.... How come we never got married?
Zweibel: I guess we just forgot to.
This book will make you laugh, make you cry and then make you laugh and cry some more. A sweet tale about friendship and love. One of my favorite books of all time!
Zweibel: I guess we just forgot to.
This book will make you laugh, make you cry and then make you laugh and cry some more. A sweet tale about friendship and love. One of my favorite books of all time!
February 26, 2015
OK, so it might be a little trite and some of the staging is a little student-theater precious. But it's so damned heartfelt and sentimental that it's impossible to dislike. This is basically just a love note to a friend who left too soon, and it beats any phony baloney tribute I can imagine.
February 28, 2018
Touching, often funny memoir by a Saturday Night Live writer about his years-long friendship with Gilda Radner, from the moment they met on the SNL set to her 1989 death from ovarian cancer.
Their story is told almost entirely through dialogue, both a plus (novelty, quick reading, captures their verbal interactions and quick wit) and a minus (dialogue doesn't always ring true, I often found myself having to go back to figure out who was speaking because the dialogue is tagless, gets old sometimes).
Still, for those who remember Radner and the show in that era, it's an interesting and moving peek at her private life and character through the lens of her great friend.
Their story is told almost entirely through dialogue, both a plus (novelty, quick reading, captures their verbal interactions and quick wit) and a minus (dialogue doesn't always ring true, I often found myself having to go back to figure out who was speaking because the dialogue is tagless, gets old sometimes).
Still, for those who remember Radner and the show in that era, it's an interesting and moving peek at her private life and character through the lens of her great friend.
April 23, 2012
This is a really sweet little book, done all in dialogue, by one of Gilda Radner's best friends. There are wonderful snippets of life's simple moments, which, in her case, included one of the most famous TV shows of all time. So glad I stumbled across this in a used bookstore!
February 12, 2022
Read it in one sitting.
I laughed. I cried. I reached out to an old friend.
I bought the script for the stage adaptation while reading it.
Beautiful. Real people. Real life. Real emotions. Loved it!!!
I laughed. I cried. I reached out to an old friend.
I bought the script for the stage adaptation while reading it.
Beautiful. Real people. Real life. Real emotions. Loved it!!!
May 30, 2024
Actively holding back tears, rest in peace Gilda Radner.
December 30, 2025
Hard not to enjoy - read this backstage in about an hour. So funny and lovely and sad and sweet
December 20, 2020
Earlier today when I picked up this book from the mail, I said to myself “Looks like Ill be crying a little later-on tonight. I cant wait.” That was right around the time I took my lunch break. Sure enough, seven hours and ninety-six pages later I absolutely lost it.
This is the story of unrequited love. Rather, thats how it begins between Gilda and Zweibel. They’re young, they’re funny, and they’re bravely venturing into uncharted waters working on a new television show called Saturday Night Live. Right away, they discover an affection for each other and are made to tiptoe the line between becoming romantically involved, like Zweibel wants, or developing an emotional affair, like Gilda wants.
We’re allowed to vicariously follow these two through the up’s and down’s of their personal lives, their careers, and their feelings for each other. The story unveils itself wonderfully, spanning years that condense into snapshots. Its funny, its sad, and I couldn’t help myself from feeling the love.
I read a book about John Belushi when I was in college. I bawled my eyes out when Id read the last couple of chapters. Two years later I read a book about Chris Farley and did the exact same. Maybe I felt so connected to their tragedies because I was studying screenwriting, learning how to write jokes, and developing my own chops in Improv. But even if I hadn’t been doing any of those things I probably would’ve cried anyway. These weren’t just actors, these were our friends who came to visit through the television and invited us to laugh. They held a dignified place in our hearts. They were family.
Before I opened up Zweibel’s book I knew how it was going to end. That was never the reason I wanted to read it. The journey is what makes this story so rewarding. On every page we’re inspired either to laugh or to feel something profound. That’s what makes this all feel so real. That’s Bunny Bunny.
This is the story of unrequited love. Rather, thats how it begins between Gilda and Zweibel. They’re young, they’re funny, and they’re bravely venturing into uncharted waters working on a new television show called Saturday Night Live. Right away, they discover an affection for each other and are made to tiptoe the line between becoming romantically involved, like Zweibel wants, or developing an emotional affair, like Gilda wants.
We’re allowed to vicariously follow these two through the up’s and down’s of their personal lives, their careers, and their feelings for each other. The story unveils itself wonderfully, spanning years that condense into snapshots. Its funny, its sad, and I couldn’t help myself from feeling the love.
I read a book about John Belushi when I was in college. I bawled my eyes out when Id read the last couple of chapters. Two years later I read a book about Chris Farley and did the exact same. Maybe I felt so connected to their tragedies because I was studying screenwriting, learning how to write jokes, and developing my own chops in Improv. But even if I hadn’t been doing any of those things I probably would’ve cried anyway. These weren’t just actors, these were our friends who came to visit through the television and invited us to laugh. They held a dignified place in our hearts. They were family.
Before I opened up Zweibel’s book I knew how it was going to end. That was never the reason I wanted to read it. The journey is what makes this story so rewarding. On every page we’re inspired either to laugh or to feel something profound. That’s what makes this all feel so real. That’s Bunny Bunny.
May 2, 2024
My mother passed away recently, and I found this while emptying her bookshelf. Written as a series of real life conversations between Gilda and her best friend, Alan Zweibel, the book covers the mid-seventies up until Gilda's death from ovarian cancer, and is probably the closest any reader will come to experiencing what it was like to know her. It's intimate and funny and sad.
This is not a biography, per se, it's a glimpse into a relationship between two people who loved each other, even if only briefly, and also - since most of it is so much centered on New York City in the 1970s - a portrait of a vanished way of life. My mother also lived in New York during this period, alongside Gilda, and I like to imagine her reading this book and laughing along.
ps. Billy Crystal is one of the comedians quoted on the back of the book. Which is ironic because, unlike in When Harry Met Sally, this is a story about a man and a woman who are very close friends, and yet are never together physically and never experience a romantic relationship. There's something nice about that.
This is not a biography, per se, it's a glimpse into a relationship between two people who loved each other, even if only briefly, and also - since most of it is so much centered on New York City in the 1970s - a portrait of a vanished way of life. My mother also lived in New York during this period, alongside Gilda, and I like to imagine her reading this book and laughing along.
ps. Billy Crystal is one of the comedians quoted on the back of the book. Which is ironic because, unlike in When Harry Met Sally, this is a story about a man and a woman who are very close friends, and yet are never together physically and never experience a romantic relationship. There's something nice about that.
June 5, 2012
A former SNL writer's moving sketch of the famous comedian, as told through recollected conversations.
Gilda Radner was my very first girl crush. I adored the playfulness she could bring to any scene and Zweibel's writing brings that to life on each page. The book, while short, is more than a biography. It's the story of two young artists who are about to become very successful coming together in friendship and creative partnership, the way in which two people can move apart, and the loss of a beloved friend.
Sweet without being saccharine and lead to adding her autobiography, It's Always Something, to my formidable to-read queue.
Gilda Radner was my very first girl crush. I adored the playfulness she could bring to any scene and Zweibel's writing brings that to life on each page. The book, while short, is more than a biography. It's the story of two young artists who are about to become very successful coming together in friendship and creative partnership, the way in which two people can move apart, and the loss of a beloved friend.
Sweet without being saccharine and lead to adding her autobiography, It's Always Something, to my formidable to-read queue.
September 6, 2007
Loved every second of it!!
May 4, 2008
Great book for anyone who loved Gilda radner!
April 27, 2012
lovely, delightful, funny, sad. read it in one sitting.
June 22, 2018
Heart breaking tale of Gilda's search for love as told by someone who truly loved her.
November 24, 2008
Adorable. The last page made me cry.
January 22, 2020
When I moved into my new house last year I was so excited to have my own book room. My own room people... that I can fill with all of my favorite things! So after I got settled in and my books organized I finally had time to sit down and look around at my favorite room. Everything was pretty and my books finally had a home. But I was missing something. I started thinking about all of my amazing friends who also love to read, authors who I have become close with over the years, and of course all of my amazing book club girls. I had an idea, I would ask all of my friends to pick out their favorite book, write an inscription to me, and then mail it to me. I wasn't sure who would want to contribute but everyone I asked seemed just as excited to participate as I was to receive their books! Well the books started rolling in and the mantel above my fireplace was starting to become decorated with all these treasures from my friends. I made a promise that in 2020 I would read each and every one of the books sent to me. Now those who know me are aware of the fact I read 2-3 books a week, which is part of the reason friends never send me books, they just assume I already have them. So far to this very day I have not received one book that I've already read. Isn't that amazing! It's so fun getting these books and reading the notes written inside. Some make me laugh, several have made me cry, and every single one has made me smile. These books mean everything to me, and every time I sit in my book room I look at them and I feel so lucky for all of these women in my life.
So my first pick for January is Bunny Bunny by Alan Zweibel.This book was given to me by my very special friend Janna King. Janna is an author, screenwriter, playwright, director and all around amazingly creative and wonderful. I met her through a book signing years ago and we just hit it off. I've taken the train down to LA several times to go to lunch and book shopping with her. I feel like we could talk for hours. What someone people may not know about Janna is that she has two adult kids who are in a band together, isn't that so cool! Jane Doe is the name of the band and Janna is their biggest groupie! So Janna picked out Bunny Bunny for me because it's a book she loves. After reading it I can see why. It's quirky, silly, and written in conversations between Alan Zweibel and the late and great Gilda Radner. What I remember most about Gilda is her beautiful relationship with Gene Wilder, and her life taken too soon by ovarian cancer. The book is a sweet tribute of Alan's special friendship with Gilda from beginning to end. I'm not embarrassed to tell you I did shed a few tears. Thank you Janna for sending me this book and for being my friend.
So my first pick for January is Bunny Bunny by Alan Zweibel.This book was given to me by my very special friend Janna King. Janna is an author, screenwriter, playwright, director and all around amazingly creative and wonderful. I met her through a book signing years ago and we just hit it off. I've taken the train down to LA several times to go to lunch and book shopping with her. I feel like we could talk for hours. What someone people may not know about Janna is that she has two adult kids who are in a band together, isn't that so cool! Jane Doe is the name of the band and Janna is their biggest groupie! So Janna picked out Bunny Bunny for me because it's a book she loves. After reading it I can see why. It's quirky, silly, and written in conversations between Alan Zweibel and the late and great Gilda Radner. What I remember most about Gilda is her beautiful relationship with Gene Wilder, and her life taken too soon by ovarian cancer. The book is a sweet tribute of Alan's special friendship with Gilda from beginning to end. I'm not embarrassed to tell you I did shed a few tears. Thank you Janna for sending me this book and for being my friend.
February 1, 2019
Book 5 of my #2019readingchallenge was ... read in one day. It is veeeerrrry quick to read, "Bunny Bunny" by Alan Zweibel (1994), close friend of Gilda Radner and SNL writer alum.
Note: I haven't seen Love, Gilda yet but I did watch the trailer and don't know if I can handle it.
How beloved is/was Gilda Radner? This book is a testament to that. Zweibel was very close with Gilda, and these are vignettes, mini conversations, of their time together. At first I thought it was a little self-indulgent but quickly realized it offered a glimpse into Gilda's life... and also, don't all people get to tell their tale? It was sweet, and of course sad, and probably a good accompaniment to her own book and the documentary. Nice read.
August 15, 2020
Initially I was a little put off by the conversational style of this book as it’s easy to lose track of which person is speaking. But once I got accustomed to the style I loved this little book. The relationship between the author and Gilda was so sweet and it was fascinating to follow them as Gilda’s popularity exploded. I knew how the book ended, of course, and that made reading it bittersweet. It’s a warm, wonderful tale and I recommend it.
December 26, 2025
It's been a while since I've read a book that I liked so much I didn't want it to end, but also didn't want to put down.
The parallels between Alan Zweibel & Gilda Radner's relationship and one I had with my best friend who passed away in a similar fashion as Gilda Radner were striking. The book ends with Alan's words at Gilda Radner's memorial, which left me in tears.
This book is amazing, heartfelt, sad, and extremely funny.
The parallels between Alan Zweibel & Gilda Radner's relationship and one I had with my best friend who passed away in a similar fashion as Gilda Radner were striking. The book ends with Alan's words at Gilda Radner's memorial, which left me in tears.
This book is amazing, heartfelt, sad, and extremely funny.
July 26, 2020
Alan Zweibel’s script about Gilda Radner is a true gem. I cannot get over how comical, raw and real their professions and personal relationship was. “We forgot to get married” is the idea of missing out on the ultimate commitment, but in reality, was their saving grace—a friendship lasting until her dying day.
November 19, 2024
I loved this so much it took me one day to read it. It’s obviously not a stand out type of novel it’s so simple but so sweet. So romantic in a specific way. What could be better than someone writing an entire book as an excuse to relive all your favorite conversations together my heart is so touched
May 6, 2025
Very quick read. It’s like being a “fly on the wall” throughout Gilda and Alan’s relationship. At the beginning, it was a little difficult to follow who was speaking. I would need to look for context clues and visualize the even and odd lines. The anecdotes about Alan Zweibel’s parents and in-laws were possibly the funniest parts of the book.
August 7, 2017
Fabulous book. I have been reading and re-reading this since my Freshman year in college in 2000. An amazing friendship between two great talents and an honestly written portrayal. Gorgeous.
Funny, touching and smart!
Funny, touching and smart!
March 20, 2018
This is one of my favorite books of all time. Such a sweet tribute. This book made me laugh out loud and then sob uncontrollably. Then it happened all over again several times. We all need this kind of love in our lives. Absolutely gorgeous.
November 27, 2018
Absolutely one of my favorite books. Ever. Haven't read it in probably close to two decades and it still is beautiful and heartbreaking. Read it in one day. Which is a reminder that I should not let so much time go by before I read it again.
July 25, 2020
Such a warmness in these pages. A welcome comfort during the few days I read this book. It reminds me of my own relationship with my “Alan.” Zweibel says so much in so little words/story. The dialogue says it all, literally.
January 4, 2018
My all-time favorite book.
A fascinating remembrance of an amazing friendship.
Requires you to use context clues, and keeps your gut busting and your tears flowing. I love it so very much.
A fascinating remembrance of an amazing friendship.
Requires you to use context clues, and keeps your gut busting and your tears flowing. I love it so very much.
February 14, 2018
Beautiful. One of my favorite books.
March 4, 2019
The kind of friendship one dreams of having with someone so special.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews