Five Minutes, Mr. Byner: A Lifetime of Laughter

by John Byner, John Byner

John Byner is a man of many voices and characters, from impersonating the slow, rolling gait and speech of John Wayne, to lending his voice to The Ant and the Aardvark cartoons. His dead-on impersonations, as well as his unique talents as a character actor, have put him on the small screen in peoples' homes, the big screen in theaters, and no screen on Broadway.

Growing up in a big family on Long Island, John discovered his uncanny ability to mimic voices as a child when he returned home from a Bing Crosby movie and repeated Bing's performance for his family in their living room. He discovered his talent made him the focus of everyone's attention, and allowed him to make friends wherever he went, from elementary school to the U.S. Navy.

John started his career in nightclubs in New York, but soon found himself getting national acclaim on The Ed Sullivan Show. With that he was on his way. This memoir is the best and funniest moments of his life, career, and relationships with some of the biggest names in entertainment, both on and off the screen.

Genres: Humor, Biography

255 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2020

Reviews

[Cheryl Malandrinos · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining and engaging memoir awaits you in Five Minutes, Mr. Byner! Producer-director and author Douglas Wellman helped John Byner bring the story of is life to the world.

What readers find within this book's pages is the story of a young man with a knack for mimicking voices that led him from performing in his family's living room to entertaining his fellow shipmates in the Navy, to New York nightclubs, to The Ed Sullivan Show, and into a variety of television shows and movies throughout the decades.

Fondly recalling Byner from shows throughout my childhood--Get Smart, Hawaii Five-O, The Odd Couple, Soap, and more--I found the story of his life a fabulous way to enjoy the days that have long passed us by.

Accompanied by personal photos and a wonderful foreword by Nathan Lane, if you enjoy celebrity memoirs, you won't want to miss Five Minutes, Mr. Byner!

[Len Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading “Five Minutes, Mr. Byner” was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Byner’s book is like a walking history of the entertainment industry. Over the course of his four-decade career he worked with or for almost everyone that was anyone in show business from Steve Allen to Elvis to Henry Fonda.

Byner's had a very successful career and it’s refreshing to hear a professional reflect on his life with honesty and humility. This is not an “I’m great and this is why tale,” nor is it a gossipy even-the-score tell-all. Byner has hundreds of interesting anecdotes, but he doesn’t take any cheapshots. About the only entertainer who doesn’t come off well is Woody Allen.

I suggest that anyone who reads the book ought to check out the Youtube videos of John Byner performing (there are hundreds). It makes his story even more memorable.

Highly recommended.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not normally read auto-biographies but I heard Mr. Byner on the Gilbert Gottfried podcast talking about his life and his book. I picked it up, hoping to hear a book full of funny and interesting stories. It did not disappoint. From his early childhood and growing up, to his time in the Navy, his early comedy life and his break on the Ed Sullivan show, the stories are great and uplifting. Always has a great respect and kindness for the people who helped him and his friends. The stories are fun and insightful, and shows his progression as a comedic talent. If I had to have one thing to nitpick about the book, I wanted more. Especially with his TV shows. I know there are so many more stories or insights, but I also understand that there is only so much you can tell in one book. A tight, well written book. Highly recommend it.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been a fan of John Byner since the mid-to-late 1970s. This came about when I watched an episode of the old HBO series entitled On Location, featuring John Byner himself. I thought he was one of the best comedians ever to appear on that show. I still do.

I am not sure the book is an adequate yardstick by which to measure his talent. He does include some jokes I remember from his routine, but they sound different when read as opposed to being delivered onstage. Plus, there can be no doubt that Byner is a happy, contented man. SO he spends much of his time/space lauding the people with whom he has worked. There's not a thing in the world wrong with this. It makes for a speedy read, among other things. But it seems as if every step Mr. Byner took worked out. I am glad for him, but having tried half-heartedly to make it in the entertainment industry myself, I know there are more challenges than Byner admits. He drops a lot of names--although I do not think that any of his encounters are anything less than genuine--and breezes through his career as if there were no struggles.

I can be accused of talking out of both sides of my mouth here, because regarding other celebrity biographies, I have often said that the subject of each could at least sound a little grateful for their talent and for their success. John Byner does so most generously. So perhaps I should just raise my glass to him and leave it at that.

[Wesley Hyatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Bynes has long been one of my favorite comedians, and his autobiography reflects what I thought from interviewing one time, namely that he's a happy, contented family man who works to live and not vice versa. He makes it clear upfront that this book will be no tell-all session, which may disappoint some. Still, he does point out times when certain people in show business have let him down (and occasionally the other way around, to his credit). It's a pretty brisk read, although it does have more details than I cared to know about his pre-show business jobs and less than I wanted about some of his entertainment gigs, especially how he became involved in providing his voice for several animated projects. And he doesn't discuss too much his professional work in the 21st century, which isn't too surprising given he's not been as busy in recent years as he was during the 1960s through 1990s. Even so, overall it's great to hear his stories about how he got his break doing The Ed Sullivan Show, his recollection of doing his 1972 summer comedy variety series and other regular TV work and his handful of movie credits. Get ready to laugh along with John as you pore over the pages and enjoy.

[Randy Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Pleasant Book By A Funny Man

In this book John Byner tells the story of his decades-long comedy career through stories, anecdotes and observations about a wide variety of show business figures -- Ed Sullivan, Steve Allen, Elvis Presley, Henry Fonda, Danny Thomas, Johnny Carson, Dinah Shore, Woody Allen and many others. Written in a straightforward, easy-to-read style, it's an entertaining and pleasant read that will be enjoyed by anyone who is a fan of Byner, stand-up comedy, or 60s and 70s show biz in general.

[Lucas Foster]

Seems hagiographic, I have a real fondness for the man but surely he has some peccadilloes that would’ve added another dimension. Still undeniably charming, recommended to all nostalgists, and I’m making room for the chance that Byner is as pure as he makes himself out to be

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, easy read. Good to remember some of the old shows and entertainers.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some enjoyable anectodes, but thought there should have been more. Nice to read that he lived for a time in my current town.

[G P Devine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Byner? You will love this book. An American comedic gem shares his life.

[Daniel DeLappe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, but some only a taste of the stories the author must have. A must for all Byner finds which I count myself one.