What do you think?
Rate this book
The Kid Stays in the Picture II: The Fat Lady Sang
The Kid Stays in the Picture by Hollywood giant and legendary bad boy Robert Evans is an intimate and fascinating account of his rise, fall, and rise again in show business. The only actor to ever run a studio, Evans took Paramount from the basement to the penthouse with such movies as The Odd Couple, Rosemarys Baby, Love Story, The Godfather and Chinatown.
An extraordinary raconteur, Evans spares no one, least of all himself. From Errol Flynn, Ava Gardner, and Jimmy Cagney to Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, and Sharon Stone, here is Hollywood revealed as never before. Laced throughout are his fascinating liaisons with some of the worlds most beautiful women, including his marriage and divorce to Ali MacGraw and Phyllis George.
An extraordinary raconteur, Evans spares no one, least of all himself. From Errol Flynn, Ava Gardner, and Jimmy Cagney to Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, and Sharon Stone, here is Hollywood revealed as never before. Laced throughout are his fascinating liaisons with some of the worlds most beautiful women, including his marriage and divorce to Ali MacGraw and Phyllis George.
Hardcover
First published May 1, 2009
About the author
Robert Evans
7 books43 followersRobert Evans (born Robert J. Shapera) is an American film producer best known for his work on Rosemary's Baby, Love Story, The Godfather and Chinatown as well as his hedonistic lifestyle and seven marriages.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
October 17, 2017
It isn't too often that you get to write the sequel to your autobiography, but movie producer Robert Evans is all about defying the odds. "The Fat Lady Sang" starts with his near death experience of suffering three strokes in quick succession. This happens after the success of his first autobiography "The Kid Stays in the Picture" but before the movie version is made. The series of seemingly unlikely events that lead up to the film can be painful to read, yet they entertain. Along with the tales of his recovery the reader gets a lot of flashback stories that weren't included in the first book, as well as some that were. My main criticism is that, for a short book (200 pages), there is a bit too much material that was already covered That said, most the new material is great and a must-read for fans of "Kid."
Now I have to seek out a DVD of his short-lived cartoon series "Kid Notorious." And if the stage version of his life comes to Broadway (it is currently running in London) I'll pony up the cash to check it out.
Now I have to seek out a DVD of his short-lived cartoon series "Kid Notorious." And if the stage version of his life comes to Broadway (it is currently running in London) I'll pony up the cash to check it out.
August 25, 2020
This isn't a book for everyone. Robert Evans was the head of Paramount when it made a couple of films you may have heard of like Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, The Godfather & the Godfather part 2
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0263172/?...
before that he was a radio actor, a movie actor and one of the Founders of Evan Piccone
His first book, The Kid Stays in the Picture, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... covers his early life.
This book is mostly about his life following a massive series of strokes in the late 90s. His friendships, his rehab and his success following the first book.
While I had heard of Robert Evans but it was Kid Notorious https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379638/... that inspired me to buy his first book.
Now Robert Evans was born in the 1930 and lived through all the eras we now look back upon with disdain. He was friends with Polanski and Michael Jackson. He bedded a lot of women. He was egotistical, brash and lucky as hell.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0263172/?...
before that he was a radio actor, a movie actor and one of the Founders of Evan Piccone
His first book, The Kid Stays in the Picture, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... covers his early life.
This book is mostly about his life following a massive series of strokes in the late 90s. His friendships, his rehab and his success following the first book.
While I had heard of Robert Evans but it was Kid Notorious https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379638/... that inspired me to buy his first book.
Now Robert Evans was born in the 1930 and lived through all the eras we now look back upon with disdain. He was friends with Polanski and Michael Jackson. He bedded a lot of women. He was egotistical, brash and lucky as hell.
March 26, 2014
If Goodreads offered 1/2 stars, I would have given this book 3 1/2 instead of just 3.
Ok so with that out of the way...I was a big fan of THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE, and really who wasn't? An instant hit when it came out, the audiobook also became a huge seller thanks to Evans' dramatic flair and storytelling abilities.
This follow-up book starts out with indications that the Fat Lady is indeed singing as Mr. Evans suffers from 3 consecutive strokes while entertaining Wes Craven at his house, and it looks like lights out for him. But this is Robert Evans, and it seems that Fat Lady better be ready for a few encores. Following this event, Evans is in for the role of his lifetime as he has to fool everyone into thinking he's healthy when really he can barely stay standing or hang onto a glass. This includes a prospective wife and Viacom chief Sumner Redstone.
The rest of the book details the struggles that followed as he experiences the highs of trying to pull himself together, and the lows of not wanting to leave the house and face the world. Mixed in are anecdotes from his colorful Hollywood and personal life including a great story about how he got in the middle of Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow during their marital struggles and the concurrent productions of THE DETECTIVE and ROSEMARY'S BABY.
What I found most intriguing is Mr. Evans' ability to openly admit when he made a mistake. There are several moments where he unabashedly admits "yep, screwed that up" which is refreshing. Evans is not afraid to reveal the bad with the good and admit when he was part of the problem as well as take credit for the highs.
An element that really caught my attention was how Mr. Evans reveals his weakness for women and the even the most powerful of men will make huge mistakes simply to impress them. One story involves Beverly D'Angelo calling him while he is in Paris with the promise of sex, and he immediately cancels his plans with Roman Polanski and Jack Nicholson and hops on the next plane back to California just to make it happen.
Nothing can stand up to the high bar that THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE set, but this book does act as a solid companion piece, catching us up on the time period following that previous book and the success KID brought him - including the making of the very good movie based on it. One personal note for me was when he talked about the first successful screening of the movie in the Eccles theater at Sundance in 2002. I was in that theatre, and yes that screening was a great success. (Also memorable because Roger Ebert was sitting right behind me).
If you read KID, I highly recommend reading this as well. It's a quick and entertaining read (yes the site says it took me two weeks but I posted it then was sidetracked - I read it really in an afternoon).
Ok so with that out of the way...I was a big fan of THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE, and really who wasn't? An instant hit when it came out, the audiobook also became a huge seller thanks to Evans' dramatic flair and storytelling abilities.
This follow-up book starts out with indications that the Fat Lady is indeed singing as Mr. Evans suffers from 3 consecutive strokes while entertaining Wes Craven at his house, and it looks like lights out for him. But this is Robert Evans, and it seems that Fat Lady better be ready for a few encores. Following this event, Evans is in for the role of his lifetime as he has to fool everyone into thinking he's healthy when really he can barely stay standing or hang onto a glass. This includes a prospective wife and Viacom chief Sumner Redstone.
The rest of the book details the struggles that followed as he experiences the highs of trying to pull himself together, and the lows of not wanting to leave the house and face the world. Mixed in are anecdotes from his colorful Hollywood and personal life including a great story about how he got in the middle of Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow during their marital struggles and the concurrent productions of THE DETECTIVE and ROSEMARY'S BABY.
What I found most intriguing is Mr. Evans' ability to openly admit when he made a mistake. There are several moments where he unabashedly admits "yep, screwed that up" which is refreshing. Evans is not afraid to reveal the bad with the good and admit when he was part of the problem as well as take credit for the highs.
An element that really caught my attention was how Mr. Evans reveals his weakness for women and the even the most powerful of men will make huge mistakes simply to impress them. One story involves Beverly D'Angelo calling him while he is in Paris with the promise of sex, and he immediately cancels his plans with Roman Polanski and Jack Nicholson and hops on the next plane back to California just to make it happen.
Nothing can stand up to the high bar that THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE set, but this book does act as a solid companion piece, catching us up on the time period following that previous book and the success KID brought him - including the making of the very good movie based on it. One personal note for me was when he talked about the first successful screening of the movie in the Eccles theater at Sundance in 2002. I was in that theatre, and yes that screening was a great success. (Also memorable because Roger Ebert was sitting right behind me).
If you read KID, I highly recommend reading this as well. It's a quick and entertaining read (yes the site says it took me two weeks but I posted it then was sidetracked - I read it really in an afternoon).
May 1, 2017
I needed a palette cleanser after Nightwood which may have been the longest 130 page read of my life (in the same way that Eraserhead is only an hour long but feels longer than Stroheim's Greed). This is the sort of book to accomplish that because it is laugh out loud funny.
Yes, even though most of the book talks about his stroke and arduous recovery, he has a very funny way of writing about it. Although I did not rate it as highly as Kid Stays in the Picture, I still recommend it because we learn of the impact the book had on his life (it allowed him to have a second act although the notoriety it brought was not all of the good kind).
Yes, even though most of the book talks about his stroke and arduous recovery, he has a very funny way of writing about it. Although I did not rate it as highly as Kid Stays in the Picture, I still recommend it because we learn of the impact the book had on his life (it allowed him to have a second act although the notoriety it brought was not all of the good kind).
December 26, 2013
THE FAT LADY SANG
Robert Evans
THE FAT LADY SANG is a very good memoir of the Hollywood producer, Robert Evans that is a sequel to his highly regarded first memoir, THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE.
Despite three debilitating strokes the strong will and determination that led him to the heights in Hollywood returns in his road to recovery. It is an interesting trip down a Hollywood that no longer exists. His stories, insights and an inside look at the world he inhabits is irresistible despite his flaws.
January 11, 2024
Start up the projector one more time, will ya? Robert Evans has another story. He almost didn’t. The scene: Woodland. The night: Young. The company: Scream king Wes Craven. Before the lights dimmed and the movie started, Evans was laid out on the floor. The credits to his life, almost rolling. It wasn’t just one stroke. It was three. The doctors were about to tie a tag around his toe. But Evans wasn’t done.
Enough shtick. Evans’s second memoir charts the territory he covered after coming back from the dead: He’d go on to marry again. Produce a documentary based on his standout bestseller, “The Kid Stays in the Picture.” Win one of the top prizes for producers, the David O. Selznick Lifetime Achievement Award. Many more adventures with his very famous friends.
The best parts of “The Fat Lady Sang” chronicle Evans’s recovery from his strokes — he recounts the pain, the frustrations with giving up parts of his lifestyle, the acceptance of aging and how it all impacted his body and livelihood.
Some of the book traipses a bit too much into the past, or familiar territory he covered at length in his first book — and some of it reads a bit cringey in the post-MeToo world … but let’s drop the act. If you liked his first memoir, you’re going to dig his second one.
Enough shtick. Evans’s second memoir charts the territory he covered after coming back from the dead: He’d go on to marry again. Produce a documentary based on his standout bestseller, “The Kid Stays in the Picture.” Win one of the top prizes for producers, the David O. Selznick Lifetime Achievement Award. Many more adventures with his very famous friends.
The best parts of “The Fat Lady Sang” chronicle Evans’s recovery from his strokes — he recounts the pain, the frustrations with giving up parts of his lifestyle, the acceptance of aging and how it all impacted his body and livelihood.
Some of the book traipses a bit too much into the past, or familiar territory he covered at length in his first book — and some of it reads a bit cringey in the post-MeToo world … but let’s drop the act. If you liked his first memoir, you’re going to dig his second one.
January 11, 2023
Possibly the most self-congratulatory book I've ever read, You really do have to take his every statement with a pinch of salt. But his writing style is so free and easy that it's almost forgivable. Almost.
November 5, 2013
Liked it? Try loved it. The Kid is back in fighting form. When it comes to comebacks, George Foreman's got nothing on Evans.
April 8, 2020
I love any book with behind the scenes stories in the entertainment or music industry.
October 25, 2025
After seeing the film, for the kid stays in the picture, waiting a great deal of time, listening to the audio book, then reading the Kindle edition, and now finally reading the fat lady saying Robert Evans follow up to the book that recreated and re launched his life.
It's very personal. Spending time with Evans, he feels like an old friend, imparting stories from a lifetime, while in the previous book, he focused more of stories on Hollywood. In this book, he focuses on stories of personal survival as he endures multiple strokes, losing most control of his body and regaining some of it.
It's inspiring to hear the stories of his lifelong friendships with Jack Nicholson and
Warren Beatty, to hear of the excellent speech given for his David O Selznick award by Dustin Hoffman, and the impact he's had on so many by making his films and by making his way through Hollywood. It's sad to hear that his animated cartoon show, Kid notorious, only had one season on Comedy Central due to disagreements that you wish an older man could have navigated better. The most important thing was keeping his show on the air, and fortunately, he got tied up in petty disagreements and lost the show.
A difficult to find book not available on Amazon, had to use other means, according to the acknowledgement notes, in the end, it was a breakthrough in digital publishing, so I'm not sure it went too well, but it's great to spend a little bit more time with the kid who sadly shuffled off this mortal coil.
You expect the book to be perhaps a defeat, as it is called the fat lady saying, and you wonder, what could what good could have happened to Evans after the magnificent good told in the kid stays in the picture. However, as it turns out in the book, much of his success and joy with the kid stays in the picture happened after his first success as a major and expansive second act.
It was neat to hear that story recounted in the fat lady saying, as well as his success as the voice of Sunday night football when it was relaunched on ESPN, or maybe NBC,
either way, Evans is a true original, and if you've read the audio book and listened to the movie, when you read this book, you'll hear his voice too in every line, even though he's gone. It's a joy to read memoirs, and it was a joy to read the fat lady sang by Robert Evans, who.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
It's very personal. Spending time with Evans, he feels like an old friend, imparting stories from a lifetime, while in the previous book, he focused more of stories on Hollywood. In this book, he focuses on stories of personal survival as he endures multiple strokes, losing most control of his body and regaining some of it.
It's inspiring to hear the stories of his lifelong friendships with Jack Nicholson and
Warren Beatty, to hear of the excellent speech given for his David O Selznick award by Dustin Hoffman, and the impact he's had on so many by making his films and by making his way through Hollywood. It's sad to hear that his animated cartoon show, Kid notorious, only had one season on Comedy Central due to disagreements that you wish an older man could have navigated better. The most important thing was keeping his show on the air, and fortunately, he got tied up in petty disagreements and lost the show.
A difficult to find book not available on Amazon, had to use other means, according to the acknowledgement notes, in the end, it was a breakthrough in digital publishing, so I'm not sure it went too well, but it's great to spend a little bit more time with the kid who sadly shuffled off this mortal coil.
You expect the book to be perhaps a defeat, as it is called the fat lady saying, and you wonder, what could what good could have happened to Evans after the magnificent good told in the kid stays in the picture. However, as it turns out in the book, much of his success and joy with the kid stays in the picture happened after his first success as a major and expansive second act.
It was neat to hear that story recounted in the fat lady saying, as well as his success as the voice of Sunday night football when it was relaunched on ESPN, or maybe NBC,
either way, Evans is a true original, and if you've read the audio book and listened to the movie, when you read this book, you'll hear his voice too in every line, even though he's gone. It's a joy to read memoirs, and it was a joy to read the fat lady sang by Robert Evans, who.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
February 25, 2021
I read Robert Evans's book- The kids stays in the picture some years ago and really enjoyed it. I have has this one in my to read list for a few years, and just read it this week. It is good, a bit rambling at times, but overall a good read.This was written shortly after his stroke in 1998. He had 3 strokes and felt that he was ready to die- or as he put it- the Fat lady was going to sing. It talks about his recovery , both personal and professional.I would have liked more about the actual recovery and therapy therapy - but that may just be me:)It is a good companion to the first book and an overall good story.
August 23, 2019
I never knew who this man was! Robert Evans who? Then the names of movies he's made as a producer: The Godfather I & II and more, make more appreciate the movies more than ever! I only stopped reading because I was exhausted and had to go to sleep or I would have read it straight through! I still have no idea who this man is, but I have a great understanding of how to find out more about him, now!
November 7, 2024
A couple of interesting anecdotes but mostly about his attempts to recover from multiple strokes. Written in a very idiosyncratic way that I didn’t find appealing (lots of dropped apostrophes, tryin’ to put on an accent?), aside from lack of interest in most of the content. This is equivalent to the proverbial film sequel that in no way stands up to the original.
October 26, 2025
This book was better written, or maybe edited, than his first one, "The Kid Stays in the Picture." Interesting man, interesting life. I had never heard of him before reading his books. They read honest, but with a LOT left out and maybe a bit of braggadocio as to his female conquests, but who knows? It was Hollywood, anything can happen.
March 23, 2021
Some very amusing anecdotes but a bit tiresome to read in the long bits where he's just bragging about his sexual prowess. It works when it's compared to his post-stroke troubles, but otherwise it's just not as interesting as the book expects it to be.
February 7, 2019
Great to feel like a part of Robert’s life again after having enjoyed the time spent with The Kid Kid Stays in the Picture.
May 14, 2020
A worthy sequel in sorts to The Kid Stays In The Picture.
September 26, 2022
Not as outstanding as The Kid Stays in the Picture but still full of rousing RobertEvans adventures. Iwouldsay yes, treat yourself to part 2
November 15, 2022
Follow up to one of the best Hollywood Memoirs of all time, The Kid Stays in the Picture. Told with the Evans flare! If you know, you know.
*wasn't the eBook, that would have been awesome!
*wasn't the eBook, that would have been awesome!
December 23, 2024
the bbw sang
June 20, 2019
The life story of actor/producer/ and studio head Robert Evans. The follow up to his first book, The Kid Stays In The Picture. Highly Recommended!
January 2, 2015
"Dwell within an extraordinary mind" - the phrase which most struck me from the first review I read of this outstanding book and it pretty much sums it up for me.
This man, Robert Evans, head of Paramount Pictures, mega-movie maker, so many achievements therefore so many descriptions one could use but it's all by the by, because at the end of the day he is and has just that: An Extraordinary Mind, and that mind is laid open in this incredible account of his flashbacks of his life whilst lying, being unable to move after a series of life-threatening strokes.
What a mind! And what flashbacks! Whoa. We are taken, pulled through the thoughts and stepping through the memory of an extraordinary life, led by an extraordinary man. And this man, not only survived, but by pure guts and commendable willpower came back to live a totally normal life, had a new beginning. As he said on the Charlie Rose show hosted by Wes Anderson: "I've fooled them, it's called staying in the picture pal."
Do yourselves a favour and read it, that's all I'm gonna say...
This man, Robert Evans, head of Paramount Pictures, mega-movie maker, so many achievements therefore so many descriptions one could use but it's all by the by, because at the end of the day he is and has just that: An Extraordinary Mind, and that mind is laid open in this incredible account of his flashbacks of his life whilst lying, being unable to move after a series of life-threatening strokes.
What a mind! And what flashbacks! Whoa. We are taken, pulled through the thoughts and stepping through the memory of an extraordinary life, led by an extraordinary man. And this man, not only survived, but by pure guts and commendable willpower came back to live a totally normal life, had a new beginning. As he said on the Charlie Rose show hosted by Wes Anderson: "I've fooled them, it's called staying in the picture pal."
Do yourselves a favour and read it, that's all I'm gonna say...
May 1, 2014
The Kid Stays in the Picture might be my favorite book of all time, so I was super excited to see Evans wrote a follow up to that book. Sadly he doesn't talk much about the movies he produced following the end of his previous book, which was what I really wanted to learn about. Focusing more on his personal life and other anecdotes from his past that weren't in the first book. It's all still interesting and has Evans' trademark writing style, however I just wish he focused more on the films
January 11, 2014
I had read "The Kid Stays in the Picture," and really enjoyed it. This was equally well done. Evans has a distinctive voice and it comes across in the pages. He writes, movingly, about his three strokes and their aftermath. He name drops like mad, but if anyone has the right, he does. Definitely one worth seeking.
December 31, 2013
Bet if I had read "The Kid Stays in the Picture" first, I would have enjoyed this more. Not so much a tell-all but a tell-half... pre-stroke/post-stroke, career ups/downs, friends/enemies/friends again, women loved and lost. To get the rest of the story, I plan to view "The Kid..."
November 19, 2013
Amazing book by an amazing storyteller! You won't be disappointed! Although the chapter involving Beverly D'Angelo makes me want more details...
April 1, 2014
What can be sadder than an aging Lothario writing about conquests of fifty years ago. The chapters on the author overcoming a fearsome series of three strokes to walk and talk again are worthwhile
May 11, 2014
Fun, easy Sunday afternoon read.
May 22, 2014
I like memoirs, but this was really terrible. Crass language and dropping his G's like some sort of bumpkin. Ugh. Stopped at the Grace Kelly anecdote. Too bad because I liked his first memoir a lot.r
May 28, 2014
Want to see The Kid movie now.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews