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The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue: A Child of the Fifties Looks Back
A funny and evocative coming-of-age memoir by Robert Klein, the beloved and award-winning comedian who has entertained audiences for more than four decades.
Best known for his unique brand of observational humor—seen on Broadway and in film and television—Klein details his life from ages nine to twenty-five as seen “through the gauze of time.” Klein’s theme park of memories alternates dark moments with sunlit humor. Teenage frustrations prompted a visit to a Harlem prostitute, which filled Klein with “shame and triumph and guilt.” He encountered individual and institutional anti-Semitism at Alfred University, yet led the frat house fun, moving on to the Yale School of Drama, Chicago’s Second City, New York theater and a variety of romances. Along the way, Klein had successes and failures, both in bed and on stage. Probing not only his own psyche but also the evolution of sexual mores during the 1950s and ‘60s, he unfurls an array of captivating anecdotes, writing with wry wit and honesty.
Best known for his unique brand of observational humor—seen on Broadway and in film and television—Klein details his life from ages nine to twenty-five as seen “through the gauze of time.” Klein’s theme park of memories alternates dark moments with sunlit humor. Teenage frustrations prompted a visit to a Harlem prostitute, which filled Klein with “shame and triumph and guilt.” He encountered individual and institutional anti-Semitism at Alfred University, yet led the frat house fun, moving on to the Yale School of Drama, Chicago’s Second City, New York theater and a variety of romances. Along the way, Klein had successes and failures, both in bed and on stage. Probing not only his own psyche but also the evolution of sexual mores during the 1950s and ‘60s, he unfurls an array of captivating anecdotes, writing with wry wit and honesty.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 24, 2007
What if you lived your life as a cliche?
No problem, I suppose. Unless you wrote an autobiography and relished in those cliches.
Robert Klein tells his story of how as a bright ambitious Jewish kid from the Bronx, he braves the ignorance of various gentile bigots all while becoming an artist.
The italian bully. The WASPy frat guy. Even an actual german girlfriend at the end to show that he really doesn't hold a grudge. They're all in this incredibly cliched autobiography.
What's not in here, though, are any good hollywood stories. Or any hollywood stories of any quality.
Oh well, Robert Klein isn't that famous and maybe his life wasn't a cliche fifty years ago.
No problem, I suppose. Unless you wrote an autobiography and relished in those cliches.
Robert Klein tells his story of how as a bright ambitious Jewish kid from the Bronx, he braves the ignorance of various gentile bigots all while becoming an artist.
The italian bully. The WASPy frat guy. Even an actual german girlfriend at the end to show that he really doesn't hold a grudge. They're all in this incredibly cliched autobiography.
What's not in here, though, are any good hollywood stories. Or any hollywood stories of any quality.
Oh well, Robert Klein isn't that famous and maybe his life wasn't a cliche fifty years ago.
April 21, 2012
The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue is Robert Klein's memoirs of growing up in the Bronx in the 1950s. Born in 1942, Klein writes affectionately of the basic influences of his youth during the years 1951 to 1966. Each chapter begins with a picture of Klein during the period discussed.
His parents were children of immigrant Jews who were "careful, cautious, wary people" and passed on their concerns to Klein and his sister. His bedroom was a Castro convertable ottoman in the living room of their small 6th floor apartment.
The first four chapters cover his life in junior high and high school in the Bronx. Having grown up in the Bronx myself during this time, I found these very well written and full of delightful details.
The next five chapters are about his life at Alfred University in rural upstate New York. Here he confronts anti-Semitism and develops a love of acting and comedy. He also works summers in the Catskill Mountain resorts made famous in the movie "Dirty Dancing." He is no Patrick Swayze, and his amorous nature is mostly unfulfilled.
The last six chapters tell the story of his breaking into show business. His first success in Chicago's Second City and his friendship with Rodney Dangerfield are highlights of this section.
One of the recurring themes of the work is his sexual relations over time. Beginning with his losing his virginity to a 112th Street prostitute, Klein reminisces about the women in his life and the sexual and sometimes loving relations he had with them. Although he is not very graphic in his descriptions, this male oriented portrayal of sex in the 50s and early 60s may seem insensitive by modern standards. Yet it is his very honesty at representing the male attitudes of the time that makes this aspect of the book especially interesting. He says he writes "not to titillate but to communicate the excitement that sex held for me and its importance in my life." This was a time of great changes in sexual attitudes and his depictions of his and his friends' sexual interests over these 16 years shows how radical the change was.
All in all this is a wonderful memoir of New York life in the 1950s. It is also an insightful portrayal of college life at the time, especially in an era when Jews were still being discriminated against in fraternities and other aspects of academia. Lastly, Klein does a great job of describing his beginning career as an actor. How he learned his craft, the problems he faced, and the people he knew are all well represented.
His parents were children of immigrant Jews who were "careful, cautious, wary people" and passed on their concerns to Klein and his sister. His bedroom was a Castro convertable ottoman in the living room of their small 6th floor apartment.
The first four chapters cover his life in junior high and high school in the Bronx. Having grown up in the Bronx myself during this time, I found these very well written and full of delightful details.
The next five chapters are about his life at Alfred University in rural upstate New York. Here he confronts anti-Semitism and develops a love of acting and comedy. He also works summers in the Catskill Mountain resorts made famous in the movie "Dirty Dancing." He is no Patrick Swayze, and his amorous nature is mostly unfulfilled.
The last six chapters tell the story of his breaking into show business. His first success in Chicago's Second City and his friendship with Rodney Dangerfield are highlights of this section.
One of the recurring themes of the work is his sexual relations over time. Beginning with his losing his virginity to a 112th Street prostitute, Klein reminisces about the women in his life and the sexual and sometimes loving relations he had with them. Although he is not very graphic in his descriptions, this male oriented portrayal of sex in the 50s and early 60s may seem insensitive by modern standards. Yet it is his very honesty at representing the male attitudes of the time that makes this aspect of the book especially interesting. He says he writes "not to titillate but to communicate the excitement that sex held for me and its importance in my life." This was a time of great changes in sexual attitudes and his depictions of his and his friends' sexual interests over these 16 years shows how radical the change was.
All in all this is a wonderful memoir of New York life in the 1950s. It is also an insightful portrayal of college life at the time, especially in an era when Jews were still being discriminated against in fraternities and other aspects of academia. Lastly, Klein does a great job of describing his beginning career as an actor. How he learned his craft, the problems he faced, and the people he knew are all well represented.
July 7, 2009
This is an odd memoir...not what I expected at all. Klein, who is a comic genius and will always stand in the forefront of great stand-up comics of the 70's and 80', has penned an uneven band of memories centered primarily on his sexual escapades from pre-pubescence to his mid-twenties. Apart from a half a dozen classic Klein jokes peppered throughout the book this is not a humorous look back; but then it's not meant to be. Klein looks at his past through a bittersweet and wistful eye beaking out with his personal triumphs and heartbreaks in his relationships and his career. There are certain sections that are well crafted, especially the visit to the first prostitute and being mugged. There are also parts that slog along and are overdone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2020
As someone who grew up in and is now living again in her old Bronx neighborhood, I was fascinated by the title of Klein's book. And of course I remembered seeing Klein's hilarious performances on television. What most surprised me was the emotional depth of his storytelling. I know comedic talent often masks tragedy, but I was often genuinely moved by Klein's specific and expertly drawn memories. While the concluding chapters felt a bit rushed -- perhaps Klein still plans to write a sequel -- there are many sensitively told stories here. Two standouts: The bullied little girl in his childhood classroom; the Holocaust survivor with darkly hidden depths with whom he worked in the Catskills. Klein is far more than a smart comic (who knew he went to the Yale School of Drama?): He is a real writer.
February 8, 2020
The title, which is discussed at the beginning of the book, is perfect for this book as it is the autobiography of Robert Klein with a large part being his amorous conquests. I enjoyed the history and family stories but perhaps I am too prudish to have appreciated the multiple love affairs.
March 1, 2023
With George Carlin, Albert Brooks and a few others in the 1970s, Robert Klein heralded a new breed of standup comic who rejected suits and ties and mother-in-law jokes, turning their fire instead on everyday things that all Americans experience: politics, religion, television commercials, uptight establishment types, rules and regulations, and dumb things people do. Klein walks you through his life and times growing up in the Bronx in a Jewish household and the various rites of passage he experienced - playing stickball, harmonizing with a doowop group, getting hassled by punks, and eventually going off to college. [Oh… the amorous part. Ladies, beware, this book is written solidly from a male perspective.] Klein writes candidly about his sexual history as we follow his progress from high school to college to the Yale School of Drama to a stint with The Second City in Chicago, and to his first flirtations with success on Broadway and at the comedy Improv where he was mentored by another relative unknown, Rodney Dangerfield. Klein ends the book on a down note with a story about his first major career failure in Los Angeles, just short of where most showbiz memoirs would begin - with the performer's breakthrough success. One wonders if there are plans for a second book, or whether, as with many things, Klein’s story is in the journey rather than the destination.
October 27, 2011
A recent graduate of Alfred University, I must say that I may have been more entertained than most with his several chapters set in the snowy upstate New York town.
This is a genuine tale of a time just prior (and into) that decade that recieves so much attention, the sixties. Klein is more than candid, which is really the only prerequisite for me to read an autobiography. His emotion and recollections are vivid and choke full of what was going on societally, physically and emotionally.
I enjoyed his account of reaching adulthood. Perhaps I enjoyed it more than most because I feel I may have just had enough life experience, in addition to the Alfred connection
This is a genuine tale of a time just prior (and into) that decade that recieves so much attention, the sixties. Klein is more than candid, which is really the only prerequisite for me to read an autobiography. His emotion and recollections are vivid and choke full of what was going on societally, physically and emotionally.
I enjoyed his account of reaching adulthood. Perhaps I enjoyed it more than most because I feel I may have just had enough life experience, in addition to the Alfred connection
December 1, 2012
I can't remember how I got this book but it was a pleasant read. It covers his life from a child in the Bronx until he had just started to come into his own as a comedian. There were stories from grade school, high school, and college and later. He seemed to talk a lot about his sexual escapades but I guess that's a teenager or young man's very big part of their life. My favorite part of the book was his telling of working the Borscht Belt while in collage. Some really funny characters. I think this book was written a few years ago but if you've ever enjoyed his performances you'll like the book.
Read
June 24, 2016Mr, Kline has written a wonderful book that take you back to the sweet simpler time of the 50's and through important moments of his life and career. From the hilarious forward by Mr,Kline on deciding what to name the book to time in college and start in comedy, this book has a lot of humorous anecdotes If you are a fan of comedy and comedians this is a book that you might want to check out. If you like memoirs this is a book you might want to check out as well. The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue: A Child of the Fifties Looks Back
October 26, 2015
Stand-up legend Robert Klein revisits formative life episodes, as responsible for his social conscience as his pokey, judgmental wit. It's a likeable look at his love-hate relationship with all-American rites of passage, including his adventures as a cockeyed cocksman. Die-hards be warned: it's more earnest than funny (despite a winning episode with a squirrel) but a better-late-than-never book-on-tape version is in the offing. Klein's energetic, pointed delivery should do much to animate some of the sober self-obsession.
August 28, 2014
A little bit too lurid. There are some interesting stories of his early days growing up in New York, but there just aren't enough details of his career. He seems to be determined to share as many sexual escapades as possible. Even Joan Rivers says on the book jacket "I had no idea he was such a sex maniac."
November 18, 2010
I was not at all prepared to like this book as much as I did.
Klein is funny, charming, and self-deprecating, but most of all, smart.
Nostalgic about the 50's/60's/70's in a truthful way, never digressing into maudlin descriptions. Rarely has this time period been presented in this manner in a memoir. Completely enjoyable. I had a little crush on him by the end...
Klein is funny, charming, and self-deprecating, but most of all, smart.
Nostalgic about the 50's/60's/70's in a truthful way, never digressing into maudlin descriptions. Rarely has this time period been presented in this manner in a memoir. Completely enjoyable. I had a little crush on him by the end...
December 9, 2011
Klein strayed from the usual star autobiography here in that he didn't really concentrate on the part of his life where he was a star. This is his youth, his coming of age, right up until the point where he was starting to become successful. So instead of a lot of name-dropping, you get a tale of real life experience, and a good one, even inspiring at times. For fans of comedy and good memoirs.
December 30, 2015
A very amiable memoir. Even those that are not familiar with the performance work of Klein should find this to be a fun read... That is if you're willing to page through a series of romantic exploits (physical, emotional, and otherwise). Overall, a witty and thoughtful progression of the actor/comedian's personal history.
February 28, 2008
Cute book, fun for anyone who lived in the 50's, 60's or likes comedians or coming of age stories. Memorable quote:
"I have always been grateful that I lived during the sexual revolution, which, as revolutions go, was much more fun than the French or Bolshevik revolutions."
"I have always been grateful that I lived during the sexual revolution, which, as revolutions go, was much more fun than the French or Bolshevik revolutions."
July 13, 2011
Astonishingly bad writing for such an accomplished comedian. Participles and bad adjectives and "while" and dangling prepositional phrases all over the place. I *never* notice this kind of thing, but I noticed here. Very disappointed.
December 2, 2014
At first it was a funny and interesting account of his growing up in the Bronx. Then he turned 16 and the entire rest of the book is disturbingly TMI about his sex life. And then lots of name-dropping as he describes his early career.
January 19, 2016
ok book.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews