Welcome to BK Walker Books Etc. Guy. I'm so pleased to take part in your tour. I had the pleasure of reviewing his memoir, Kiss Me Quick Before I Shoot. So have a seat, grab a coffee, and let's talk books shall we?
Movie lovers will discover what it would be like to work in the dream factory, to be a film director, to have an inside peek at Hollywood s inner workings making movies and TV shows. This memoir brings to life the many personalities and stars encountered, and tells the hilarious stories on the rocky road to Hollywood success.
With production work spanning over 100 credits from shorts to TV shows to feature films, Guy Magar s behind-the-scenes stories range from his first producer turning out to be a Mafia assassin, to shooting in Egypt for the original series Battlestar Galactica, to almost decapitating a young Drew Barrymore after ET, and to almost derailing James Cameron s career (or slowing it down as he proved way too talented for anyone to alter his storied destiny.) This memoir is about living the great American dream, an immigrant s dream to make movies in Hollywood.
” Kiss me quick before I shoot has been my welcoming catchphrase to my wife Jacqui whenever she visited on-set, seemingly always just before I rolled cameras.” And so this book is also about a deeper magic, the magic of finding a life partner.
Jacqui and I were married in a beautifully costumed Renaissance-themed wedding. I got to duel in a sword fight to win her hand against hooligans (stuntmen friends) who kidnapped her after she arrived by horse and buggy in front of 300 surprised guests. It was a magical wedding and my Errol Flynn life moment! Now, 28 years later, I am still head-over-heels in love with Jacqui.
But then, suddenly, Jacqui was diagnosed with leukemia. I immediately moved into the role of caregiver, and my entire 24-hour life focus became Jacqui s healing. We discovered the medical mecca of the City of Hope where we met a world-class gifted doctor who welcomed Jacqui to join their national stem cells trial. We locked up our house, boarded the dog, and moved in to start Jacqui s curative journey back to health.
DARE TO DREAM! As an immigrant I had Hollywood dreams to become a director and I did...I dreamed of finding true love and I did at 34...and when Jacqui got ill, I dreamed we would find a way to heal her, and we did. People love stories about making dreams come true. I dared to dream!
This passionate, life-celebrating memoir embraces both love and work within entertaining stories of what it s like to live this dream. Join me on a wild and thrilling rollercoaster ride of a Hollywood film career, of the intoxicating highs of finding and sharing true love, and of the sweet triumph of survival and healing…all rolled into one magical journey!
My Thoughts:
Kiss Me Quick Before I Shoot is one of the best memoirs I've read. It was so wonderfully written that I didn't feel like I was reading a memoir, but more like sitting down with Guy listening to him tell me stories about his life as a director and finding his true love. Who knew life as a director could be so darn interesting? I loved hearing all his stories, about his college years, being wild and crazy, and finding his wife, Jacqui, What a wedding that would have been to witness too. The fact that he was asked to direct Children of the Corn: Revelations, and then found creepy corn growing in his yard was what I would definitely call "irony". I truly enjoyed this book, it was easy to read, kept me turning the pages, had me laughing and even sometimes crying as we learned about Guy and Jacqui, how they found each other, and some of the major trials they had to overcome. They did it though, together! By the way, where can I find a Guy? LOL.
Definitely worth reading so I suggest you grab a copy and start reading, you won't be disappointed.
Guy Magar was nine years old when he left Egypt in 1958. His family immigrated to the U.S., where he grew up in Middletown, New York. Graduating from Rutgers University with a B.A. in philosophy, Guy began his film career at the London Film School. Soup Run, his first short about the homeless, won a Special Jury Prize at the 1974 San Francisco International Film Fest.
In 1978, Guy relocated to Los Angeles to attend the American Film Institute. His first dramatic short, Once Upon an Evening (made for $500 at the AFI) earned him a seven-year deal at Universal Studios. He soon began directing network TV dramas in the action/adventure genre. Guy has over 100 film credits including episodes of series La Femme Nikita, Sliders, The A-Team, Blue Thunder, Fortune Hunter, The Young Riders, Lawless, Hunter, and the CBS pilot/Movie of the Week Dark Avenger. He also directed 35 episodes of the studio daytime drama Capitol. In 1995, Guy was nominated for a Golden Reel Award for his television work on the series Nowhere Man.
Guy’s feature film credits include Lookin’ Italian (starring TV “Friends” co-star Matt LeBlanc and singer Lou Rawls in their first film); Stepfather 3 which launched HBO’s World Premiere Series; and the cult thrillerRetribution which will be released for the first time on DVD on its 25th anniversary on Halloween 2011. His most recent feature directing credit is Children of the Corn: Revelation based on Stephen King’s original story for Dimension Films.
Guy is founder of the Action/Cut Filmmaking Seminars, which for the last ten years, has provided the acclaimed “page to screen” industry workshop—a two-day educational overview of the creative filmmaking process. Action/Cut has taught thousands of filmmakers at over 100 weekend seminar events during annual USA and international tours. His seminar is offered as a 12-hour DVD home film course which sells worldwide in stores and online.
Guy is also founder of the annual Action/Cut Short Film Competition, which provides an opportunity for filmmakers to showcase their talents. The one-of-a-kind prize packages are designed to help launch film careers and assist in opening industry doors. Action/Cut was one of the first to stream winning films on the Internet, which can be viewed year-round on its website. MovieMaker magazine reviewed the Action/Cut Competition as one of the “Top 10 Shorts Festival in the World for Filmmakers.”
Guy provides a consultancy service for directors and screenwriters, and private coaching for actors. In 2011, Guy published his memoir entitled Kiss Me Quick Before I Shoot. He can be reached through thecontact page on this website or at his Action/Cut Filmmaking Seminars and Short Film Competition website.
Guy lives in the Hollywood Hills with Jacqui, his beautiful wife of 26 years.
Thanks Guy for sharing your memories with us. You can follow Guy's entire tour HERE for a chance to get to learn more about him.
2 comments:
Nice post. You have had an interesting life and come from the one place on my lists to visit, Egypt. Keep dreaming your have many more to come true.
Thanks Omegia. Keep Egypt on your list as it's amazing to be there and see the ancient temples and pyramids etc...but you better wait a while till the place settles down. And it may take a few years to stabilize enough for tourists to be safe. Thanks BK for having me on this blog.
Guy Magar
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