If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor (64 page)

Because this book took four years to compile, I wasn't really surprised when Barry called to tell me he was moving away from publishing.

Bruce: Hey, I just hoped it wasn't because of this book...

Barry: Well, I have suffered the tortures of the damned for you, but I've got some other opportunities I want to explore.

Fortunately for me, Barry's superior, Pete Wolverton, took the reigns as my new editor/boss and I hardly got lectured at all.

I'd be remiss if I left out a nod to Mike Ditz, chronicler of my childhood. Without his ever-present camera lens, much of the pictures you see would not exist -- an official thanks is
long
overdue.

As always, I owe a great debt to my wife Ida and my two kids, Rebecca and Andy -- they have been
extremely
patient with me since I've known them. Their support remains underappreciated and any attempt to make up for it now would be unsatisfactory. Fortunately, they know how cool they are.

Photo Credits

Page xii: Bruce Campbell; pxiii: Bruce Campbell; p. 2: Charles Campbell; p. 3: Charles Campbell; p 4: Bruce Campbell; p. 11: Bruce Campbell; p. 12: Charles Campbell; p. 13: Bruce Campbell; pp.14-16: Unknown; p. 17: Bruce Campbell; p. 18: Unknown; p. 19: Bruce Campbell; p. 20: Charles Campbell; p. 21: Bruce Campbell; p. 23: Mike Ditz; p. 24: Mike Ditz; p. 25: Mike Ditz; p. 26: Mike Ditz; p. 27: Mike Ditz; p. 28: Mike Ditz; pp. 29-31; Bruce Campbell; p. 32: Bruce Campbell; p. 36: Unknown; p. 37: Mike Ditz; p. 38: Mike Ditz; p. 42: Mike Ditz; p. 43: Mike Ditz; p. 46: Unknown; p. 48: Sheri Morrison; p. 49: Unknown; p. 51: Bruce Campbell; p. 53: Bruce Campbell; p. 60: Mike Kallio; p. 63: Bruce Campbell; p. 64: Mike Ditz; p. 66: Sheri Morrison; p. 70: Mike Ditz; p. 71: Mike Ditz; p. 75: Craig Sanborn; p. 78: Mike Ditz; p. 84: Mike Ditz; p. 86: Mike Ditz; p. 87: Mike Ditz; p. 88: Joe Masefield; p. 92: Sheri Morrison; p. 93: Sheri Morrison; p. 94: Mike Ditz; p. 95: Mike Ditz; p. 97: Unknown; p. 98: Unknown; p. 101: Unknown; p. 102: Mike Ditz; p. 107: Sheri Morrison; p. 109: Unknown; p. 110: Unknown; p. 111: Sheri Morrison; p. 112: Sheri Morrison; p. 114: Unknown; p. 115: Mike Ditz; p. 116: Mike Ditz; p. 119: Unknown; p. 120: Bruce Campbell; p. 122: Bruce Campbell; p. 128: Sheri Morrison; p. 129: Joe Masefield; p. 130: Joe Masefield; p. 131: Joe Masefield; p. 132: Sheri Morrison; p. 136: Mike Ditz; p. 138: Unknown; p. 139; Mike Ditz; p. 140: Mike Ditz; p. 141: Kurt Rauf; p. 143: Kurt Rauf; p. 144: Kurt Rauf; p. 145: Bruce Campbell; p. 146: Bruce Campbell; p. 151: Unknown; p. 154: Craig Sanborn; p. 156: Mike Ditz; p. 157: Bruce Campbell; p. 158: Sheri Morrison; p. 159: Sheri Morrison; p. 162: Sheri Morrison; p. 163: Sheri Morrison; p. 164: Sheri Morrison; p. 165: Sheri Morrison; p. 166: Unknown; p. 167: Bruce Campbell; p. 168: Bruce Campbell; p. 172: Unknown; p. 173: Unknown; p. 176: Unknown; p. 180: Bruce Campbell; p. 181: Sheri Morrison; p. 185: Sheri Morrison; p. 186: Ida Gearon; p. 191: Sheri Morrison; p. 192: Bruce Campbell; p. 194: John Cameron; p. 195: Unknown; p. 199: Bruce Campbell; p. 200: Sheri Morrison; p. 202: Unknown; p. 204: Sheri Morrison; p. 208: Sheri Morrison; p. 209: Sheri Morrison; p. 211: Universal Studios; p. 215: Sheri Morrison; p. 220: Sheri Morrison; p. 221: Sheri Morrison; p. 222: Bruce Campbell; p. 225: Craig Sanborn; p. 227: Unknown; p. 228: Sheri Morrison; p. 229: Unknown; p. 234: Sony; p. 235: Sony; p. 236: Sheri Morrison; p. 238: Bruce Campbell; p. 239: Unknown; p. 240: Sheri Morrison; p. 241: Universal Studios; p. 242: Unknown; p. 243: Sheri Morrison; p. 248: Bruce Campbell; p. 252: Sheri Morrison; p. 253: Sheri Morrison; p. 254: Sheri Morrison; p. 258: Sheri Morrison; p. 261: Sheri Morrison; p. 262: Sheri Morrison; p, 264: Sheri Morrison; p. 265: Sheri Morrison; p. 266: Sheri Morrison; p. 267: U.S. Government; p. 268: Sheri Morrison; p. 269: Sheri Morrison; p. 270: Sheri Morrison; p. 271: Sheri Morrison; p. 272: Sheri Morrison; p. 273: Bruce Campbell; p. 277: Bruce Campbell; p. 280: Zo Hartley; p. 281: Zo Hartley; 282: Zo Hartley; p. 286: Zo Hartley; p. 287: Craig Sanborn; p. 288: Zo Hartley; p. 290: Sheri Morrison; p. 291: Sheri Morrison; p. 294: Sheri Morrison; p. 295: Sheri Morrison; p. 296: Sheri Morrison; p. 298: Unknown; p. 299: J. Scott Campbell; p. 300: Craig Sanborn; p. 301: Bruce Campbell, Photo Manipulation: Craig Sanborn; p. 302: Craig Sanborn; p. 303: Melanie Tooker; p. 304: Craig Sanborn; p. 305: Craig Sanborn; p. 306: Craig Sanborn; p. 307: Craig Sanborn; p. 308: Ida Gearon; p. 309: Ida Gearon; p. 310: Mike Ditz; p. 311: Courtesy Ron Sweed; p. 312: Photo: Mike Ditz, Image: Craig Sanborn; p. 313: Bruce Campbell; p. 314: Craig Sanborn; p. 315: Craig Sanborn; p. 316: Ryan Schaetzle, p. 317: Craig Sanborn; p. 318: Craig Sanborn; p. 319: Photo: David A. Gibb, Photo Manipulation: Craig Sanborn; p. 320: Craig Sanborn; p. 321: Craig Sanborn; p. 322 Craig Sanborn; p. 323 Bruce Campbell; p. 324: Craig Sanborn; p. 325: Aaron Allen; p. 326: Craig Sanborn; p. 327: Bruce Campbell; p. 328: U.S. Naval Observatory; p. 329: Bruce Campbell; p. 330: Bruce Campbell; p. 331: Craig Sanborn; p. 332: Ida Gearon; p. 333: Bruce Campbell; p. 334: Bruce Campbell; p. 335: Jose Juarez; p. 336: Jose Juarez (main photo), Mike Ditz (photo within photo); p. 337: Craig Sanborn; p. 338: Bruce Campbell

This is the only book I ever read that I didn't have to..." -- Slacker college student, Buffalo, New York

Okay, so at least you're interested enough to pick up this book and look inside. I think you and I are going to get along just fine.

Life is full of choices. Right now, yours is whether or not to buy the autobiography of a mid-grade, kind of hammy actor.

Am I supposed to know this guy? you think to yourself.

No, and that's exactly the point. Bookstores are chock-full of household-name actors and their high stakes shenanigans. I don't want to be a spoilsport, but we've all been down that road before.

Case in point: look to your left -- see that Judy Garland book? You don't need that, you know plenty about her already -- great voice, crappy life. Now look to your right at the Charlton Heston book. You don't need to cough up hard-earned dough for that either. You know his story too -- great voice, crappy toupee.

The truth is that though you might not have a clue who I am, there are countless working stiffs like me out there, grinding away every day at the wheel of fortune.
If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor
is my first book, and I invite you to ride with me through the choppy waters of blue-collar Hollywood. Okay, so buy the damned book already, and read like the wind!

Best,
Bruce Campbell

P.S. If the book sucks, at least there are gobs of pictures, and they're not crammed in the middle like all those other actor books.

"This book is indispensable to anyone aspiring to a career as an actor, director, producer or just about any other aspect of moviemaking... a fast, enjoyable read." -- FANGORIA

"With a quirky assortment of rants, as well as self-deprecating chapter titles like 'The Higher the Budget, the Lower the Part,' he's like the dinner guest you wish would never leave." -- ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

"An insightful and rant-filled guide to being almost famous." -- GO.

Bruce Campbell is the ultimate "B" actor with an ever-growing fan-base. His films in the Evil Dead series are cult favorites and his TV roles spark the same enthusiasm. He lives in Oregon.

Scan Notes, v3.0:
First of all
BUY THIS BOOK!
Bruce deserves every grubby little penny you can give him. Many of the images have faint white lines through them, because it is time for me to buy a new scanner. In most cases, images were aligned as they appeared in the book. Some of the images were already dark in the DT and did not scan too well. Proofed carefully; hand-coded HTML.