When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead

A fast-talking wise-ass from the Bronx, Jerry Weintraub became a millionaire at 26 by handling some of the biggest acts in show biz, most famously Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. The last of the great Hollywood moguls, Jerry is probably best known as the producer of such classic films as Nashville, Diner, Oh, God! and The Karate Kid, as well as the more recent Oceans 11, 12, and 13, which have together grossed over a billion dollars. Less celebrated, however, is Jerry's work behind the scenes as confidant to presidents and titans of finance. As he sees it, 'There is no difference between politics and Hollywood. The world is very small when you get to the top.' George H. W. Bush, George Clooney, and country singer George Strait all have Jerry on speed-dial - because Jerry is the guy you call when you want what money can't buy. The stories he tells and the lessons we learn are essential ones, not only for film buffs and music fans, but for businessmen, entrepreneurs, artists, or anyone at all who's ever had a dream and the moxie to make it happen.

"When I Stop Talking is anything but a rote, let-the-record-show memoir . . . Although it's packed with stories he's surely been telling at dinner forever, the book is also a modest set of guidelines for how you too can be a successful mogul . . . it's written with stealth and style, doubtless shaped by his co-writer, Rich Cohen . . . The book, really, is a performance, a monologue by a guy comfortable hanging with Armand Hammer at Leonid Brezhnev's funeral or with Joey Bishop at a deli. It's a show based on horse pucky on braggadocio."--RJ Smith, LA Times, "As the title of the book indicates, Weintraub loves to talk. And the 72-year-old impresario has some amazing stories to tell . . . All the stories are told in Weintraub's shooting-the-breeze voice. Credit for the easy-to-read style goes to Rich Cohen, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair magazine who turned Weintraub's tales into a breezy first-person narrative."--Rick Warner, Bloomberg News, "Edgy and honest but refreshingly spare in his criticism of stars, colleagues and family . . . With a bold voice, a storied career, and a cast of superstars, Weintraub's memoir makes a rousing insider tour of some five decades in the entertainment industry."--Publisher's Weekly, "It reads at times like a screenplay: a rags-to-riches tale complete with stunning reversals of fortune, punchy dialogue, and star cameos galore . . . Even the lows are enviable."--Nathaniel Rich, VANITY FAIR, "Jerry has made a fascinating career for himself by finding ways to put on a show and sell tickets at the door. Jerry has bloomed wherever he's been planted. His life has put him in the company of greats like Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, The Rat Pack, Robert Altman, and Steven Soderbergh, to name a few. Jerry's story chronicles his journey that involved a lot of improvising, love, and of course, luck. This story isn't just for music or movie lovers, or entrepreneurs....it's for everyone. So, pick up your copy of When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead by Jerry Weintraub... If there was a Mount Rushmore of legendary show business figures, he'd be one of them."--Don Imus

Jerry Weintraub had barely hung up his jacket in the William Morris mailroom before getting himself hired at MCA, where he eventually became assistant to the legendary Lew Wasserman, staying only two years before leaving to open his own management company. Famously convincing Colonel Tom Parker to let him stage Elvis Presley's come-back tour.