Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse: My Life in Comedy

Los Angeles: J. P. Tarcher; Penguin, 2005. 266 pages, [16] pages of plates, illustrations, portraits; 24 cm. Tight, clean copy. Dust jacket protected in a mylar book cover."From housewife to humorist, Phyllis Diller has been making millions laugh for five decades with her groundbreaking comedy. Now the laughter continues with her uproarious autobiography. Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse recounts the story of how, against all odds, Phyllis Diller became America's first successful and best-loved female stand-up comic. She began her professional career at age thirty-seven, in spite of the fact that she was a housewife, mother of five, and working at a radio station due to her husband's chronic unemployment. Now, fifty years later, after two traumatic marriages; extensive cosmetic surgery; numerous film, television, and stage appearances; and separate careers as an artist and piano soloist with symphony orchestras, Phyllis Diller finally tells her story. With her trademark laugh, incredible wit, and self-deprecating humor, Phyllis Diller has etched her way into comedic history. And while her wild hair and outrageous clothes may make her look 'like a lampshade in a whorehouse,' her strength, self-belief, perseverance, and raucous sense of humor are what make her truly unforgettable. / Phyllis Diller, the world's first and foremost successful female stand-up comic, has been at the top of her game for five decades. Richard Buskin has written more than a dozen books, including biographies of Princess Diana, Marilyn Monroe, and Sheryl Crow. He makes his home in Chicago." - Publisher. . 1st. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. 8vo. Collectible.