"WHEN I KNEW AL"

THE UNTOLD STORY OF AL PACINO AND ED DE LEO

written by Hollywood Writers Studio's directors

Joan McCall & David Sheldon

REVIEWS FROM PROMINENT READERS:

BARBARA TAYLOR BRADFORD

Bestselling author of 35 novels including A Woman of Substance, Voices of the Heart, Emma’s Secret, Unexpected Blessings.-- ."When I Knew Al is unique and compelling. This book is not just about the well-known Al Pacino and the unknown Ed De Leo, but about the same world that nourished one and destroyed the other. One actually sought his own nourishment while the other destroyed himself.”

KEN KRAGEN

Film and Television Producer ("The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," "The Gambler," etc.), Event Organizer ("We Are The World" and "Hands Across America"), personal manager (Kenny Rogers, Lionel Ritchie, Olivia Newton-John, Burt Reynolds, etc.) and Author of Life Is a Contact Sport").

-- “When I Knew Al is "a fascinating look at two distinctly different outcomes on the same original career path. Unfortunately those actors who achieve the success of a Pacino are a very small and select  group while the De Leo’s are far more prevalent in this profession. David Sheldon & Joan McCall lead us wonderfully through the triumphs and troubles of both men in a way that is revealing and entertaining. It's a book you'll find hard to put down."

RAYNOLD GIDEON

Screenwriter and Producer (“Starman,” “Jungle 2 Jungle,” “Stand By Me,” “Made in Heaven,” A Man, a Woman and a Bank”).

– “This is a must read. “When I Knew Al” takes the reader on a roller coaster saga through New York’s theater world, Hollywood’s movie world all the while making us intimate witnesses to the life of a great actor and movie superstar. Some of Ed De Leo’s experiences are hilariously funny.” 

KELLY LANGE

Mystery Writer, author of “Graveyard Shift,” “Dead File”, “The Reporter”, “Gossip”, and “Trophy Wife”, and former television news anchor-reporter for NBC-4, Los Angeles.
-- "Al Pacino is one of America's greatest actors. Edward De Leo, I had never heard of. Through the alchemy of a dual biography, David Sheldon and Joan McCall admit us to a hidden world of struggle where actors have to make choices, a world populated by agents, producers, coaches, press agents, critics, and competing actors; a world filled with glamour, disappointment, delay, success, failure, acceptance, rejection, and the need to survive. It's an exciting read.

JAMES G. HIRSCH

Writer, Executive Producer (“The Incredible Hulk,” “Rome,” “The Blue Knight,” “Nash Bridges,” “Hart to Hart”).

-- “The book is a page-turner in which the reader feels the reality of the worlds of Broadway and Hollywood. My wife refused to be told how the book ends until she finished reading it herself. Why? Because she knew that Al Pacino was a superstar, but wanted to find out for herself what happens to Edward De Leo and why. So the book also works as a mystery.”

JOHN LIVESAY

Author (“The 7 Most Powerful Selling Secrets"), motivational speaker, West Coast Advertising director for W magazine.

-- “Acting is a profession that requires selling yourself with artistry. This book shows how Al Pacino achieves superstar status while his mentor does not despite Pacino’s help. An inside look at the internal demons that each man faces even with the rewards and challenges that success and failure bring each of them.”

GARY QUINN,

Bestselling Author (“May the Angels be With You” and “Living In The Spiritual Zone”), Motivational Speaker, Psychic.  --“This book offers an in-depth behind the scenes account of Al Pacino and his friend Ed De Leo's struggling acting days, to the rise and fame of one man becoming a world wide superstar. David Sheldon and Joan McCall present an easy to read book filled with the complexities, vulnerabilities, and ambitions of these men." 

RESPONSES FROM PUBLISHERS PRIOR TO PUBLICATION BY HARBOR HOUSE

 “I read it with keen interest and enjoyed [the] forthright, honest narrative style.”  -- Crown

 “Mr. De Leo offers glimpses of Pacino that no one else can.”   -- Doubleday

 “Well-written, very tight. There could be interest. Stay in touch.”  -- HarperCollins

“A fascinating book.” -- Houghton Mifflin

 “Intriguing.”  -- Penguin Putnam

 “The story is a compelling one.” -- Simon & Schuster

 “Our editors liked it.” -- St. Martins Press

“The book is of great interest.” -- Alfred A. Knopf

 “A unique portrait of a wonderful actor.” -- Ecco Press

 “Well-written and thoroughly researched.” -- The Overlook Press