Television Books

Biographical reviews tend to have a standardized format: several chapters on the linage of the subject, tales of early childhood, struggle and (usually)success.

Haberstadt's biography is much the same, except the author does a nice job of leading the reader thru the parts we have to endure by building a strong sense of the frustration and difficulties Doc Pomus faced throughout his life. The book isn't overbearing, and he paints an interesting enough picture of the determination this polio-stricken hall of famer had.

If there is a weakness, it's that you never get a real strong sense of what exactly it was that Doc did. I mean, I still haven't figured out if his contributions to some of the greatest songs were his lyrics, his sense of rhythm, his music, or a combination of all three. Certainly it is poignant to think that "Save the last dance for me" was written as he watched his new wife dance at her wedding, but there was too little addressing the mechanics of Doc's writing for my taste.

I thought it was a most interesting and useful book to have on one of the great contributors to rock and roll.... and long overdue.

Great book. I got choked up reading about Doc writing Save the Last Dance for Me.

What a great book. You never think about songwriters when you listen to a song but after reading this book you will. It's the story about the man behind some of the biggest hits of the 50' and 60's but it's so much more. Doc's story is more then his music, it's the life that he led and the trials he overcame to get there. If you're into music or not this is one book that will make you laugh, cry and just revel in one man's life and times.

The writer did his homework, and I'd recomend this book to anyone, also visit the Brill Building, There's Always Magic In The Air.

Great reading!

"Lonely Avenue" is one of the most moving books I've read in a long, long time. It's so good, I read it in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. This book will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and parts of it will make you want to jump out of your chair and cheer for its hero (and a new hero of mine), Doc Pomus, a true American orginal if there ever was one. Even if you don't know anything about him or his music, do yourself a favor and buy this book.

Now he has got his new company surly a movie about mad women chasing the movie producer to save an artist makes a great movie for the failing Hollywood blcobuster? The Weinstein Company should look at this book now and make it into a UK movie.

Thelma and Loise meet The Player?

This book really made me laugh but I have to say I was shocked that Harvey Weinstein did not help them save thier artist, he must be short of money because these women could sell snow to Eskimos. Excellent read and the perfect holiday companion.

This book is hilarious buy it if you love to laugh at the reality of life.

I got hold of a copy of this book from someone important in Hollywood, flying first class, Virgin Airways. He was laughing so much I asked him the title of the book he was reading. Was he laughing at the story or was he laughing at himself. It turned out he was a producer and knew Harvey Weinstein very well. The book is a true account of what happens when normal women get inside the Hollywood system and expose not only themselves but the people who run it. Fantastic story.

This is just amazing, what a tale. I wish I had seen this side of Hollywood. The book is a sales manual and a diary for drunks, drug addicts and those who tell the truth.

Michelle Morgan did an outstanding job writing this book...it is very informative....and true.She did a lot of work on this and needs to be complimented on how she presented it. I recommend this book for all Marilyn Monroe fans...it's one of the best!!

The author seems focused on being fair and as close to the facts as she could possibly get, without applying the generalizations/assumptions common to mainstream gossip. I noticed no negative/disgraceful comments about Marilyn. The lack thereof is what made reading this book a joy. This is a great book! It covers her life from her childhood to her death and has some great photos you don't see printed everywhere.

By: Tommy Garrett

What on earth can be written about Marilyn Monroe that has not already been written, rumored or made up? Well, plenty of great new juicy details, researched by a Marilyn Monroe fan, Michelle Morgan. When I first heard of this book, I simply rolled my eyes. I had spent almost a decade representing Monroe's first husband, Jimmie Dougherty, who lived in Maine at the time. Jimmie was a saint, a wonderful old man who really felt like Monroe had been given a bad name by many in Hollywood and the media alike. He wrote his own book, "To Norma Jeane With Love, Jimmie," by Jim Dougherty, as told to L.C. VanSavage, and it was a bestseller and a warm and comforting tome about his short marriage to the underage Norma Jeane. Jimmie always spoke with love and admiration for Monroe and I heard some never before told stories about the screen goddess.




So to my surprise, when I received the latest Monroe book, "Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed" by Michelle Morgan, I had to read it. Firstly, Michelle Morgan is the founder and President of the UK fan club, the Marilyn Lives Society, established in 1991. The book was published by the distinguished publishing house Carroll and Graf. So I was interested in reading this voluminous book, filled with never before seen photographs of Monroe in various stages of her life and career and figured that I'd at least have to give it a read. How happy I am that I did.

Many of the more than 150 photographs in this new illustrated biography of Monroe have never been published before. Some of the little known images show a different side of the icon - Monroe doing everyday things, laughing, in conversation, in her unguarded moments. Being a star, every moment is scripted and planned, but Monroe is captured in some of the moments in which she never expected to be photographed.

Michelle Morgan was able to interview almost everyone who knew Marilyn - in addition to her Hollywood and New York colleagues - many family members and friends. Drawing on over 50 different interviews, many who were never willing to go on record before, and many from Monroe's orphaned childhood and early years, the details paint a whole different portrait of the woman who will forever be called Hollywood's hottest and most well known sex goddess. A name she may have worked to achieve, but one her studio, 20th Century Fox, perpetrated to make her bankable in an era where actresses were no longer as glamorous as the era before.

This meticulously researched biography brings new insight into the life of one of Hollywood's most beloved and unforgettable stars. Michelle Morgan's easy yet enticing writing style brings forth a plethora of new details, broadening my once small interest in the sex icon. The read made my interest in the star unending and gave me a fascination with the star I never believed possible.

I had always thought of Monroe as one of the most uninteresting and untalented stars of her era, but now I have a whole new respect for the star and what she was able to do with her career while saddled with demons that most of us can never imagine being burdened with. But Morgan, being one of Monroe's biggest fans, is not only interested in the star but brings forth such a monumental picture of the star we really never knew and makes the reader want to know more. That goal is met by her never boring details of the star and yes, details never seen or read before.

A must read for any Hollywood historian and also for any Marilyn Monroe fan of any and all ages.

Miss Morgan is now working on a wonderful new biography on one of the forgotten stars of the `30s, Carole Lombard. Asked about this, Morgan says, "I have a few irons in the fire at the moment, as they say. I am currently researching a biography of film star Carole Lombard, who tragically died in a plane crash in 1942. There hasn't been a thorough and full biography written about her in quite some time, so I would very much like to fill that gap. I am currently looking for anyone who may have any memories of Carole, along with photos, articles, letters or even second-hand memories passed down through the years. If anyone can help me in this regard I'd love to hear from them: [...] They can also visit my website at [...] Along with that I am also looking to have my book turned into a film, so if there are any film producers out there, I'd love to hear from them!" And says in regards to why she chose to write about Marilyn Monroe, "I've been a fan since I was 15 years old - way back in 1985. I discovered Marilyn while I was on holiday with my family and picked up a book about her as a holiday read. I was very lucky as the book I read was `Norma Jean' by Fred Laurence Guiles, which is a classic Marilyn biography. During that holiday I bought several postcards and posters, and my fascination really took off. From then on, I spent all my pocket and babysitting money on books, videos and pictures. Learning about Marilyn became a passion that has never ceased for me." Lucky for us she's such a fan of every star she writes about.

Lately I have been on a Marilyn Monroe kick. I have been watching her movies and reading about her life. She was an interesting lady, the first of the modern sex symbols, she posed nude in Playboy and was also an accomplished actress (I still think she deserved an Osar for her performance in The misfits!), she also married and had relationships with many famous and powerful men from DiMaggio to President Kennedy. This book is a well written account of her Marilyn"s life I can Highly recommend. And while it s pitched as an unauthorized biography, I think the author does a great job of presenting Marilyn in a fair and sympathetic manner. Marilyn fans also might want to check out Misfits Country for a fictional look behind the scene of her last movie The Misfits

The book easily flies to the top of the list of books about Marilyn Monroe as one of the finest, most thoughtful, comprehensive, well-written and understanding books written. The photos (many never before published) are an outstanding addition to the book, but it is the detailed, sensitive biography which takes the reader steadily through Marilyn's life which is makes it truly priceless.

Obviously this was a labor of love; Michelle Morgan has done a superb job of capturing an enormous amount of detail into one book. Interviews with folks who knew Marilyn (but who are not 'famous' or have an ulterior motive) distinctly add to the in-depth depiction of this extremely talented woman of so many facets.

Ms. Morgan also does a fine job of stating the basic, well-known facts around Marilyn's untimely depth without forcing any theory upon the reader. It's truly wonderful to read a biography which is just that--the story of a person's life--and not a book which relies on sensationalism to 'sell' it. This book gives a sense of Marilyn as woman, actress, wife, friend and sensitive human being. It brings depth into understanding of her relationships with her three husbands, giving the reader a sense of each of Miss Monroe's marriages.

I highly recommend this book to any long-time or brand-new fan of Marilyn's. You won't be disappointed.

Michelle Morgan did an outstanding job writing this book...it is very informative....and true.She did a lot of work on this and needs to be complimented on how she presented it. I recommend this book for all Marilyn Monroe fans...it's one of the best!!

The author seems focused on being fair and as close to the facts as she could possibly get, without applying the generalizations/assumptions common to mainstream gossip. I noticed no negative/disgraceful comments about Marilyn. The lack thereof is what made reading this book a joy. This is a great book! It covers her life from her childhood to her death and has some great photos you don't see printed everywhere.

By: Tommy Garrett

What on earth can be written about Marilyn Monroe that has not already been written, rumored or made up? Well, plenty of great new juicy details, researched by a Marilyn Monroe fan, Michelle Morgan. When I first heard of this book, I simply rolled my eyes. I had spent almost a decade representing Monroe's first husband, Jimmie Dougherty, who lived in Maine at the time. Jimmie was a saint, a wonderful old man who really felt like Monroe had been given a bad name by many in Hollywood and the media alike. He wrote his own book, "To Norma Jeane With Love, Jimmie," by Jim Dougherty, as told to L.C. VanSavage, and it was a bestseller and a warm and comforting tome about his short marriage to the underage Norma Jeane. Jimmie always spoke with love and admiration for Monroe and I heard some never before told stories about the screen goddess.




So to my surprise, when I received the latest Monroe book, "Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed" by Michelle Morgan, I had to read it. Firstly, Michelle Morgan is the founder and President of the UK fan club, the Marilyn Lives Society, established in 1991. The book was published by the distinguished publishing house Carroll and Graf. So I was interested in reading this voluminous book, filled with never before seen photographs of Monroe in various stages of her life and career and figured that I'd at least have to give it a read. How happy I am that I did.

Many of the more than 150 photographs in this new illustrated biography of Monroe have never been published before. Some of the little known images show a different side of the icon - Monroe doing everyday things, laughing, in conversation, in her unguarded moments. Being a star, every moment is scripted and planned, but Monroe is captured in some of the moments in which she never expected to be photographed.

Michelle Morgan was able to interview almost everyone who knew Marilyn - in addition to her Hollywood and New York colleagues - many family members and friends. Drawing on over 50 different interviews, many who were never willing to go on record before, and many from Monroe's orphaned childhood and early years, the details paint a whole different portrait of the woman who will forever be called Hollywood's hottest and most well known sex goddess. A name she may have worked to achieve, but one her studio, 20th Century Fox, perpetrated to make her bankable in an era where actresses were no longer as glamorous as the era before.

This meticulously researched biography brings new insight into the life of one of Hollywood's most beloved and unforgettable stars. Michelle Morgan's easy yet enticing writing style brings forth a plethora of new details, broadening my once small interest in the sex icon. The read made my interest in the star unending and gave me a fascination with the star I never believed possible.

I had always thought of Monroe as one of the most uninteresting and untalented stars of her era, but now I have a whole new respect for the star and what she was able to do with her career while saddled with demons that most of us can never imagine being burdened with. But Morgan, being one of Monroe's biggest fans, is not only interested in the star but brings forth such a monumental picture of the star we really never knew and makes the reader want to know more. That goal is met by her never boring details of the star and yes, details never seen or read before.

A must read for any Hollywood historian and also for any Marilyn Monroe fan of any and all ages.

Miss Morgan is now working on a wonderful new biography on one of the forgotten stars of the `30s, Carole Lombard. Asked about this, Morgan says, "I have a few irons in the fire at the moment, as they say. I am currently researching a biography of film star Carole Lombard, who tragically died in a plane crash in 1942. There hasn't been a thorough and full biography written about her in quite some time, so I would very much like to fill that gap. I am currently looking for anyone who may have any memories of Carole, along with photos, articles, letters or even second-hand memories passed down through the years. If anyone can help me in this regard I'd love to hear from them: [...] They can also visit my website at [...] Along with that I am also looking to have my book turned into a film, so if there are any film producers out there, I'd love to hear from them!" And says in regards to why she chose to write about Marilyn Monroe, "I've been a fan since I was 15 years old - way back in 1985. I discovered Marilyn while I was on holiday with my family and picked up a book about her as a holiday read. I was very lucky as the book I read was `Norma Jean' by Fred Laurence Guiles, which is a classic Marilyn biography. During that holiday I bought several postcards and posters, and my fascination really took off. From then on, I spent all my pocket and babysitting money on books, videos and pictures. Learning about Marilyn became a passion that has never ceased for me." Lucky for us she's such a fan of every star she writes about.

Lately I have been on a Marilyn Monroe kick. I have been watching her movies and reading about her life. She was an interesting lady, the first of the modern sex symbols, she posed nude in Playboy and was also an accomplished actress (I still think she deserved an Osar for her performance in The misfits!), she also married and had relationships with many famous and powerful men from DiMaggio to President Kennedy. This book is a well written account of her Marilyn"s life I can Highly recommend. And while it s pitched as an unauthorized biography, I think the author does a great job of presenting Marilyn in a fair and sympathetic manner. Marilyn fans also might want to check out Misfits Country for a fictional look behind the scene of her last movie The Misfits

The book easily flies to the top of the list of books about Marilyn Monroe as one of the finest, most thoughtful, comprehensive, well-written and understanding books written. The photos (many never before published) are an outstanding addition to the book, but it is the detailed, sensitive biography which takes the reader steadily through Marilyn's life which is makes it truly priceless.

Obviously this was a labor of love; Michelle Morgan has done a superb job of capturing an enormous amount of detail into one book. Interviews with folks who knew Marilyn (but who are not 'famous' or have an ulterior motive) distinctly add to the in-depth depiction of this extremely talented woman of so many facets.

Ms. Morgan also does a fine job of stating the basic, well-known facts around Marilyn's untimely depth without forcing any theory upon the reader. It's truly wonderful to read a biography which is just that--the story of a person's life--and not a book which relies on sensationalism to 'sell' it. This book gives a sense of Marilyn as woman, actress, wife, friend and sensitive human being. It brings depth into understanding of her relationships with her three husbands, giving the reader a sense of each of Miss Monroe's marriages.

I highly recommend this book to any long-time or brand-new fan of Marilyn's. You won't be disappointed.

WORTH WAITING FOR. CHUCKED FULL OF NEW PICTURES AND TIDBITS THAT WE NEVER READ BEFORE. THE PICTURES OF THE ACTUALL LETTERS HAND WRITTEN BY LITTLE EDIE WERE JUST A WONDERFUL SURPRISE AND DELIGHT. IF YOU ARE A GREY GARDENS FAN, OR FANATIC LIKE ME YOU MUST OWN THIS WONDERFUL TREASURE. SCRAPBOOK IS THE PERFECT WORD. THAT IS WHAT MAKES IT SO UNIQUE AND INTERESTING.

i just loved Memorabealeia,it was nice to get another glimpse of the fabulous Little Edie

I was pleased to discover that Edie's Miami Beach apartment was in a luxury complex (Harbour House) right on the beach! These condos are selling for around half a million dollars! Her condo had a large pool and the beach just beyond-it looks like it was perfect for grabbing "a couple days on the beach". Also fun was to see Edie all decked out in New York city after her move there and all manner of tidbits that fans will enjoy. It looks as though Edie lived the good life after Grey Gardens (did Jackie help?) Thanks for the book Walter!

Loved it! A very interesting memoir for any Grey Gardens fan. The watercolor illustrations are beautiful, I would love to be able to purchase a print of one. As any GG fan has realized, anyone who knew Edie loved her. Walter, so glad you did not sell her letters on ebay! A wonderful book.

Reading about a years long relationship through letters and conversations is a very good way to get to know someone. Edith Beale and Walter Newkirk clearly had a special friendship that continued through her last years. The photos and insight gave me a special appreciation for her personality. A good read.

Mr. Satan's Apprentice is a heartfelt, soulful journey of self-discovery and self-expression. Gussow writes powerfully and lyrically about his complex friendship/partnership with the eccentric blues genius Mr. Satan. In the end, this is an uplifting example of a real-life "dialogue" between two very different -- and equally compelling -- central characters.

I could hardly put this book down to perform activities of daily living, let alone going to work. "Mr Adam" has created a masterpiece of American musical literature. Being a blues lover of many years, I was bored to death by the almost clinical approach of most writers on the subject. Not so, Mr. Gussow! He delivers a passionately honest and heart felt memoir filled with wonderfully alive and vibrant individuals, sharing with us the one true American music, the blues.

It is an amazing thing when an artist (in this case, Gussow, a writer/blues harp player) can somehow manage to make their mark despite all the confusion and hard knocks life throws at them- and they sometimes throw at themselves. This is a moving story about a burgeoning blues musician captured with excellent dialogue... Gussow has made his characters come alive and jump off the page the way writers are supposed to.

Not only is it Gussow's personal memoirs of his early years in music, but a riveting biography of one of the most unique and original blues acts in recent years- Satan & Adam. Gussow's accounts of his early music/life mentors (such as the underexposed harpist Nat Riddles) with sincerity and genuine emotion is fascinating. The telling of Mister Satan's story is a valuable contribution to blues history that could well have been lost in obscurity.

There are issues explored in this book that have rarely been expounded upon with any meaningful insight in any musician interview or book I can remember. The passages in the book where Gussow is in the middle of Harlem grappling with the rift and misunderstanding between black and white is especially poignant, particularly from his perspective as a young, white, Princeton educated "bluesman".

Although this book isn't an instructional course on technique or musicianship- for those who aren't aware- Adam Gussow is considered by many blues afficionados to be one of the best harmonica players alive today. So he's paid some dues and he knows what he's talking about.

Adam Gussow had the good fortune, the talent, street smarts and the heartfelt focus to get out there and live it- become an apprentice to a bluesmaster- just like most traditional art is passed down from accomplished teacher to eager student. I admire him for it. Mister Satan's Apprentice is a must read for any struggling musician or blues fan- it just might get you thinking about your own life's journey.

Recently it was my privilege to see author and harmonica player Adam Gussow at my local huge independent bookstore here in the Eastern US. I rarely do commercials, but if you can't catch Adam, you can check out his new novel "Mr. Satan's Apprentice". Adam calls it "a blues memoir", and so it is. The guy is a no-shit, kick-butt, street-smart harp player! FYI, I have fairly high standards in this realm. If you've seen or heard the New York duo "Satan and Adam", you'll know what I mean. The guy is ALSO a juicy and creative, energetic, sexy writer - something I'm also picky about. Princeton Ph.D. candidate - English.

Adam's book describes a journey that a few of us know, but most do not. The musician in you will relate to the tale of the emergence of deep and powerful music from the little instrument - and the romantic in you will throb with the ways the emerging harmonica player and boundary-crosser discovers the things he needs to grow musically and personally - and then sometimes fearlessly, sometimes not, sets out to acquire them. You'll meet his teachers and mentors, and like it or not, you'll see life through the eyes of this seeker of musical and personal connection. You'll go with Adam on the romantic roller coaster as loves come and go - and you'll travel with him to Paris to play in the Metro and on the street; to the American South, and to other places exotic and otherwise - including a hitch with the road company of Broadway show based on Mark Twain's Sawyer and Finn. Later we get into the recording studio with Mr. Gussow and Mr. Satan - the Harlem street mystic and one-man band who becomes Adam's main-man mentor and muse, the Mr. Satan of the book's title. Throughout the book you'll find Adam the street intellectual examining his position as a white man among black men (and black women) in this blues-filled world - an examination in which Mr. Satan plays a key role.

A book for players and lovers - of the spirit of the music, of the street; of the endless forms of beauty and love, as they are found ALL over the place. The author is one who knows, and magically, describes, many of the gut experiences we players know; to my knowledge no one's ever written quite this way about these things before. Like the performing moments, the pulling out of all the everything you've got and then some, when the audience is on it's very EDGE, right there with you; when you are truly and purely the great IT! Blowing and drawing deep, and deeper, and then high and higher; and the room is all whoops and smiles, and all there in your hand. A good player knows these things, and believe me, in a blues band, nobody gets that kind of juice but the harp player.

OK, so maybe you don't know the peak of performance grace and light - but you know your peaks, and Adam's telling can stir it back into view...

Adam Gussow writes of music, romance, conflict, and awakening in an intimately physical and heart- connected way. As a player, I'm rocked. -"Harmonica Jack" Merrylees (JMerrylees@aol.com)

In "Mister Satan's Apprentice," street musician extraordinaire Adam Gussow has left in just about everything, and it's about 40 percent too much; the book would have read far better at a sleek 250 pages. But the good stuff is really good, and the book is well worth reading despite its distractions and digressions. In his early 40s, Gussow is currently a doctoral candidate in Princeton's English department. But thousands know him as the harmonica-wielding half of the "progressive gutbucket blues" duo Satan and Adam -- three-CD recording artists, photogenic subject of any number of newspaper and magazine features, and cameo stars of the U2 movie "Rattle and Hum."

In his autobiography, Gussow gets deep inside blues, and his relationship to it, and manages to successfully translate the music into language. "Blues harmonica played well was a miniature tongued slalom, a tornado swallowed and contained," he tells us, and his words capture every bit of excitement that the grooves and notes have to offer. "Mister Satan's Apprentice" is about much more than the blues, though -- it's a provocative meditation on race from a white man immersed in a traditionally black genre, neighborhood and world. Playing around with his first harmonica, in 1974, Gussow contemplates the subtleties of playing blues. "It had something to do with being a black guy," he muses.

As the protagonist in his narrative, Gussow pales (no pun intended) next to two marvelous characters: his two mentors, Nat Riddles and Sterling "Mister Satan" Magee. Twenty-two years older than his protégé, Mister Satan is as colorful as they come. He's a visual artist and apocalyptic numerologist with a murky music-industry background, and a font of, if not wisdom, then brilliantly idiosyncratic aphorisms and soliloquies. A Harlem fixture when Gussow approaches the guitarist to jam along, he shouts and hollers, runs hot and cold, towers over other men. Mister Satan looms larger than life, but harmonica player Nat Riddles is entirely real, an odd-job taxi driver with a dazzling smile and soulful tone. "He was perpetually on the verge of becoming the blues world's Next Big Thing," Gussow writes. "A young black harp-player with the Sound." Riddles flits in and out of fortune, showing up unexpectedly to astound a New York club, phoning from somewhere in the South, destitute and desperate, surviving gunshot wounds only to eventually succumb to a cruel wasting disease.

It's the music, finally, that counts most -- Gussow gives his story its own soundtrack, one of restlessness and yearning, of his struggle to capture the Sound: "The Sound was Southern-bound, it was cocky, playful, manic, chucking, resentful, edgy, comforting, relentless. It took incredible lip strength and finesse to produce. It was sexual. It was the haunted, restless feeling of a guy's apartment late at night after the woman who used to live there had moved out. It was whatever nasty things she was doing with the other guy-a virile sensitive soulmate-this very minute. It was the best way of beating those visions back into the ghoulish cave they had crawled out of. Working hard at the Sound was a socially acceptable way of sobbing, raging, and primal-screaming from a hot heart while pretending merely to be practicing." A little of this kind of writing goes a long way, and there's an awful lot of it here. Granted, it's a real challenge to maintain a level of excitement in writing about music page after page, particularly about blues, a genre built on the same few chords locked in a repetitious groove. So it's forgivable that Gussow often leans out a little far: "The sidewalk scene dissolved; I was wandering in a garden of earthly delights, hands cupped against the sweet cold fluid air. Every bent note was a pitch-perfect arrow puncturing the gray dusk. You only live now. Blue notes danced and spun, lines endlessly unfolding like so many wrapped gifts laid bare." You have to remind yourself that he's talking about a harmonica, one of the more prosaic of instruments.

For all Gussow's breathless adjectives and action verbs, he's frustratingly vague about the technical aspects of the duo's "huge raw perfect sound." The book's photos show Gussow with effects pedals at his feet, but he makes no mention of them; he doesn't mention the basic information that he plays in "cross harp" style until page 386; Mister Satan's "phase-shifted guitar wash and deafening clatter" is described pretty much only in metaphorical terms, as, for instance, "an endlessly unrolling Persian carpet with gristle and clanks added." Gussow is so good at getting inside his playing that the narrative sags whenever it moves to other topics. A hefty amount of the bloat deals with his failed relationships. We meet mercurial crackhead Robyn and inconstant ex-fat girl Gail, but mostly there's erratic, irritable hyperfeminist Helen. Gussow tells us on page 30 that Helen left him back in 1984, so we're predisposed to dislike her, and we indeed do. "Most men had a girlfriend," he writes. "I had Aphrodite crossed with Kali the Destroyer, She of infinite ravenous limbs." Worse, the book's artfully jumbled narrative, with short sections ordered sort of sequentially on several tracks, dooms us to read about Helen over the entire course of the book. We think we're finally through with her, and then: "1983. Things with Helen had turned out surprisingly well . . ." Enough already!

In the late '80s and early '90s, a period when racial violence kept flaring up in the outer boroughs of New York City, Satan and Adam's young-old, white-black novelty made a splash, but momentum slipped away. "Minor celebrity beckoned, then faded," Gussow writes. And despite the book's vibrant cover photo of the pair, they no longer perform, according to an e-mail Gussow sent me. "[I]t's impossible to keep the act together," he wrote, noting that Mister Satan now lives in south-central Virginia and has no telephone. That's a real shame.

A great book about the genesis and history of what I believe is the funniest sitcom ever. When you love something as much as I do like the Dick Van Dyke Show, the little nuances and details are fascinating! Vince Waldron goes into great detail without boring the reader in the meantime. It is too bad that this early sitcom has not gotten it's due as a groundbreaking show-- showing where the male lead works and his co-wokers, the reality of married life, a married couple in bed (albeit twin beds) and, of course, Mary Tyler Moore in Capri pants (scandalous)! All kidding aside, if you are a fan of the background scenes of TV or movies, this book is fun to read and reveals how the cast came together, the family atmosphere that resulted, the awards won, the demise of the series and the eventual post-series cast successes. You will find this book refreshing and hard to put down and won't be disappointed in purchasing it. The only thing I was disappointed in was that some of the episode descriptions were sparse. Buy the book, read it, enjoy....then, go buy the DVD series sets or set of all five seasons!

The other reviewers have pretty well covered it. This show was as good as it gets, and it never seems to date with time.

This book is an invaluable guide to the greatest show/series of all time, and represents oustanding value. The pairing of Dick and Mary was a stroke of genius, and the chemistry between them lifted this brilliantly conceived and well-written series onto another level. Remember the 'Nuts' episode?

Even the cutesy touches, such as the way Dick randomly tripped over or side-stepped the ottoman just added to the seemingly endless magic that was the Dick Van Dyke Show.

I had been itching to get my paws on this guide ever since I read Mary's autobiography After All, in which she rightly sings the show's praises - they both won Emmys of course - and this Definitive History illustrates just why it was out there on its own.

A wonderful book, and absolutely essential for the serious fan of this unique and unforgettable series.

This book is super awesome, it's just the best episode guide book ever written and I'm kind of partial since The Dick Van Dyke Show is my favorite classic TV show, I especially like the episode guide part which explained in a wonderful well written detail about each different episode, when they were made when they were originally shown on TV what they were about, who the guest actors were etc. I very strongly recommend this amazing book to any major Dick Van Dyke Show fan!

I really enjoyed this book, and would highly recommend it to any fan of "The Dick Van Dyke Show." It was very entertaining to read and informative as well. It was also very well written. I would give it more stars if I could.

This book features an amazing amount of insight into one of the very best television programs to ever grace the airwaves, "The Dick Van Dyke Show".

If you're an avid fan of this 1961-1966 CBS-TV program, trust me, you will NOT be able to stop turning pages until you've read the whole thing!

In each chapter, we learn new tidbits of behind-the-scenes information. There's info (including some brief biographical data) about every single member of the show's stellar cast.

For example: Did You Know .... that the audience laughter went on so long when Greg Morris & his on-screen spouse entered the Petrie home at the end of the episode "That's My Boy??" that the editor actually had to cut out some of the audience hysterics in order to fit the episode into the allowable timeframe? (Too bad, too. I'd love to have heard the WHOLE thing. A great episode indeed.)

The book also reveals the fact that Mary Tyler Moore stormed off the set in a huff one time, while doing the ultimately-classic episode, "Never Bathe On Saturday". She was upset because she was off-camera and talking through a door for most of the show. But, after seeing how funny the show worked as written, MTM felt bad about her tirade.

"Never Bathe On Saturday" features Dick's great line, after finding that the hotel bathroom door is locked: "Don't toy with me, you saucy wench." :) LOL!!!!

Plus there's a complete episode guide, with still more tidbits written within most of the episode descriptions.

I cannot imagine a more thorough and detailed Dick Van Dyke Show volume than this one. This book is a MUST for any fan of this highly-intelligent and magnificently-written TV program.

As previously said, this is a very well and beautifully writen errr... memoir. The cover tells you the whole story of what to expect inside. At first glance Alec dancing appears as a comical figure almost, but as you look closer you can see he is in some sort of agony. And as the book moves on, it is hard for him to not show his melancholy.
Despite being a bit of a emotional downer, this is still a very worthwhile read for any of his fans.

The journal of an extraordinary gentleman, one of the greatest actors ever to grace stage or screen. His reflections on his career are moving and perceptive, totally lacking in self-aggrandisement. His thoughts on the whole "Star Wars" phenomenon are particularly witty but smack of the desperation of being hounded by that film's fans. It's tragic that this great man may only be remembered by modern generations for his appearance in that opus instead of for his work in the Ealing comedies, "The Bridge on the River Kwai", his lengthy stage career and his magnificent turn on TV as George Smiley.

Alec Guinness is undeniably one of the most gifted actors of our times, and now, with his offering of "A Positively Final Appearance," we get to know something of the man behind the mask. This journal, kept between the summer of `96, and 1998, is chock full of insightful musings, reminiscences and anecdotes that are a delight. He shares his love of the theater, discussing many of the plays he attended during this period, and gives comments on recent movies, as well. An avid reader, he talks enthusiastically of favorite authors and books; his love of literature is unmistakable. The stage is his first love, however, and he speaks fondly, and frankly, of many of the plays he's done, and of his experiences with many of the actors and directors with whom he has had the privilege of working. He invites you into his private life, discussing the love of his life, Merula, and discoursing on their life at home, as well as their many travels. You learn what the greatest regret of his life is, who some of the people are he admires most, and a few of whom he could do without. He explains his negative attitude toward the "Star Wars" phenomenon, and addresses many of the events, large and small, that have in some way affected his life, and helped mold his perspectives. His concern over world events and the human condition is poignantly evident. Guinness writes so fluently, you can almost hear that distinct, familiar voice; you seem to be listening, rather than reading. There is a dignity and charm to his words that reveal, to some degree, the man behind them. That he values his privacy is apparent, and it becomes very clear that he is not the most accessible person, yet without any rancor; he holds his fans in high esteem, but there is a sincere humility to the man, who simply doesn't feel worthy of all the fuss. In a world seemingly rife with crass sensationalism and indifference, "A Positively Final Appearance" is like a tonic to the soul; it is so refreshing to discover that somewhere elegance and refinement still exist. My positively, final word on this book is that it is a joy, and should not be missed.

I picked up this book because I like Alec Guinness' work in "Lawrence of Arabia" and his other David Lean films (not because of "Star Wars" which I can take or leave). To be honest, I was worried it might be kind of boring.

Well, it was not boring -- it was delightful. The man was full of many profound observations about life that he communicated by writing about everyday things such as the birds in his yard or the weather. His vivid memories of his stage career and the people he knew were vastly entertaining. I was surprised to find him to be a humble, not-too-well-off everyday kind of man, not some fabulously rich egomaniac as I had supposed him to be.

Even though I could not be more different from him politically, I still enjoyed reading his views on politics. It was like talking to a dapper, well-bred older gentleman you bumped into on the street. His writing was assertive, yet polite and genteel.

If you miss reading this book, you've missed a simple pleasure that will make you smile. It's worth buying!

The late Sir Alec Guinness was a lovely writer, and with this, his final memoir, he improved vastly over his previous gift to us, MY NAME ESCAPES ME. Whereas the latter was strictly a selection from his diary, with this Guinness moves beautifully from journalistic descriptions of day-to-day events (from eye surgery to walks with his wife, Merula, to the indignities of moving slowly in an ever fast-paced and impolite world) and wry reflections on current events to anecdotes spanning his entire career in theatre and film. Each chapter is arranged by a theme, mostly seasonal, but they meander charmingly.

Those interested in his encounter with the church and his beginnings as an artist should find his autobiography, BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE. Those who might want reflections on STAR WARS will be disappointed. When one gentleman asked Guinness for an autograph from Ben Kenobi immediately after mass, Guinness admonished him, "Not in front of the parishioners!" and disappeared as nimbly as a young Jedi.

I originally bought this book at the Star Trek Experience in Las vegas, and I gave them as gifts to a lot of my friends and neighbors whose kids have never known a world where "Star Trek" did not exist and for those of us who have been around for all the Trek experiences this is a treasure of a book, Humor, wisdom and even gidance is written in these pages...open any page and somewhere on it will be something "that will make you think"...a grand experience on all levels

I love this book! It takes all of the best Trek lines, and cross-references them by speaker, episode and theme.
The only other thing I would like to see would be an updated volume, with the rest of the DS9 and Voyager episodes, the Enterprise series and the last two movies. Then this wonderful book would be complete.

This is the best possible book they could use with star trek quotes. It includes tons of different catagories of quotes, from all of the series and movies. It also has the For the Fans which has some of the first quotes that were used in Star Trek and other momentous occasions for us obsessive star trek fans :)
A must buy if you are even remotley addicted to star trek.....a great book for the trekkies :)

This book is a treasure. Something to be sampled in small doses, to stretch out the experience. Another reviewer was right -- the quotes live up to the blurb on the back. Jill Sherwin did a great job. This is an absolute must-have, or at least must-read. P.S. The pictures are pretty good, too.

The back of this book is correct: "It makes us laugh, it makes us smile, but most of all, it makes us think". Star Trek was and still is a phenomenon that does not die. And the most important aspect of it was the message it got accross, what was being said. This book puts together all the best quotes, plus ones that I never really thought about until I saw them in here. Sometimes when I watched the shows I never really realized the subtle importance of a line of dialogue. When I read this, it showed me. Most of the book can be picked up and read by anyone, but the last three chapters or so are for the fans. Especially the one that is called "For the Fans". I constantly pick up this book, open to any random page, and start reading. I suggest this to any fan, and to anyone who likes to think. It is truly great. And, like it says, "The Human Adventure is Just Beginning" (text superimposed at the end of The Motion Picture).

THIS BOOK IS ABOUT LEGENDARY FILM MAKER ROGER CORMAN. HE IS KNOWN FOR MAKING FILMS AS QUICK AND CHEAP AS HE COULD. MANY OF THESE ARE CULT FAVORITES SUCH AS LITTLE SHOP, GIANT LEECHES AND MANY MORE. I HAVE SPENT MANY A FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY AFTERNOON WATCHING THESE "CLASSICS". ROGER CORMAN IS KNOWN FOR MAKING CHEAP BUT INTERESTING AND SOMETIMES HILARIOUS B MOVIES. THE BOOK GOES BEHIND THE SCENES AS THE AUTHOR INTERVIEWS MANY FORMER EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE WORKED FOR CORMAN AND HAVE INTERJECTED THEIR VIEWS AND OPINIONS ON CORMAN. ROGER IS ALSO KNOWN FOR GIVING MANY STARS THEIR START. CORMAN IS ALSO A COMPLEX GUY WHO CAN BE VERY GENEROUS AND CAN ALSO BE AS CHEAP AS THEY COME. SOMETIMES MOOD BUT ALWAYS LOOKING TO MAKE ANOTHER MOVIE. I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK AND I RECOMMEND IT FOR ALL FANS OF KING OF THE B'S AND WHO APPRECIATE BRILLIANCE ON A BUDGET.

Wow! Talk about switching personalities! This amazing biographer can emit the style of the person she is writing about to really give you a flavor of the personality. And of course, she spent time working for him, so you are privy to more of a view. Written somewhat bruskly like Roger's personality, you really gain insight into his life and what made him the person he is. Contrast this book with Beverly's biography of Ron Howard and you see some of the exceptional talent of this lady. A great read!

(...)

Gray's biography--fun as it is-- is more than a story about a man who is arguably one of Hollywood's most idiosyncratic moguls. It is a chronicle that parallels that of The Great Depression, World War II, the growth of the film industry and Los Angeles itself. We meet again celebrities we haven't thought about in years like the adorable dimpled Jon Davison, the memorable Vincent Price and even run across pop culture icons like Frank Gorshin.

Occasionally this book is burdened with glitz-town detail that only a dedicated film buff might adore but these moments are rare. Like a super hero, Corman--now 75 and still going--is resilient because he is multi-faceted. The same can be said for screenwriter cum UCLA instructor and journalist Beverly Gray. The two seem admirably paired in that way. Gray uses her many experiences and talents to tell the story of a man of many parts.
(...)

This fascinating "biography" is really a savvy "how to" book that belongs on the shelf of every screenwriter, aspiring producer, director, and development executive -- and everyone else who loves films and craves to know the secrets of Hollywood's most colorful mogul.

I found it fun to read as a realistic "behind the scenes" glimpse of what it takes to be a profitable mogul, such as the way Corman hired young cheap "promising" talent instead of going for experience. Directors fresh out of film school reading this book, for example, can get a good feel for the mindset and financial situation of producers they interview with. Screenwriters will learn how Corman and team (Gray had been his development executive) managed to write and produce so many successful films quickly.

Few books reveal the inner machinations of a successful producer so intimately. Gray, a screenwriting teacher at UCLA, has done a spectacular job of showcasing the life story of an intruiging man through more than eighty interviews and via her own experience.

I have to agree with the other five-star reviews. "Roger Corman: Blood-Sucking Vampires, Flesh-Eating Cockroaches, and Driller Killers" is the best book on the subject, the subject being the most unique American studio head in film history.

Beverly Gray really paints a nuanced picture of Corman and never panders to the fans, the haters, or her old boss Corman himself. Though it's impossible to pull back the curtains entirely and see into a man's soul, Gray seems to have at least pulled back one side, giving us as much a glimpse as is possible without telepathy.

Storywise, Corman is, as always, fascinating, and Gray's perfectly detailed retelling of his story is the best yet written.