I am a voracious reader. It’s not anything to be proud of because a lot of what I read is nonsense. Comic books, magazines, website articles, and so forth.
But I read actual books too. A lot of them! Here are five of my recent favorites:
Frank Sinatra Has A Cold by Gay Talese and Phil Stern
“Frank Sinatra Has A Cold” was a lengthy 1966 essay for Esquire Magazine. This coffee table book contains the magazine article in its entirety, along with a treasure trove of photographs, original documents from writer Gay Telese’s notes and some Sinatra history.
The “cold” referenced in the title nearly sabotaged an NBC television special, “The Man And His Music.” Sinatra tried to perform a few songs but ended up walking out of the taping session, frustrated at his inability to sing as his fans would expect:
Sinatra with a cold is Picasso without paint, Ferrari without fuel—only worse. For the common cold robs Sinatra of that uninsurable jewel, his voice, cutting into the core of his confidence, and it affects not only his own psyche but also seems to cause a kind of psychosomatic nasal drip within dozens of people who work for him, drink with him, love him, depend on him for their own welfare and stability. A Sinatra with a cold can, in a small way, send vibrations through the entertainment industry and beyond as surely as a President of the United States, suddenly sick, can shake the national economy.
-Gay Telese
Eventually, Frank Sinatra got over his cold, and taped the special in full voice.
The remarkable irony in this story, and the story behind the story, is that Gay Telese never got an interview with Sinatra. He hung out with Old Blue Eyes at a bar, at a boxing match, and even managed to observe some taping of the TV special. But he never got the interview. The fact that this magazine piece is considered an all-time classic in “New Journalism” with that handicap is a testament to the skill of Telese in crafting a riveting, fair story without direct comment from the subject.
100 Years of Grand Ole Opry: A Celebration of the Artists, the Fans, and the Home of Country Music
It’s another coffee table book, this time celebrating the longest continuously airing radio program in broadcasting history.
The book offers a fantastic history of the Opry, from it’s earliest years bouncing from venue to venue. Eventually the show made the Ryman Auditorium its home for over four decades. In 1974, the broadcast was relocated to a new custom-made venue called The Grand Ole Opry House. That’s where I saw the Opry, once in 1992 with my family, and once about a year and a half ago with my pal Dustin Harris.
Although the venue changed, a little piece of the Ryman made the trip to the Opry’s new home. It’s the circle (as in “May the circle be unbroken”). Performers stand on a round piece of wood from the original Ryman stage.
As a radio geek, I adore being able to listen to the Grand Ole Opry every Saturday night. Live radio at its finest.
Are You Anybody? by Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Tambor is an actor with quite a resume. He was known in the 70’s as the fussy neighbor to “The Ropers”; as “Hey now!” Hank Kingsley on “The Larry Sanders Show”; George Bluth Sr. on “Arrested Development”; and Maura on “Transparent.” Tambor’s life story includes a vast amount of stage acting, and the lessons that come with it. There are stories about the big parts, but more interesting is his discussion on being a husband and father, providing support to his son Gabriel.
As a “Larry Sanders” fan I particularly enjoyed the chapter on that series, and Tambor’s relationship with Garry Shandling. The Hank character is sometimes volatile, sometimes pathetic, and always hilarous:
The Essential Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz: The Greatest Comic Strip of All Time by Mark Evanier
Just like untold millions of children, some of my earliest reading was “Peanuts”. I had a stack of paperback books that kept me entertained, which was quite a feat considering that I started reading at age three.
This book takes on the unique challenge of selecting one comic strip for each of Peanuts’ 75 years. The 75 comic strips include first appearances (Franklin, Linus, etc.), noteworthy moments, and strips that are visually or verbally worthy of being in the spotlight.
Between the strips there are essays from a variety of creative voices, including many of Schulz’ peers in cartooning.
The author of this splendid work is Mark Evanier, a writer in television (“Welcome Back Kotter”), animation (“Garfield And Friends”), comic books (Gold Key titles including Bugs Bunny, Scooby-Doo, Woody Woodpecker, etc.). He is perfectly suited for this task. I highly recommend newsfromme.com, his excellent blog.
The Show Must Go On: How the Deaths of Lead Actors Have Affected Television Series by Douglas Snauffer
This book is a series of “show must go on” stories, many of which are pretty damn grim. The question asked by the book is: What happens when an actor on a popular television series dies?
Well, it varies. Freddie Prinze, star of “Chico And The Man”,was believed to have committed suicide, although years later his family fought to prove that his death was medication-induced.
In the fluke category is Jon-Erik Hexum who, while waiting for a scene to be filmed, put a gun with blanks to his head and fired. Wikipedia sez:
Hexum became restless and impatient during the delay and began playing around to lighten the mood. Imitating a game of Russian roulette, he unloaded every chamber except one, spun the cylinder, then raised the gun to his right temple and pulled the trigger.
There are many stories of actors who passed away from illness, such as Dolph Sweet of “Gimme A Break”; Nicholas Colosanto, the beloved Coach on “Cheers”; and Redd Foxx, who died while rehearsing an episode of the 90’s sitcom “The Royal Family”. He began to clutch his heart, and the cast and staff around him thought Foxx was doing his “Elizabeth! I’m comin’ to join ya!” schtick from “Sanford And Son”. But it wasn’t a joke. Foxx died of a heart attack.
I told you it was grim.
Of course, an actor’s death is only the first half of the story: How producers dealt with these tragedies also vary. Sometimes new characters were introduced, such as the young latino boy who become the new “Chico” on “Chico And The Man”, or Woody Harrelson playing a not-too-bright Coach-like character on “Cheers”.
Some characters simply couldn’t be replaced. After John Ritter’s tragic passing, two different actors were added to “8 Simple Rules” : James Garner and David Spade. In most situations like this, including “8 Simple Rules”, the effort to keep the show going was essentially unsuccessful.
As dour as it can sometimes get, this book is a fascinating look at the inner workings of television production.