I love to read. And a lot of what I read are biographies of radio and television performers. I have read three such books in a row and each one, in its own unique way, is soul-crushingly depressing.
But don’t let that stop you! They’re interesting too. Interesting and depressing. Are you ready? Here we go!
Walter Tetley was a voice actor, heard on an incredible array of radio broadcasts beginning in the 1930’s. His specialty was doing the voices of wisenheimer children on radio broadcasts such as “The Great Gildersleeve” and “The Phil Harris/Alice Faye Show”. Tetley’s best known role was that of Sherman, pet boy of Mr. Peabody on The Bullwinkle Show.
Wikipedia sez:
For his entire adult life, Tetley had the voice of a preteen boy, which led to him largely playing boys. The exact cause was never confirmed.
Although Tetley could do the child voice well into his 50s, roles dried up when radio changed from comedies and dramas to primarily music programming. Tetley suffered a motorcycle accident in 1971 and never fully recovered. In his later years Tetley performed as a clown to child audiences. He died in 1975 at the age of 60,
I promised you this would be depressing. My brother is terrified of clowns. But this is so sad I wouldn’t even try to freak him out with it.
Next in our cavalcade of depression:
Judy Carne grew up in Great Britian and was trained in dance and vocal performance. But her claim to fame was as the victim of Sock It To Me Time on “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In”.
In her autobiography, Carne describes a dysfunctional wedding to Burt Reynolds; a dysfunctional marriage to Robert Bergmann; fighting a heroin posession charge; and a near fatal car accident. The drug thing is particualrly horrific; Carne was performing in a stage play and the moment the curtains fell, she was surrounded by some cops who made her strip naked.
The book was published in 1985. And had a positive ending, with Carne finally able to laugh on the inside AND the outside.
Well…..
In 1986, she was arrested at London’s Heathrow Airport and convicted of drug possession. She served two months of a three-month prison sentence in HM Prison Cookham Wood.[5]
And four years later…
Oh….and for years, drunkards would throw their drinks at her to stage their own 3-D “Sock It To Me Time”.
Can you stand one more of these? Okey doke!
John D. MacDonald was a well-known writer. Dan Rowan was one half of the comedy team of Rowan and Martin. (“Laugh-In” is getting heavy play in this blog.)
They were hugely popular for five years doing this back and forth shtick.
Rowan and MacDonald were introduced to each other by a mutual friend, and began a long series of letters.
MacDonald kept Rowan updated on his latest book. He bemoaned the mundane nature of promotional jags authors must endure. And he would offer frequent suggestions and critiques on “Laugh-In.”
Rowan would share behind the scenes scoop on the production of “Laugh-In” and the countless live performances Dan and Dick made during the series’ summer hiatus. Both men, being well to do figures, discussed foreign traveel.
Of interest to me is the ocassional grumbling by Rowan about his partner. As someone who has worked in a duo, there are some very familiar grievances shared here.
These two friends communicated primarily via the mail, and once in a while via phone or in person visits.
As the years go by, Rowan’s marriage begins to collapse. And MacDonald, noticing Rowan’s increasingly foul behavior, writes a poison pen letter for the ages:
“Do you really have any idea of what you were really like? You were a total embarassment. You were loud, crude, vulgar and a total disaster.“
In addition to his own writing, MacDonald shared this newspaper clip to his friend:
Although Rowan did indeed get divorced, this book is the least depressing. Not long after their fractured discussion, Rowan reconnected with MacDonald
Rowan died on December 22,1987;
MacDonald died on December 28, 1986
If this wasn’t depressing enough for you, go back to the clown picture. I swear to God, that is nightmare fuel.