Description
Book SynopsisBefore the advent of cable and its hundreds of channels, before iPods and the Internet, three television networks ruled America's evenings. And for twenty-three years, Ed Sullivan, the Broadway gossip columnist turned awkward emcee, ruled Sunday nights. This title tells the saga of "The Ed Sullivan Show".
Trade Review"A memory-lane extravaganza, smart, witty and finely researched." -- Howard Rosenberg San Francisco Chronicle "A fun, affectionate portrayal of the showman. A long time in coming, it's the tome that Sullivan always deserved." -- Harry Haun Playbill "A vivid, discerning portrayal of American history through the lens of popular culture." Publishers Weekly "This work is a 'don't miss' of nostalgia." -- Liz Smith Wowowow.com "Detailed portrait of Sullivan ... that ought to interest scholars of American popular culture and media history." Journal Of American History "An amusing, anecdote-rich book... It's full of 'remember when' moments ranging from the bizarre to the insulting." -- Nicholas Read The Calgary Herald "Nachman does full justice to the pathos of his subject." -- Philip Marchand National Post
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Theme Music Part One. No-Talent Host Tames the One-Eyed Beast 1. Out of the Paley-ozoic Ooze 2. Battle of the Videoville Titans-Berle, Godfrey, and Sullivan 3. A Live Broadway Column Every Sunday Night 4. The $375 Extravaganza 5. Very Critical Condition 6. The Magic of Sullivision Part Two. How to Succeed in Show Business without Really Talking 7. From Small-Town Sportswriter to Manhattan Sport 8. He's Just an Ink-Stained Broadway Baby 9. Toast of the Nation 10. It's the World, on Line One 11. Sacred Sunday Rite 12. Not Quite All in the Family 13. Extended Family Part Three. Inside the Star-Making Machine 14. Herding Comedians 15. Backstage Life (and Death) 16. Give My Regards to La Scala 17. Elvis Has Entered the Building 18. Newspaper Wads at Fifty Paces-a Few Off-Camera Feuds 19. Embracing Blacks, Caving In to McCarthyism Part Four. Rescued by Rock 'n' Roll 20. The Son-in-Law Also Rises 21. "And Now-the Beatles!" 22. The Showman without a Country 23. Echoes and Afterimages Bibliography Interviews Acknowledgments Index Photographs follow page
