20 Good Reasons...

My illustrious publisher has announced an early start to its annual holiday sale. You can score 20% off any title in the McFarland catalog using the coupon code shown below:

Buy a book for me, buy a book by me -- I'll be happy either way!

Books on Wheels

Do you have a "car book"? One that rides around day after day in your vehicle, readily available to fill those dull moments in the doctor's waiting room, or while away the time as you stand in line at the post office?

Here's my current vehicular read, Hollywood Divas: The Good, the Bad, and the Fabulous, by my longtime friend and mentor James Robert Parish. It provides just the right combination of juicy gossip and solid research. In those ten spare minutes, you can learn all about the most outrageous moments of a major Hollywood star.

And if the world keeps you waiting too long, you can gather a few ideas for how to demand the respect to which you're entitled. Just keep in mind, though, Zsa Zsa Gabor did end up in the hoosegow...

What's your current car book?

A Tale of Two Memoirs

Sally Field

Just by happenstance, I recently read the memoirs of two well-respected actresses -- Sally Field's In Pieces, published last year, and the late Valerie Harper's I, Rhoda, which came out in 2013. Both actresses enjoyed early success in TV comedy before going on to more varied work, and both have had their share of tough times. But the bottom line, from my reading chair, is that Ms. Harper's book left me respecting and liking her even more than I already did. My reaction to Ms. Field's story was quite different.

Valerie Harper

In Pieces is the account of an actress who bitterly resented many of the roles she was given, and takes herself very, very seriously. I am struggling to remember anyone for whom she expressed warmth or gratitude in a 400-page book. That an actress serious about her craft might find The Flying Nun somewhat frustrating is perfectly understandable. But her disdain for a show like Brothers and Sisters (and, by implication, the viewers who liked it) just reflects poorly on her.

I, Rhoda reads like a friendly, candid chat with a woman who appreciates the opportunities she was given and made the most of them. It is nicely balanced between the professional and personal, and satisfying on both counts. She's no Pollyanna; her account of her lawsuit against Lorimar over the Valerie series is incisive and reveals a smart, tenacious, principled professional.

I think Valerie Harper took time to consider how to make her book something fans would enjoy. Too often, Sally Field's memoir reads like the notes from her therapy sessions -- for which she would now like to send readers the bill.

New Book on S. Sylvan Simon in 2020

It's official. My ninth book for McFarland & Co., coming in 2020, covers the life and films of producer/director S. Sylvan Simon (1910-1951). If you love Lucille Ball, Abbott and Costello, or Red Skelton, this is for you. 

Lucy (pictured with Simon) credited him with recognizing and honing her slapstick skills (prior to I Love Lucy), when he directed Her Husband’s Affairs (1947) and produced The Fuller Brush Girl (1950). Skelton called Simon his favorite director. From 1949 to 1951, Simon was Vice-President in charge of production at Columbia, second-in-command to the famously demanding Harry Cohn. In that capacity, he produced Born Yesterday (1950), which won its star Judy Holliday an Oscar. Just before Simon's untimely death, he was assigned to produce From Here to Eternity (1953), and had author James Jones as a house guest while they conferred.

Research for the book is enhanced by access to Mr. Simon’s own bound copies of his film scripts, annotated by hand, as well as rare photographs showing him and his stars at work. It is being written with the support and assistance of Simon’s children. Actresses Margaret O'Brien and Jane Powell are among the interviewees who share their memories of this talented man.

A page from Simon's script for I Love Trouble (1948).

Earlier this year, film historian and blogger David Cairns remarked, "The auteurists have been quiet too long about S. Sylvan Simon." Next year, let's see if we can make a little noise on Simon's behalf.

A Very Special Review

After a whole lotta work (and quite a bit of fun), my eighth book was released a few days ago by McFarland.

It's too soon to know how readers and reviewers will respond to the book. But here's the reaction it received from Bill Pine's granddaughter:

 "As the third generation in the film business, I'm grateful this book truly captures the spirit and philosophy of my grandfather, his partner Bill, and the movies they made. 'The Dollar Bills' would be pleased."

So am I. Pleased and grateful.

Perry Mason's Boss

Born June 20, 1911, Gail Patrick Jackson had two notable careers in Hollywood. In front of the cameras, she was a successful actress whose credits included such classic films as Stage Door and My Favorite Wife.

Her second act found her serving as Executive Producer of TV's Perry Mason, a post she held for that popular show's entire nine-year run. It was highly unusual in 1957 for a woman to take on such a job, but she enjoyed the full trust of Mason's creator Erle Stanley Gardner. It was she who supposedly saw the potential of Raymond Burr to be the star, when others on the production staff were dubious. As partners in Paisano Productions, Ms. Jackson and her then-husband Cornwell (who had been Gardner's literary agent) profited handsomely from the show's success.

Gail Patrick Jackson died in 1980, but left behind a record of accomplishment that will long be remembered.

The Defamation of Joan Davis

Backus and Davis, the not-so-happy couple?

It's a lonely job, but someone has to do it. I'm talking about the ongoing battle to speak in defense of Joan Davis (1912-1961), one of my favorite comediennes. Almost without exception, when her name comes up in Facebook groups or other social media outlets, someone can't wait to tell us what a horrible person she was. These are, of course, people who never met her.

This news flash is usually attributed to her sitcom husband, the late Jim Backus. It's true that the chapter on I Married Joan in his memoir (co-authored with wife Henny) does not paint a flattering picture of Joan. But I think Backus himself, who wasn't above a bit of embellishment to make a good story better, might regret what he wrote, if he could see how it's been used to bludgeon a talented performer who's no longer around to defend herself.

I can only hope that those who truly want to learn more about Miss Davis' life and career will take a look at Joan Davis: America's Queen of Film, Radio and Television Comedy. The book, which is based on a substantial amount of research, doesn't try to make Joan a saint -- or crucify her. I believe it's a balanced presentation that treats her with the respect her accomplishments deserve. I'm sorry that's in danger of becoming a minority viewpoint.

Birthday Gale

The one and only Gale Storm was born on this date in 1922. Winning a radio talent contest in 1939, when she was 17 years old, took her from Texas to Hollywood. From there, she built a highly successful career as an actress and singer.

Get to know her in my book, Gale Storm: A Biography and Career Record, named by Classic Images magazine as one of its best books of 2018.

Cover Up!

Here's an advance look at the cover for my forthcoming book on Pine-Thomas Productions. That's Mr. Thomas on the left, and Mr. Pine on the right, by the way.

I hope you'll give it a look when it's published by McFarland & Co. later this year.

The Case of the Consummate Actor

Happy birthday to the fine actor H.M. Wynant, who turns 92 today. During the 1960-61 season of TV's Perry Mason, when the career of co-star William Talman (Hamilton Burger) was in jeopardy due to an off-screen scandal, Wynant made three appearances as a substitute prosecutor, Deputy D.A. Sampson. Though I'm glad Talman ultimately returned as a series regular, I thought Wynant was the best of the temporary replacements. He could have been a fine addition to the regular cast. As it was, the producers liked him well enough to use him in ten episodes over the show's nine-year run, casting him at various times as prosecutor, victim, and murderer.

Among his dozens of other classic TV credits are a memorable episode of The Twilight Zone ("The Howling Man"). as well as appearances on Mission: Impossible, Batman, The Defenders ... I could go on and on. He was married for many years to a highly respected CBS casting director, the late Ethel Winant; today, Wynant and his second wife Paula have a teenage daughter.

Best wishes to Mr. Wynant and his family as they recognize him for a long and accomplished life and career.

Words from Our Sponsor

Nearly as long as we've had television, we've had commercials. Nowadays, we have so many of them that some frustrated viewers have cut the cord on broadcast TV. Thanks to the good folks of The Media History Digital Library, I recently time-traveled back to 1957, where author Harry Wayne McMahan's book The Television Commercial: How to Create and Produce Effective TV Advertising was instructing sponsors and ad men how to put their best feet forward in this still-young medium.

Some of his book's concerns clearly belong to that now-bygone era; I think the debate over live versus filmed commercials has been pretty decisively settled. But many of his comments -- don't make exaggerated claims for the product, don't talk down to viewers -- are still pertinent. As for his caution that commercials lose effectiveness when they are repeated too often, I wonder what he would say about one 60-minute program I saw recently in which the same ad aired seven times during that single broadcast. Or, for that matter, how that hour-long program, shorn of its nearly incessant commercial interruptions, would have run 37 minutes.

Wherever he might be today, I hope Mr. McMahan isn't watching 21st century television. When it comes to commercials, it's not a pretty sight.

Preserving the Republic (Studio)

Because my interest in B movies and the so-called "Poverty Row" studios has increased greatly over the past few years, I was eager to read Chris Enss and Howard Kazanjian's Cowboys, Creatures, and Classics: The Story of Republic Pictures (Lyons Press). I just wish I could say I loved it.

The illustrations, including movie stills, poster art, and related ephemera, are probably the chief asset of this coffee-table-type book. The text I found less impressive. Chapters offer somewhat superficial overviews of topics such as Western heroes, serials, and stuntmen, leaning pretty heavily on previously published material. The well-documented relationship between studio head Herbert J. Yates and his favorite leading lady, Vera Ralston, is discussed at some length, but in the end I didn't feel as though I'd learned much that I didn't already know.

There are also some errors film buffs won't have any trouble spotting, including the misspelled names of actresses Phyllis Coates and Mabel Normand. And while I appreciated the coverage of Gail Russell and Anne Jeffreys in the chapter on Republic's leading ladies, how do you put out an entire book on this studio with nary a mention of funny lady Judy Canova?

It's a shame to begin a new year talking about a book I can only marginally recommend. I'll try to do better next time out.