Joe and Martha

Comic co-stars in $1,000 a Touchdown.

Happy birthday (in memoriam) to comedian Joe E. Brown (1891-1973), born July 28. He was Martha Raye's co-star in two films, but before they even met, they were compared to one another. One similarity was immediately apparent -- both were "big mouths," finding comedy fodder in their plus-sized kissers and mobile faces. Off-screen, both would devote considerable effort to supporting America's military men and women during wartime.

In 1939, they teamed up for $1,000 a Touchdown. Produced on a modest budget, the sports-accented comedy wasn't the top-notch production they deserved, but Joe and Martha made it fun nonetheless. Five years later, they joined forces to provide comic support to Betty Grable in Pin-Up Girl.

A couple of years ago, I had a mini-film festival of Joe E. Brown comedies, inspired by my reading of film historian Wes D. Gehring's Joe E. Brown: Film Comedian and Baseball Buffoon. That book not only gave me a better appreciation of Brown's comedic skills, but also paid tribute to someone who seems to have been a fine, admirable human being off-camera.

Happy birthday, Mr. Brown. You're remembered with fondness and admiration.

New Fall Catalog

My publisher's fall catalog has just been issued, full of enticing books due out in the next several months. Go here to have a look. I see several I want to read!

E-Martha

And here comes the eBook version of Martha Raye: Film and Television Clown! Props to Barnes & Noble for being first out of the gate, with the Nook edition now on the market; Amazon and other providers surely won't be far behind.

Power on, and happy reading!

Friday Fun with Martha

As I said in the preface to my new book on Martha Raye, I chose to focus primarily on her career as a comedienne in film and television, as opposed to her private life. Still, it's fair to say that marriage came up pretty often in the book, given her seven trips to the altar.

Just for the fun of it, see if you can guess which of those lucky gentlemen is pictured in the vintage photo at right. We'll even make it a multiple choice question. Which groom is pictured here?

a. Edward Begley
b. Nick Condos
c. Mark Harris
d. Neal Lang
e. Robert O'Shea
f. David Rose
g. Bud Westmore

Correct answer on Monday, unless someone posts it in the comments first. Have a great weekend!

Eager for Seegar

Born July 1, 1914, Sara Seegar has a face that will be familiar to many classic TV fans. She may be best-known for playing the second Mrs. Wilson (wife to Gale Gordon's character) in the final season of Dennis the Menace. She also turned up fairly often, usually as a client or client's wife, on Bewitched. In researching my book on Martha Raye, I learned that she supported Miss Raye in several of her 1950s variety shows, whether on All Star Revue or The Martha Raye Show. Miss Seegar was a gifted character actress with a finely developed instinct for finding the funny moments in a script.

In private life, she was the wife of Ezra Stone, who went from playing Henry Aldrich onstage and in radio to a successful career as a producer and director. In a 1969 interview, Stone said that he and Sara met in 1940, when they shared the stage in an unsuccessful Broadway play. "In comparison to the show," he joked, "we looked good to each other, and got married."

Sara Seegar died in 1990, a few weeks past her 76th birthday; her widower passed away in 1994. Both made significant contributions to the world of show business, and deserve to be remembered, as we do in this small way today.

The Slightly Guilty Bargain Hunter

I love bargains, and I come by it honestly. My parents were both born during the Great Depression, worked at sometimes low-paying jobs, and instilled in their kids the value of a dollar.

So it isn't surprising when I'm tickled pink to get a good deal on a book I want for my collection. In the past few weeks, I've snagged the two books pictured here, among others, at discount prices. And during my publisher's recent sale on eBooks, I picked up six or seven titles I'd been eager to read. Good for me, careful with my money, right? Well, yes ...

But the authors who write books like this often don't make much profit from all their hard work. I know this from personal experience, and from some of the writers I've befriended over the years. That leaves me with just a tinge of guilt when I get a steal of a deal on a used copy, giving the author no additional royalties. On the other hand, there's probably someone out there who'd like to read one of my books, but is discouraged by the sticker price.

Fortunately, public libraries do a great job of making books available to share among multiple readers. And if you support your local used bookstore, you might just reel in some terrific deals -- if I don't see them first.

She's Here!

My sixth book, Martha Raye: Film and Television Clown, has just been published by McFarland and Company. It's been a privilege to learn about this lady's fascinating life, talk to people who knew and worked with her, and have a good excuse to revisit her hilarious performances. To learn more about the book, or order your copy, please visit the publisher's website. You can also get it at Amazon, or Barnes & Noble. An eBook version isn't yet available, but it should be shortly.

If you read the book, I hope you'll drop me a line and let me know how you like it.