5 comments about The Murrow Boys: Pioneers on the Front Lines of Broadcast Journalism.

1. The names Murrow, Sevareid, Collingwood, and Shirer have created standards that have been forgotten. Thought has been replaced by good looks. Read this book to see how CBS News became a news operation of mythic proportion with brilliant, yet terribly troubled men creating such high standards that have become forgotten. (You'll see no one on your local five pm television news here.) For these men, the importance was in writing, not pictures. You'll also see how these legendary men were racked with insecurities and self-torture. It's also uncanny in terms of how each had a rise and fall at CBS. Sadly, it's all true. The authors didn't need to resort to poetic license. (Read other accounts of these figures and you'll learn that.) When you're done with this book, you'll wish Howard K. Smith or Robert Trout were still on television today. You'll wish that instead of having happy talk on the news, you had thoughful, intelligent people who respected their audience doing reports that provoked the viewer's intellect and not pander to him. Read how Howard K. Smith was fired from CBS, what prompted it way back then, and realize the standards have been steadily declining since then on all networks. It's an enjoyable, easy-to-read book that describes the creation and erosion of impeccable standards.



2. This look at the "Boys" who covered World War II for CBS radio is quite moving. I liked reading of Ed Murrow's battles with the CBS brass, and the portraits of William L. Shirer, Eric Sevareid, Larry LeSueur, Myra Breckenridge (the Murrow "Girl"), Charles Collingwood, etc. How odd that such talented journalists were often wracked by jealousy and self-doubt. How predictable that CBS eventually dumped most of the Boys - along with their high standards - after the advent of television. By forsaking such talent, CBS helped usher in the image-conscious, bleeds-it-leads mediocrity of today's news. Fortunately, Howard K. Smith, Shirer, Sevareid and several others left a rich legacy in books and memoirs, and at this writing one can still hear Richard C. Hottelet report for National Public Radio (NPR). This book should be required reading for all journalists and corporate news executives.



3. What combination of forces put Murrow and "the boys" at the forefront of creating the style and format of the network news that is part of our daily lives? "The Murrow Boys : Pioneers on the Front Lines of Broadcast Journalism" by Stanley Cloud and Lynne Olson appears to promise an answer to the question. While the book is well written, exhaustively researched, and filled with anecdotes, Cloud and Olson fail to deliver any new insight. After an introduction which sets the background, the authors structure the book around one-chapter biographies of the newsmen, often succombing to the temptation of wandering off into the byroads of celebrity biography, losing overall focus. In many cases, such as the commentary on Howard K. Smith, the biography presented here pales before the honest, understated drama and insight offered by the subjects in their own autobiographies--as in the case of Smith's totally riveting "Events Leading to My Death." And when the last mini-biography has been recounted, the book ends. I'm reminded of Snoopy writing his novel and saying "In Part 2 I tie all this together." Except the writers never tie it all together. Thus, it is an well done book, and for those unfamiliar with the biographies of the players, it will be an interesting book. When one considers the historical information to which the authors had access, the book could have been so much more. None of the newsmen celebrated in this book would have closed the broadcast without cogent commentary into the meaning of these facts and anecdotes before closing with "Good Night and Good luck."



4. Written in lively and engrossing style, the Murrow Boys covers the salad days of Edward Murrow and his pioneering changes to war news broadcasts. Only after understanding how great a patriot and journalist Murrow was acknowledged to be in general public opinion, does it become clear how and why Murrow was able to take on Joe McCarthy virtually single-handedly. In addition, the internal politics of Bill Paley's CBS become even more riveting. So if you liked the movie, you will love the book.



5. Stanley Cloud and Lynne Olson's THE MURROW BOYS is very well researched and sourced. The writing is lively, and propels the reader happily forward. In this book, Cloud and Olson treat a fascinating and important subject that is largely forgotten in the contemporary world of news-as-entertainment.
   
   Edward R. Murrow had drawn together an erudite, talented group of thinkers and writers to form the first cadre of broadcast journalists. His crack team of radio reporters covered the tragedy and triumphs of what became known as World War II, in a way both immediate and personal, both intimate and emblematic, and above all literate. Occasionally, television journalism rises above popular tastes and pretty talking heads to inform and move the viewer on truly critical issues of the day, but never with the consistency and depth of insight of the Murrow Boys.
   
   The Murrow Boys, however, by and large shared a weakness with their later television counterparts: they were vain and egotistical, in short, "stars." Cloud and Olsen, aside from skillfully explaining the revolution in mass communications that radio journalism was, devote quite a bit of their book to the celebrity status of these prima donnas. This underscores the Murrow Boys' ultimate self-deception and hypocrisy: while they railed at the shallowness of television news production, programming, and personalities, they positioned themselves--each one out for himself--to grab as much limelight as possible. Ultimately, celebrity triumphed over journalistic integrity.
   
   Thus THE MURROW BOYs does come off as a fast-paced celebrity biography. As a celebrity biography, it is very successful: it is engaging and sophisticated. From that perspective, one might well treat it as one does an intelligent "beach read": light, entertaining reading that one does not have to hide.
   
   However that may be, the book gives one an appreciation for the significance of the Murrow Boys. Too bad, though, that the authors did not choose to include more text from the reporting of the Murrow Boys; that would have given the reader a greater appreciation of their eloquence. Better yet, a CD with some of these broadcasts would have made a nice accompaniment.
   
   And too bad that the authors did not choose to go beyond the Murrow Boys' celebrity to explain the impact of their reporting on the American public as well as how they may have helped to shape history. As an example of the misplaced priorities of the writers: There is an instance described late in the book about how Charles Collingwood was invited to North Vietnam in 1968 and how his reporting from Hanoi helped lead to the peace talks. This half-page is then followed up with three pages on the relationship between Collingwood and his wife, Rita, at this time.
   
   Despite these limitations, the book is still fun and informative. And it really ought to read as a reminder of the tremendous service delivered by Murrow's proud pioneers of the airwaves.

2 comments about Refugees in Our Own Land : Chronicles from a Palestinian Refugee Camp in Bethlehem.

1. Few are the works that have given the personal touch to what it means to be living under the ugliest forms of occupation of modern times: The Israeli Occupation of West Bank and Gaza. Ms. Hamzeh's work is one of such works. Her diaries give a face to the people who are suffering on a daily basis faced with what an Apartheid-like situation - those people are the Palestinians who are being dispossessed and forced to live as refugees in their own land. Ms. Hamzeh's diaries and the additional essays give the personal touch and the political situation in the form of Oslo agreement that is shown to be nothing more than a mask that was intended all along to squeeze the Palestinians out of their land.
   This book should be recommended reading to students of Politics who risk losing sight of what it means to live under Occupation while reading Academic oriented works, and this book should be displayed as a testimony by all peace loving people against Violence and Racism and pure Murder that is being applied against Palestinians on a daily basis.



2. I'd love to find a book by a book by a Palestinian that truly seeks peace. This is not such a volume.
   
   Beginning from the preface, which in hysterical tones accuses Israel of committing genocide, to the last pages, this is a book loaded with code-words calling for Israel's destruction. It's full of "humiliation," "murder," "genocide," and the like.
   
   Had those things actually been perpetrated by Israel, I would be first in line to condemn them. But even the United Nations has concluded that Israel has not committed genocide, in Jenin, or anywhere else. As for murder, it seems that the only murder is taking place by Palestinians against Israeli civilians, and that whosoever amongst Palestinians has been killed has died either in battle, in the line of fire, or by accident, for which Israel has apologized. When, on the other hand, was the last time a Palestinian leader actually sought an end to suicide bombings, because they are evil, not because they are inexpedient.
   
   My biggest problem with this book is that for most of the events that Hamzeh reports, she relies on hearsay. There has been no scientific or objective attempt to verify the information, much less the veracity of the sources. Even that might be all right, had the reporter not assumed an hysterical tone. But Hamzeh is so willing to believe everything nasty she hears about Israel or Israelis, or Jews for that matter, that nothing escapes unscathed.
   
   I want peace, but books like this one--filled with blame and outright hatred--do nothing to promote it.
   
   --Alyssa A. Lappen

5 comments about A Dash of Daring: Carmel Snow and Her Life In Fashion, Art, and Letters.

1. I have bought many copies of this book to give to friends. I think it is a very special. It is a fascinating story, beautifully told. It is not just for those interested in fashion. It is a masterpiece of biography.



2. This beautifully produced and perceptive biography of Carmel Snow, arguably the greatest fashion editor who ever lived, is a sheer delight to read. The author focuses our gaze on both the biographical subject and the milieu in which Snow lived and worked. Penelope Rowland's impressive research and extensive interviews, combined with her sure touch as a storyteller, have yielded an engaging and compelling story.



3. When you crack open a 500 page book, it better be good. This biography of Harper's Bazaar fashion editor Carmel Snow is everything a heavy tome should be: entertaining, insightful, and thouroughly researched. The writing style is a perfect match for the subject matter: Penelope Rowlands' prose is as sharply defined as a couture garment, and, as a result, reading her book is the next best thing to actually owning a Dior original.
   
   But the most rewarding part of the book is the revelation that elegance is all about gutsiness. In fact, if you look objectively at the clothes women wore back then (the book is rife with photographic documents) all those proper little wool suits and belted silk dresses look quite frumpy in restrospect. But what poise those girls had! Where did their get their attitude? Reading A Dash of Daring is a lesson in real coolness.



4. Carmel Snow is an extraordinary subject and Ms. Rolands did a marvelous job in recementing her legendary status in the fashion industry. The research she did for this book is outstanding but her writing skills could be more polished at times. I feel that the size of the book could be trimmed down a little bit, perhaps they should split it into two books, one biography and one coffee table book of photographs and illustrations. Ms. Rolands' view are also very biased throughout the book. She tried to discredit all Carmel Snow's competitors and critics in order to show Snow's greatness. It's unnecessary as Snow's work certainly speaks for itself and her contribution to the fashion industry is unquestionable. I highly recommend this book for fashion historians and fashion students.



5. A very good biography of one of the legendary fashion editors of the 20th century. After reading 'Always in Vogue' by Edna Woolman Chase, her former boss, editor of Vogue and Bettina Ballard's own fashion biography this completes the picture of fashion in the 20th century. I enjoyed it, especially after seeing 'The Devil wears Prada' a couple of months ago. Having been in involved in Fashion as a designer and as a lecturer in design and creative cut for over 50 years it was also a trip down memory lane.
   Stuart Aitken

5 comments about My War.

1. Andy above and beyond potrayed his position in WW2 if anything played down. Yes he was a private that lucked out as many do in the service,but it seems he is able to tell the truth about it and feels no lesser for the facts. He tells of several heroes and some not so good officers. We have all known those. All in all I found the book very enjoyable and would highly reccomend it to all.



2. My grandfather was in the Army Air Corp during WWII and would tell wonderful stories about his time in the war (the good and the bad). I think he would have liked Andy Rooney.
   
   I found the book very interesting particularly his insights on Patton. I have an great uncle who served under Patton. His mind never was the same.



3. This is a great book. Andy Rooney, who I hate, is likable here in his stories about the GReat War. He tells stories, and jokes, and rubs elbows with all sorts of famous people, and, yet, doesn't seem to be bragging as much as telling. Also, his descriptions of tanks running over bodies and the air war are heart wrenching, beautiful, and terrifying. This book isn't my favorite overall, but it is the biggest surprise I've ever read. I really did love it.



4. This memoir by Andy Rooney of CBS of his army days during World War II mixes humor, cynicism, and tragedy. Rooney recounts how he was drafted into the artillery in 1941, and then transferred to the army newspaper STARS AND STRIPES. The author recounts his army experiences with a mixture of nostalgia, humor and sadness. The author admits his distaste for the military, and considers him self lucky to have drawn duty as a correspondent. Yet his service record was hardly risk-free. Rooney accompanied B-17 crews on raids over Nazi Germany, then infantrymen as they battled their way after D-Day. Rooney recounts much of the war's horrors and describes several friends and acquaintances that died in combat. The author's irreverent and at times cynical tone (particularly regarding General Patton) reflects both himself and many of the GI's that served in that deadly conflict. The book is generally very readable, although it does slow in a couple spots. Still, this moving 1995 memoir written half a century after Rooney's discharge is worth reading.



5. Lately I've been reading stories about war, an unfortunate constant of human history, I'm afraid. Tales about WWII, or "The Last Good War" (a book I read many years ago), as Studs Terkel called it, abound, but I especailly recommend this one. My War, by Andy Rooney (yep, the same bushy-eyebrowed old grump you see on 60 Minutes every week), is a true gem, full of his homespun self-deprecating bits of humor and wisdom, along with the expected grim and grisly stories about the carnage that is war. As to the importance of his wartime experience, Rooney says right up front, "My life was never the same again." As a young reporter (his army ID photo looks startlingly like Audie Murphy, who of course penned his own memoir, To Hell and Back) for The Stars and Stripes, Rooney got up close and personal with both the air and ground wars in Europe, and also traveled to India and China, rubbing shoulders with Ernie Pyle, Bill Mauldin and Walter Cronkite. One particular line from the book has stayed with me: "I laugh, bitterly, when I hear the phrase, 'He gave his life for his country.' No one gives his life. His life is taken." Rooney is a newspaperman and a reporter, but more than anything else he is a damn fine writer who simply tells it like he sees it. - Tim Bazzett, author of Soldier Boy and Love, War & Polio ([...])

No comments about Prohibido decir toda la verdad.

5 comments about Burning Down My Masters' House: My Life at the New York Times.

1. To say it is poorly written would be too much of a compliment. You don't have to get even halfway through before you can figure out exactly what happened here. Some publishing house obviously offered him a large advance to write a book, and he threw together whatever he could think of off the top of his head, very little of which is probably true, threw in some "woe is me" for cohesion, and tossed it onto the editor's desk. Whether or not anyone even tried to edit this thing, I don't know, but if they did, they should be fired. This is slop, worse than those celebrities who try to "write" books. To think of all the talented people out there who receive small advances and modest printings, while this thing has done better than it ever should have can make you sick to your stomach.



2. 
   For the record, I HATE the New York Times!
   
   But for this clown to play the race card,
   
   Jayson Blair is a turd,
   
   and a severe discredit to his race.
   
   by that I mean, of course, the human race.
   
   He will burn in hell forever.



3. Holy Moley!! Blair is the narrator of the audio version of his book. He speaks in such a passionless, monotone voice that you run the risk of falling asleep while listening to it in your car. James Earl Jones he's not.



4. The "victim" approach is not acceptable when you're a discovered liar. This book is nothing more than an attempt to blame the entire Blair disaster on something or someone other than himself. His actions are because he is black, pressured, a drug user, depressed, etc. Reality should set in now, he did what he did because he is a sociopathic liar. If you want to read a book that gives you insight into nothing, this is a good choice.



5. Where is the no star option? Blair is a pathological liar--even his book title is a preposterous lie; it has the audacity to imply that Blair is some kind of a crazy rebel who is fighting power/symbolic slavery by breaking out of a slave role and destroying his masters abode. This is plain sewage. He is a fool, an arrogant nutcase and so full of himself that he cannot see past his own privilege, abuse of power and narcissism. He is an insult to every journalist who actually takes her or his job seriously. Instead of blaming drugs, depression and suicide attempts, (he is not the only writer on the planet who has some kind of psychiatric struggle - did Poe, Tolstoy or Churchill lie their way through life?) he should look into his soul and see that the emptiness and broken moral compass within is his own job to fix.

3 comments about Queen of Bohemia: The Life of Louise Bryant.

1. Louise Bryant, like other figures of America's radical past, such as Eugene Debs, "Red" Emma Goldman, and her husband, Jack Reed, barely register on the radar screen of popular consciousness. Often radicals are expunged from American history textbooks or presented in watered down cartoon fashion, giving students the impression that the story of the United States has been one long tale of moderation and conservatism. Indeed, while almost every child knows the story of Helen Keller told through "The Miracle Worker," very few are aware that as an adult she was a militant socialist and feminist with an FBI file.
   
   Louise Bryant was one of those talented young people who came of age in the teens and twenties of the 20th century; a generation dubbed by Gertrude Stein as the "Lost Generation." She was a talented journalist with a socialist bent, but a strong sense of objectivity in her writing. Her "Six Red Months in Russia" was a first hand account of the Soviet Revolution of 1917, and while overshadowed by Jack Reed's "Ten Days that Shook the World," it is a much more accessible and human story of those events. She interviewed all the principal players (Lenin, Trotsky, Kerensky, etc) as well as important female revolutionary figures such as Maria Spiridonova and Aleksandra Kollontai. Her later re-entry into Soviet Russia during the Civil War to find her husband just before he died is a heroic tale in itself. After Reed's death Bryant continued to work as a journalist producing one of the first interviews with Benito Mussolini.
   
   Mary Dearborn's "Queen of Bohemia" is a compassionate portrait of Bryant, taking aim at many of the unkind myths repeated by back-biting leftists of her's and subsequent generations, typified by the Emma Goldman quote, "Louise wasn't a communist, she only slept with one" (originally stated by Max Eastman and later retold by Goldman). For them Bryant was never pure enough in her commitment to radical causes. Dearborn also draws attention to the role Bryant's beauty played in her appeal and in the way some harshly judged her. Many of her harshest critics seem to fault Bryant for getting older and losing that beauty.
   
   Much of the heavy lifting, in terms of research, may have been done by Virginia Gardner for her Bryant biography, "Friend and Lover" (Dearborn acknowledges her indebtedness to Gardner's research), but "Queen of Bohemia" delves into areas of Bryant's life less well examined in "Friends and Lovers" and draws more overtly feminist conclusions about her importance. The appeal of Louise Bryant is the exciting and ultimately tragic life she lived. Her place in the cosmos of American radicals is ultimately a small one, but she blazed a path through it by the sheer force of personality. Dearborn's biography draws the reader into Bryant's orbit. Bryant's charisma radiates from the pages and the excitement of her world is compelling.
   
   For anyone who has been even mildly intrigued by Diane Keaton's interpretation of Louise Bryant in the movie "Reds" I recommend "Queen of Bohemia" as a well written biography of a fascinating and dynamic woman who lived an authentic, vital life.



2. This book is a very thoroughly researched account of the life and times of Louise Bryant. There are been discrepencies about her actually birth date, but I found her family on the 1900 Census for Nevada and she is listed as being born in December 1886 instead of the guess year being 1885. Although Louise lied about her age, I highly doubt a 13-year-old girl would try to keep her actual age a secret.



3. This is a great period piece about the lifr of a woman at the turn of the century through the depression. It gives a great look at the lifestyle of the people who were at teh front of the movements for workers rights, women's rights and the other social causes of the day! Louose Bryantis a wonderfully, delightful and colorful pereson.

5 comments about Murdoch.

1. Murdoch is, to say the least, one of the more controversial figures in media today. His name still inspires visions of the pitched battles that have arisen around the pieces of his empire and the ethical debates about the role of journalism and issues of media ownership. There is a tremendous amount to be learned from studying Murdoch and the way he built his kingdom, and this book is not to be missed, particularly for people studying media history or the media industry.

   Shawcross presents a very balanced picture, light on both censure and praise, and manages to give enough personal detail to illuminate the public Murdoch without veering into a personal melodrama. The writing is occasionally a bit dry, but generally of a high quality & the source notes and bibliography are quite valuable in and of themselves.




2. The book is quite exhaustive about his beginnings - and his attitude towards competition, employees and enemies, I was hoping to read more about the political favors that he most definitely got in other countries besides the US, Aus and the UK.
   I also wanted to know how these political wheelings and deelings have helped him - because lets fase it - with the amount of money/ business that he inherited, it may not have been too difficult for a few others to achieve the greeatness that Murdoch has achieved in his lifetime.
   Also the fact that he is still working might have taken away some of the liberty from the author to shed more light on the ugly side of Murdoch. I would have also liked more coverage of the 90s, when the floodgates were opened for him to capture Europe and Asia.



3. Very well documented personal (a combination of gambling instinct and dour puritanism) and business biography of the media tycoon. The rise of Murdoch from an owner of a small newspaper in Australia to a global media tycoon. His motif: "power, not money." The power to influence political/social history through his colossal media empire. Murdoch believes that the Americanizing of the world is not only profitable for his business, but a great good in itself.
   The author situates the ascent of Murdoch within the world political history (cold war, Thatcher, Reagan ...) and gives an incisive portrait of some of his collaborators: Barry Diller and Kelvin Mac Kenzie (editor of his milk cow 'The Sun').
   Written with a good sense of humour, e.g. "... Giles should assume the title of Editor Emeritus ... Giles asked Murdoch what this title really meant . It's Latin, Frank. E means exit and meritus means you deserve it." Or, after Murdoch banned alcohol on the working place, someone replied "Free drunks produce better newspapers than sober slaves". The tycoon was even asked by the Vietnamese government to make communist-controlled television more popular!
   Besides, the author gives a sneer at Unesco for attacking freedom of information. One minus point: on different occasions, the author refers to big financial troubles for the media empire without giving the numbers.



4. When I read William Shawcross' "Murdoch" back when it was originally published (early 90s), I thought it was one of the best biographies I had read. I especially liked the author's focus on his subject's "pre-News" days, most notably a very memorable discussion on Murdoch's infatuation with Marxism during his university days.

   Murdoch explains that period away with the following answer: "If you're 20 and not a communist, you have no heart; and if you're 40 and not a capitalist, you have no head."

   Shawcross then painstakingly builds a portrait of a man who - over the next 30 years - slides clear across the spectrum to become Maggie Thatcher's biggest champion. There's a great blow-by-blow of Murdoch's battle with the press unions at Wapping, with Thatcher's tacit support.

   Of course, things in Murdoch's world move quickly, so Shawcross put out an update edition (this one) in 1997. Now, we need an update to the update. So much has transpired in these six years. We need Shawcross' take on:

   - The continued rise of the Fox Network (expecially Fox News)
   - Lachlan and James Murdoch's increasingly large roles at News Corp.
   - The DirectTV takeover attempts (Part 1 and 2)
   - Continued efforts to penetrate India and China
   - Wife #3 Wendy Deng + two new young children

   ...and much, much more. Never a dull moment with the man who fellow (now ex-) mogul Ted Turner heads up the world's leading "evil empire."




5. Rupert Murdoch is one of the most interesting business men of our day. His growth at the Fox Network and other various news outlets has made him one of the most powerful men on the planet. Shawcross does an excellent biography telling about his life in Australia up through his dominant position in America today. It covers the start of the fourth network as well as the New York post and battles with government regulators. It stops before the Fox News Channel really gets going but this still remains the best biography on Murdoch that has been done to date.

2 comments about KTLA's News at Ten: 60 Years with Stan Chambers.

1. A well known, loved, and respected
   TV Journalist here in the Los Angeles area.
   
   Have watched Stan most of his 60 year career,
   
   reading this book brought back a lot of memories.



2. I 've always wanted to be in broadcasting, but in the great scheme of things I was destined to get a job that was dependable and not interesting.
   
   Growing up in the midwest radio and TV stations were copying things that "big city" stations accomplished first...but on a smaller scale.
   
   One of those big city stations that did things on a grand scale was KTLA-TV. It was not the first experimental station in los Angeles, but it was the first commercial TV station west of the Mississippi River.
   
   A friend of mine whetted my appetite for KTLA by sending me a copy of the station's 40th Anniversary program back in 1987. I was floored by the things they did. Starting with on the spot news coverage for events that would last several hours, which in those days meant taking a big van with several cameras and associated video equipment out to a scene and showing the viewing public what was going on.
   
   KTLA recorded live entertainment TV programs on kinescope so that stations in other cities could have high quality programming. There was the live coverage of an atomic bomb test that was fed nationwide that would not have been coovered if not for ingenuity of the station's founder, Klause Landsberg.
   
   The phone company wanted several months to construct the relay, but Klause only had a few weeks. By studying topographical maps he found a way to microwave the TV signal to Los Angeles and the networks then carried the signal across the country. Granted, an atomic bomb test may not be your cup of tea, but the fact that a major problem was solved in a hurry was most interesting.
   
   The book, "KTLA's News at Ten: 60 years with Stan Chambers," covers the entire history of KTLA mainly because the author has been at the station since late 1947. It is a very good book, and a good addition to the other Stan Chambers book about KTLA printed ten years ago. The two books complement each other in that a lot of the same subjects are covered by vastly reworded.
   
   If you are as interested in broadcasting history as I am then this book is a must for your library. It's easy and pleasant to read and impossible to put down. (You can take that two ways: you'll want to read it cover to cover in one sitting and you'll never say anything bad about it.)
   
   I highly recommend this book and its predecessor. (DISCLAIMER: I receive no compensation to say that, nor do I have an interest in the book publisher.) The TV stations on the east coast may have similar stories and people to tell them, but my heart tells me these books are the very top. Everything else is a distant second.
   
   Happy reading.

2 comments about Up Late with Joe Franklin.

1. There are many interesting anecdotes about the greats and the near greats (whatever that is?) I think it means when they mention your name, they have to explain who you are. "Greats, near greats and ingrates" is a Damon Runyon line. Mr. Franklin is even somewhat kind and forgiving to the ingrates...As to what is Joe Franklin really like? There are plenty of stories about his youth, his rise in show business, his marriage and his son. If you like sexy tidbits about the stars and about Joe also, there are plenty. If you don"t like that stuff, or you think it's overdone, skip over it...The funniest pages in the book, at least to this reviewer, are about three "never-weres" who had a "fixation" on Joe Franklin. Busted out laughing reading that stuff. But some of the stories are very sad. This isn't all light reading. Some are mysterious (you wonder how that happened)...The book (copyrighted 1995) seems to celebrate the "retirement of Joe
   Franklin." If that was true, he seems to be making a big comeback. He's as active as ever and has a great restaurant near Times Square, and it's a great New York book. It happened in New York.



2. In his long awaited autobiography.Joe Franklin and his co author:Mr.R.J.Marx try to recall Joe's life story.From his humble beginnings in The Bronx,NYC during the hideious days of The Great Depression to his first encounter with a former star:George M.Cohan to his early job in radio as a record librian and research asistant first to Martin Block(for Mr.Block's "Make Believe Ballroom Time"Show)and later for Paul("Pop")Whiteman.Before Franklin finally got his own radio talk/music shows on stations like WJZ.To his earliest days on TV: First on WJZ/WABC TV Ch.7 in NYC with"Joe Franklin's Memory Lane!"to his later years on WOR TV/WWOR TV Ch.9 in NYC and in Seacaucus,NJ with"The Joe Franklin Show" &"When Movies Were Movies"and his most recent nostalgia talk/music program on WOR Radio.While the book tries to tell Franklin's life story.Most of the bio's facts are questionable.Since Joe does not go into alot of details about his career and his disrespect for NYC based kids tv hosts/performers is eveident.He gets the facts about the hosts/performers of WJZ/WABC TV Ch.7 NYC's"Time For Fun"/"The Johnny Jellybean Show"wrong.Since Joe Bova..never played:"Johnny Jellybean"on that show(The role was played first by Bill Britten and later by Keith Hefner).Mr.Bova did host:"Time For Fun!"but as "Uncle Joe".Franklin also gets the facts wrong about Claude Kirchner.Mr.Kirchner never played a clown on his WOR TV Ch.9 NYC based cartoon shows.He played a circus ringmaster.Who worked with a clown puppet"Clownie".But he never wore a clown suit and make up on his NYC based kids tv shows and Franklin also gets the facts wrong about who hosted:"The Tommy Seven Show".The host/performer..who played the sad faced tramp clown was not:Keith Hefner..but The Late Ed Bakey.Mr.Bakey passed away in May,1988 not Mr.Hefner.This book does little more have Mr.Franklin give the readers a random smapling of his life stories.With inaccuate facts and nasty lies about his colleages in NYC tv added to the manuscript for those lovers of gossip mongering.This is one memiors not worth having.Kevin S.Butler.