DARK SHADOWS FORUMS
Members' Mausoleum => Calendar Events / Announcements Archive => Calendar Events / Announcements '26 I => Calendar Events / Announcements '05 II => Topic started by: Bobubas on September 06, 2005, 09:46:17 PM
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Hi All,
The other night I got together with Ben and some other fellow Dark Shadows fan here in the Chicagoland area for some fellowship and refreshements. We watched Rich Blanco's wonderful video of the 2005 Festival in Hollywood, and Ben shared with us the plans for the release of his upcoming book, "Inventing Late Night'. I mentioned to Ben that many of the posters on this forum would be interested in the book, and that I would post the info. If you're interested in pre-ordering online -- and would like to help boost the book's all-important sales rank -- please wait until September 27, a target date on which everybody who is interested can strategically order at the same time.
Below is the info on the book, and an amazon.com link to uise when pre-ordering it. ;D
Inventing Late Night: Steve Allen and the Original Tonight Show
Before Jay, Johnny, or Jack, there was Steve. It was Steve Allen who in 1954 created the Tonight show, a pop culture institution that has become America's longest-running and most successful late-night program. It all seems so simple--the desk, the monologue, the announcer/sidekick, the bandleader as comic foil, the breezy chats with celebrities, the wacky stunts, the comedy sketches, the roaming cameras, the irreverent observations of passersby, the offbeat and eccentric guests, the fun with exotic animals, and the ad-lib banter with the studio audience.
Steve Allen invented this formula. He revolutionized America's viewing and sleeping habits by establishing the grammar of late-night TV and hosting Tonight during its first three formative years. In so doing, he paved the way for Paar, Carson, and Leno. Much of what exists on late night today is derived from Allen's early years in television. Even conventions identified with later hosts--like "Jay Walking," "Stupid Human Tricks," "The Tea-Time Movie with Art Fern," and "Carnac the Magnificent"--owe their origins to the early Allen shows. As Jay Leno acknowledges, "There's nothing new. It all started with Steve."
Now, for the first time, the true story of how Tonight developed under Allen's innovative leadership is told by the people who were there over fifty years ago, including members of the original production team, the first Tonight regulars, and Allen's colleagues. In exclusive interviews, more than thirty of these entertainment legends share their insights about Allen and early television--including Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner, Jonathan Winters, Don Knotts, Doc Severinsen, Louis Nye, Tom Poston, Bill Dana, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Andy Williams, Tim Conway, the Smothers Brothers, Pat Harrington Jr., Diahann Carroll, Eartha Kitt, Bobby Short, Skitch Henderson, director Dwight Hemion, writer Larry Gelbart, and Allen's widow, Jayne Meadows. In addition, the reflections of industry giants such as Jay Leno, David Letterman, Bill Maher, Bob Costas, Ed McMahon, Dick Clark, and others confirm Allen's extraordinary influence.
Although the late-night template Allen pioneered still flourishes today, certain unique aspects of his Tonight show sprang from his desire to expose audiences to matters of cultural and social importance. A jazz aficionado and pianist, he launched a forum for jazz artistry with an array of artists from Louis Armstrong and Count Basie to Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald. Driven by his social conscience, he created a groundbreaking showcase for performers of color during an era when they were seldom seen on television, and he even tackled controversial topics like organized crime and the death penalty, sometimes at great professional and personal risk. On Tonight and on his 1956-60 NBC prime-time series, Allen's keen eye for talent gave an enormous boost to future icons like Jonathan Winters, Jack Kerouac, Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, Jackie Mason, Elvis Presley, and the Muppets.
Inventing Late Night is an invaluable, entertaining, and revealing behind-the-scenes look at the birth of an original American art form and its brilliant inventor, whose influence continues to make America stay awake and laugh--night after night.
Ben Alba is an author, a trial lawyer, a law professor, a musician, and a classic television buff. He teaches legal writing and co-directs the bar passage program at DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, Illinois, after previously spending nineteen years as a litigation attorney with the Chicago law firm of Sneckenberg Thompson & Brody.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1591023424/criseydsdarkshad
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Thanks for posting about the book Bob, it sounds really interesting.
Jeannie
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How fascinating. I commented to my friend Claude the other day that if Steve Allen were alive and broadcasting today, he'd probably be burnt at the stake by the Office of Homeland Security.
I'll never forget the revival of his staged panels of debates between famous historical figures such as Tom Paine, Jefferson, Sokrates, Mme Curie, etc., in the early Seventies. You could turn on the TV and listen to learned, witty debate that ran the gamut from the origins and nature of democracy to the role of aesthetics in the evolution of human culture.
It's good to know that Ben is publishing this book. Steve Allen deserves to be remembered and celebrated for his contributions.
G.
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I absolutely LOVED that show!!! My Dad and I never missed an episode. It was so witty and intelligent. And you're absolutely right.....if Steve Allen was producing that show today he'd be on a list somewhere in an F.B.I. data base.
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YES!!! I remember that show too. I was addicted to it. Smart and witty, Steve Allen in a nutshell. I am having a baby boomer moment here, anyone remember the NAME of that show?
Jeannie
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Was it something like "Meeting of the Minds"?
I think that was it.
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Thank you, YES! I remembered it when I saw the name in your post.
jeannie
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Thanks so much, Bobubas, for your posting! Yes, the name of the show is "Meeting of Minds," and would you believe that it took Steve Allen 18 years to launch it? He originally conceived the concept in 1959 and tried to air it on his Sunday night prime-time comedy series, but the network vetoed it, fearing that a debate about capital punishment on a comedy-variety show might antagonize viewers and sponsors. Thanks to Allen's persistence, "Meeting of Minds" became a PBS institution from 1977 to '81, winning coveted Peabody and Emmy awards. There is a brief section about it in my book. Allen was very proud of this series and felt that it would have more lasting value than any of the comedy and music programs for which he had become better known.
Ben
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I forgot to mention in my prior post that my book has a tiny little connection to DS. TLATKLS, who runs a successful publishing company of her own, Pomegranate Press, has been extremely supportive of my project and has generously given me tons of professional advice over the last few years. Her name appears in the acknowledgments section of the book.
Ben
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Great going, Ben! I remember you mentioning your plans for the book a few years back, and now it is truly seeing the light of day. It sounds like a fascinating book, too. Glad you were able to make one small DS connection with KLS!
:D
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Ben, along with Jayne Meadows, appeared on Southern California Public Radio station KPCC on Sunday, October 30. This "Talk of the City" program was fantastic, and Ben Alba is a fascinating speaker (and I can attest he is in front of an audience as well since a few of us had the pleasure of seeing them at Vroman's this past weekend). You can learn much about the book and also witness the genuine affection that Ms. Meadows has for her husband's biographer in this broadcast because, fortunately, the radio program is archived here in Real Player format: (Thanks, MsC!)
http://www.scpr.org/programs/talkcity/listings/2005/10/totc_20051024.shtml
Scroll down to the "Inventing Late Night" writeup. Enjoy!
There are 3 pledge breaks during the broadcast. (Andy Williams, Edie Adams, and June Foray did not attend the second signing; however, Margaret O'Brien, Joseph Bologna, Renee Taylor, Jean Smart, Pat Kelly [Mrs. Gene Kelly], and the granddaughter of Sidney Sheldon did.)
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I was fortunate enough to attend the signing and found it very informative as well as entertaining. As Midnite attested, Ben is a very polished speaker and Jayne Meadows's first-hand anecdotes fleshed out some of the details of his talk. [thumb]
Here is a photo of Bette, myself, and Midnite with our books followed by a picture of myself with Ben.
(http://mars.walagata.com/w/prof/3books.gif)
(http://mars.walagata.com/w/prof/ABbook.gif)
ProfStokes
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Ben's babes, lol.
Jayne Meadows's first-hand anecdotes fleshed out some of the details of his talk.
She shared that Edie Adams had related at the Beverly Hills signing 2 days prior that the destruction of kinescopes from Allen's show was not to clear space as Ben had been told but was done deliberately and maliciously. It was due to the fact that the Allens owned 50% of the show and was accomplished by throwing them overboard from a barge near the Statue of Liberty.
With politics like that, DS fans are SO fortunate that our beloved show is almost entirely intact. :)
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Three Girls Three! and what glamorous girls they are!
Edie Adams is a name to conjure with; I'm thrilled she's still with us. I will never forget seeing her in a touring company of Mame, ca. 1970? (may have been 1969) She was dazzlingly charismatic in the role.
That's just horrid about the destruction of those kinescopes. Yes, we DS fans don't realize much of the time just how incredibly fortunate we are that only ONE episode of our show is missing outright.
Thanks for sharing, Midnite!
xo Steve
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Thanks for the compliment, Gothick. We had a great time listening to Ben, and hearing Jayne's stories.
BTW, in the pic of the three of us, if you look in the background you will see three women at the signing table. The first is an actress whom Jayne forgot to name, and the blonde next to her is Jean Smart, from "Designing Women."
Bette
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Great photos - it's good to see familiar faces that it seems so long ago since I've seen in person (unchanged, I might add). (Yikes, what an awkward sentence!)
I really want to read this book - as I would have even if I had never met the author.
I've downloaded the audio file of Ben's interview and look forward to listening to it soon.
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Wonderful pictures - thank you!
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In the Torrance Daily Breeze today, columnist John Bogart writes about his visit to the Palos Verdes Women's Club Books and Authors Luncheon. He writes, "...a perfectly lovely woman rushed over to tell me that she loves my column but stopped taking the paper and would have purchased McDermott's book (an author to whom Bogart was talking at the time) but she was only buying one book and that book was Inventing Late Night: Steve Allen and the Original Tonight Show. So there." ;D
Bogart goes on to write about Jayne Meadows and some of the anecdotes she told. I was surprised and glad to see this book get another reference in a place I didn't expect.
ProfStokes
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That's cool, ProfStokes!
WireImage has terrific photos from Ben's Nov. 4 signing in Beverly Hills, CA:
L.A. Premiere Book Signing (http://www.wireimage.com/GalleryListing.asp?navtyp=GLS=1=15=53=147519&str=&styp=&sfld=&nbc1=1&sortval=3a&PageNum=1) There are 2 pages.
Edith Adams, ugh.
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I've listened to the public radio interview and found it very informative. I got the impression that Jayne Meadows was pleased with how the book turned out. Ben Alba sounded very polished, as has been stated. Now there are more photos from a wire service it appears ... Ben Alba - celebrity?!?
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Edith Adams, ugh.
Very interesting. When she did "Wonderful Town" with Roz Russell on stage in the early 1950s, IIRC she actually WAS billed as Edith Adams!
Great coverage for Ben! Hurray! [banana]
Bette
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Have I ever mentioned that yous guys take *great* pictures...{two thumbs up}. You all look fabulous, dahlings... :-*
-Heather (who's paler than Barnabas, especially in photos, even on a good day...lol)
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The book is on sale at Barnes & Noble in the NYC area- I've seen copies Manhattan and Staten Island. I'm hoping there is a chance that a DVD collection can be made of Steve's "Tonight" work, like what was done with Carson. Also, there ARE surving tapes (not kinescopes!) of Allen's later TV work from the 1960s- I'll never forget the telthon parody he and Jayne did in the late 60s- "The Prickly Heat Telethon"! Regarding Edie Adams- she knows all too well about the nastiness of the networks. Within weeks of Ernie Kovacs' death, ABC was trying to erase the tapes of the specials he made- and Edie stopped them dead in their tracks, but a great deal of Ernie's earlier work wound up in the ocean. This is nothing new- the Hollywood studios dumped a lot of their silent prints and early talkie nitrate prints into the Pacific, pissing off generations of film historians, preservationists, and fans of classic film. With the recent passing of Louis Nye and the publication of this book, I hope there is a renewed interest in this most fascinating man known as Steven Valentine Patrick William Allen. Ben, if you're reading this, tell Jayne to get started on a DVD set ASAP!
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By the way, Ben, most authors make the rounds of the talk shows, and the subject of this book sounds like one they would be interested in. Will you be showing up on Larry King and other shows?
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Josette, Ben sent this along:
Inventing Late Night - Upcoming events
November 13 (7:30 - 8 a.m.) -- Rick Kogan's The Sunday Papers (WGN-AM 720).
November 17 (12:30 - 1:30 p.m.) -- Book signing at Barnes & Noble DePaul Center. This is the newest Barnes & Noble located at the corner of State Street and Jackson Boulevard (1 E. Jackson). From there I jet out to New York to do Fox and Friends (see below).
NATIONAL APPEARANCE: November 18 (approx. 6:45 a.m. CT) -- Fox and Friends (Fox News Channel). My segment will air live from New York on America's No. 1 cable news morning show. In case of breaking news, they will tape my interview for broadcast on a later date. Please note: this is the Fox News Channel, a national cable channel, NOT to be confused with Chicago's local WFLD-TV Channel 32 or its local morning show, Fox Thing in the Morning.
NATIONAL APPEARANCE: November 18 (10 a.m. CT) -- The Alex Bennett Show (Sirius Satellite Radio).
December 2 (9 - 11 p.m.) -- Extension 720 (WGN-AM 720). I'll be Milt Rosenberg's guest, along with a prominent media critic (to be determined).
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I am thrilled to see the posts about my book signings, and I was moved to see Midnite, Bette, and ProfStokes (and friend Bryan) sitting in the front row! Thank you so much for coming. For a first-time author, getting this much exposure has been both exhilarating and a learning experience. It's especially gratifying to discover so many ardent Steve Allen admirers.
If you want to see and hear more about the book, I'm scheduled to appear live from New York on "Fox and Friends" on the Fox News Channel this Friday, Nov. 18, at around 7:45 a.m. ET. And if you have Sirius Satellite Radio, I'll be doing "The Alex Bennett Show" afterwards at 11 a.m. ET.
Thanks, Charles Ellis, for your astute comments. It's great to know that the book has made it into NYC stores. I do have a brief section on that hilarious "Prickly Heat Telethon" parody from a 1967 "Steve Allen Comedy Hour," which enjoyed newfound popularity in recent years on the Showtime cable network. Although there is abundant video of Allen's later prime-time and syndicated series, very little video evidence remains of his "Tonight" shows. This was actually the reason I thought of writing the book: to collect the memories of all the people who were there fifty years ago. If the book catches on, who knows -- there may be sufficient interest to justify a video compilation of some sort. Keep your fingers crossed!
Thanks, everybody, for your kind and generous support!
Ben
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For fans who remember the old days, there's a very cute video clip featuring Steve Allen and Paul Lynde available here:
http://www.paullynde.info/clips.htm
It's near the top of the page and has a caption mentioning Pat Carroll and saying the clip is "guaranteed to make you laugh."
I gather stuff like this gets shown on that Game network. Fabulous!
Best, G.