OT - Inventing Late Night by our own Ben Alba!!

[Philippe Cordier]

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.

[Josette]

Wonderful pictures - thank you!

[ProfStokes]

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." 

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

[Midnite]

That's cool, ProfStokes!

WireImage has terrific photos from Ben's Nov. 4 signing in Beverly Hills, CA:

L.A. Premiere Book Signing  There are 2 pages.

Edith Adams, ugh.

[Philippe Cordier]

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?!?

[Bette]

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!  

Bette

[Heather]

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)

[Charles_Ellis]

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!

[Josette]

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?

[Midnite]

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).

[Ben]

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

[Gothick]

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.