Yabba Dabba Doo! Alan Reed Story

If you're not old enough to remember radio's premiere pompous poet, Falstaff Openshaw, on The Fred Allen Show, perhaps you recall that rockhead, Fred Flintstone from The Flintstones, that modern stone age family from the town of Bedrock. Both voices (and more) came from the talented mouth of Alan Reed, one of the greatest personalities ever to light up radio, television and films.

This biography about Alan Reed (the only one that I am aware of) is a great book. My initial fear, upon receiving my copy from the publisher, was the 200 pages (of which 50 was an appendix of his work). The 150 page of biography was an enjoyable read. I probably learned more about Alan Reed (a.k.a. Teddy Bergman) than I would ever forget.

For the most part, the first three chapters is a reprint of an unpublished manuscript written by Alan Reed. He never completed what he started, so we get his early years in his own words. A reprint of Chuck Schaden's interview with Alan Reed is reprinted. His Broadway and Vaudeville days are documented. Alan Reed Jr. contributed biographical material about his father, including family photographs. Television, movies and his voice work are also documented. 

The appendix offers rare treats. Alan Reed's writings, poems, letters to and from Fred Allen, and an extensive list of his radio career round out the remaining pages. Archival telegrams, photographs, Flintstones merchandise and behind-the-scenes photographs from radio and television and Broadway are included.

While I do wish there was more about Alan Reed, this book was worth the cover price and comes recommended.

Words At War by Howard Blue

I have to admit that I hesitated reviewing this book. World War II isn't my expertise. And the author, Howard Blue, was extremely pushy and annoying about me buying his book. It sat on my shelf for the past year and I finally got around to reading it. I should have read it much sooner. While this is no definitive book on the subject of radio broadcasting during the Second World War, it is very good for what most people are going to expect when they discover the book.

With index, the book spans a little over 400 pages. It's nice to know that Scarecrow Press still seeks an interest in publishing books with merit.

For easy reference, each chapter (there are 20 of them) is devoted to a different aspect of the topic and theme. From the script writers, the actors, Norman Corwin's contributions, the U.S. Armed Forces, America's Allies, women taking part in radio propaganda, fighting intolerance and the postwar era, it's all here. The section about Stephen Vincent Benet was a personal pleasure as very little has been written about him. 

Radio programs like The Free Company and Everyman's Theater are covered only briefly, and I sense that the only information gained (versus the encyclopedic entries found in John Dunning's On The Air) are a few excerpts from the New York Times, and the notes at the conclusion of each chapter verified my fears: the author consulted a large number of successfully published books. He did do his homework and some apparent legwork. And if seeking a book that covers all the angles of radio broadcasting during World War II and provides some tidbits of trivia that will fascinate, this book will not disappoint.

My only two complaints. One, there are very few photographs. What the heck? Second, the book is padded with plot summaries from various obscure radio programs. While this can be a sprinkling of sugar on top of strawberries, the author failed to provide much detail. Usually listing only the month and year. Why not the exact broadcast date? Examples randomly picked by randomly opening the book: page 314, he describes the plot to "The Battle of the Warsaw Ghetto" from June 1943. Why not the exact broadcast date? On page 175 he describes the plot to Arthur Miller's "Lips for the Trumpet" on The Doctor Fights from July 1945. Why not the exact broadcast date? On page 300, he describes "The Bullet That's Going to Kill Hitler" from August 1942 from Labor From Victory. Why not the broadcast date?

To me, a reference book should be simply that. Reference. Padding a book with plot summaries for radio programs that are not available in recorded form is preserving something about our radio heritage. So why not provide the exact broadcast date? Or better yet, why not an appendix with titles and dates for episode guides from these same radio shows that the author felt was so important to include and highlight? In short, the book is an interesting read but leaves room for another tome that might provide a larger service to the old time radio community.

Films of Whip Wilson

This 260 page book is the size of a coffee table book. Now I have dozens of self-published reference books about cowboys of the Golden Age of Hollywood, but this is the best one I have ever read. It includes a very detailed biography and filmography as well as personal appearance details, his comic books, Monogram Studios contract info, trade paper reviews, comments from people who worked with Wilson, his radio appearances, birth certificate, info on trusty white horse Bullet, and lots more. And there's many photos and movie artwork from Whip's films as well as photos and insights from the Wilson family. The author went to the movie star's home town and found the Chamber of Commerce with a wall of celebrities that originated from the town, and snapped a photo of Whip Wilson among them.

The book also provides a good perspective and "history lesson" on what it was like working for Monogram Studios under contract. The tidbits and nitty gritty in this well-researched volume is the meats and potatoes.

His childhood, photos of the house he lived in, personal appearance tours (rodeos, parades, etc.), the stuntmen at Monogram, his obit and family obits reprinted, and much more. I could go on and on for the next half hour about how good this book is.

David L. Godwin obviously made this book with a labor of love. For the few that say they don't buy self-published books, or feel there is a strike against anyone who does it, needs only to look at this one and discover they are wrong. I really wish there were books on other cowboy heroes in the same mold Mr. Godwin did. Great job!

Green Hornet Chronicles

For those of you who love character of The Green Hornet and long for more adventures, this book is aimed to please. And for the most part, it succeeds. As advertised on the back cover, this is the first anthology featuring all-new, original crime fiction tales of the man who hunters the biggest of all game, public enemies that even the FBI can't reach. Van Williams, television's Green Hornet, provided a nice introduction for the book. Dean Jeffries, who designed the Black Beauty car, wrote an afterward for the book.

There is a plus and a negative. Let us focus, for a moment, on the positives. Almost every author had a love for the character and attempted to bring the character to life without steering away from the original concept. All of the stories are fast-paced. The Green Hornet and Kato are not buffoons. C.J. Henderson did a nice twist on the character and he is becoming one of my favorite modern-day writers. Rich Harvey wrote a story that captures the closest to the character from the radio program.

Greg Cox wrote the amusing "I Had the Green Hornet's Love Child" story, but fear not, it isn't humorous. It's a serious story. Will Murray wrote one that appears to be ripped from an unproduced television script. Gary Owens, the voice actor who appeared in a number of the television episodes, wrote a nice blurb for the back cover.

Now the negative. The book was promoted in advance with having a story from Anthony Tollin retelling the origin of the character. As usual, having met Mr. Tollin personally at the Pulpfest convention and he failed to impress me, there is no such story. Could Moonstone intended to include the story and not included it due to space and time restraints? I doubt it. While I am not yet done reading the Salomonson/Grams History of the Green Hornet book yet (a future book review, stay tuned), I already learned that there is no origin to the character. Another disappointment from Mr. Tollin.

There is a story fragment about The Green Hornet meeting The Phantom, and an essay about why these two characters should never meet up. Who wrote these two pieces? Harlan Ellison. 'Nuff said. He, too, has disappointed me in person with an attitude I hope I never meet again.

Ruben Procopio supplied much of the illustrations in the book, and scenes are bridged with the Hornet logo like the television program. A nice touch. If you are looking for a history of the radio program, this is not the book to buy. But if you are looking for a collection or original short stories for new adventures and sheer enjoyment (skip Mr. Ellison's chapters), this is a book well worth the price and you won't even spent more than $20 bucks!

Superman: Flights of Fantasy

FLIGHTS OF FANTASY: The Authorized but True Story of Radio & TV's Adventures of Superman by Michael Hayde is a pleasant surprise. The book includes episode logs for radio and television, complete story lines for two un-produced TV episodes, and dozens of "deleted scenes" taken right from the shooting scripts. Can we say "someone did their homework?" I've seen only a few books like these that make it worth buying, because the author did their research. Kudos.

To be fair, I never cared much for the Superman character, but I have been enjoying the radio shows recently (not the butchered ones they play on Satellite Radio's XM/Sirius Channel) and this book gave me more background production information than I could ever dream about.

Page 289 even has a photo of George Reeves as Superman, from a deleted scene from "The Mysterious Cube."

A page from the August 7, 1946 broadcast can be found on page 88. There are candid behind-the-scenes photos sprinkled throughout and a great photo of Reeves in June 1959 (on page 329), less than 72 hours from the time his dead body would be found. Yes, the author dug into the mysterious death of George Reeves and it appears his theory is "murder," but I should note that while the case is and probably always will be open, he certainly knows his facts and deserves credit.

There are books about Superman out there but if you are looking for one that covers the radio and television program, and with detail (and great prose, by the way), this is the only book you want to get.

Silver Spoons: A Sitcom Lover

Silver Spoons was a family sitcom based on the expression that rich children are born with a "silver spoon” in their mouth, implying that they are given only the very best and want for nothing. This book was published in 2003 and was perhaps the worst book to come out through the JM Media Group. Which is a shame because this series was a notch above most situation comedies.

The series centers on Ricky Stratton and his single father Edward. As an overgrown kid who owns a multinational toy company empire, Edward lives in a mansion that is stocked with arcade games and has a scale model freight train that runs throughout the house. Edward exhibits his childishness and playfulness in many behaviors; for example, he performs a little dance before playing Pac-Man when the video game plays its theme song. Stratton's personal assistant, Kate Summers (played by the beautiful Erin Gray), was often the voice of reason. Kate's role added tension to the show and provided incentive for Edward to act more mature (at least sometimes). Edward and Kate had a will-they-or-won't-they relationship which led to the two dating and later becoming married in the third season.

The television series gave us a number of “social commentaries” such as the first season episode “Mr. T and Me,” concerning school bullies. For the holiday offering, “The Best Christmas Ever,” Ricky discovers a family living in a cave on his father’s estate, and addresses the issue of homeless families during a season of caring. In Season Two and Three, the subject of child abuse and dyslexia are exemplified in “Spare the Rod” and “Trouble with Words,” respectfully. Season Four was perhaps the most impressive. “One for the Road” concerned alcohol abuse and “Daddy Rick” centered on the subject of teen pregnancy.

This book was obviously written from a fan perspective, with no knowledge of how to construct a book. A chapter about bloopers, reprints of scripts and theme song music sheets, TV Guide advertisements, biographies of the actors and an episode guide is included. The episode guide, it should be noted, contains nothing but the episode title and a lengthy plot description. No cast list, no episode number, no broadcast date. This is the first time I’ve seen an episode guide in a book, without this kind of information. Worse, if the purpose of buying this book is the episode guide, you’ll find more on tv.com (and that’s a shocker)!

Judith A. Moose has a superb list of credits including degrees in Broadcast Communications, Advertising and Marketing. Her book is great if you are looking for a publication put together from a fan perspective. From the scholarly approach, it’s not worth buying. I’ve seen books like these, with poor photo resolution. But many of them have hidden treasures and usually more information than the kind of books published through a University Press, so books like these are hit and miss. But since there is no other book about the television series, it’s a must-have for fans of the television series.

www.CoverOut.com

Lloyd Nolan: An Actor's Life With Meaning

Lloyd Nolan could play any character in any genre and was believable to every role. He was not acting; he was just real. He was Inspector Briggs in The House on 92nd Street and The Street With No Name. He was Dr. Swain in Peyton Place and, even as a bad guy, he was Lt. De Garmot in Lady in the Lake. Nolan's off-screen life was just as remarkable. He was devoted to his autistic son Jay and, when young Jay died in an accident 2500 miles away, Lloyd channeled his grief into action. For the rest of his life, he did everything he could to better the lives of disabled people and their families, and such people are still benefitting from the resulting legislation today. This is the story of the two lives of Lloyd Nolan--his prolific on-screen life that is so familiar to moviegoers and television fans alike, and his off-screen life that has positively affected many throughout the country. His was a true Hollywood success story of a role model extraordinaire!

This very familiar face played in 156 roles in all types of media. A cop, doctor, soldier and as detective Michael Shayne. He usually stole the scenes he was in. After all, those B-mysteries usually have one thing going for them: the lead actor is usually the only known name and the only person who can act.

The son of a San Francisco shoe factory owner, American actor Lloyd Nolan made it clear early on that he had no intention of entering the family business. Nolan developed an interest in acting while in college. He flunked out of Stanford because he spent most of his time in amateur theatricals. He then entered Santa Clara College. He then landed a job on a freighter. When the ship sank due to a fire, he headed for Hollywood.

In 1927, he began studying at the Pasadena Playhouse, living on the inheritance left him by his father. Stock company work followed, and in 1933, Nolan scored a Broadway hit as vengeful small-town dentist Biff Grimes in One Sunday Afternoon (a role played in three film versions by Gary Cooper, James Cagney, and Dennis Morgan, respectively -- but never by Nolan). Nolan's first film was Stolen Harmony (1935); his breezy urban manner and Gaelic charm saved the actor from being confined to the bad guy parts he played so well, and by 1940 Nolan was, if not a star, certainly one of Hollywood's most versatile second-echelon leading men.

Film historian William K. Everson pointed out once that the secret to Nolan's success was his integrity -- the audience respected his characters, even when he was the most cold-blooded of villains. The closest Nolan got to film stardom was a series of B detective films made at 20th Century-Fox from 1940 to 1942, in which he played private eye Michael Shayne -- a "hard-boiled dick" character. He acted on radio, appeared on television, where he starred as detective Martin Kane in 1951; and later appeared in the Hugo Award-winning teleplay, “Soldier,” on The Outer Limits. Lloyd Nolan's last performance was as an aging soap opera star on an episode of the TV series, Murder She Wrote. He died  soon after filming completed.

Joel Blumberg

Lloyd Nolan: An Actor’s Life with Meaning was co-written by Joel Blumberg and Sandra Grabman. I read some of Grabman’s books and they are great. I know of Joel Blumberg only as the author of the liner notes for VCI’s Zane Grey Theater (Season One DVD set) and as the host of Silver Screen Audio. In recent years, Joel interviewed the Hollywood celebrities at the annual Mid Atlantic Nostalgia Convention. Sadly, Joel passed away from a heart attack about the time this book got published, and having read this biography and loved it, I can only hope that his unfinished bio on actor Dennis O’Keefe will get published.

I know this book review is more about the actor and not about the book, but to be honest, it’s the only book about Lloyd Nolan that I know of. More importantly, it’s flawless and well-written. The photos are not all gorgeous, but they are as good as they can be under the standard printer conditions and should not be taken against the publisher or the authors. And Joel was such a nice person that the subtitle speaks more of Joel than it does for Lloyd. My closing comment in the last paragraph should speak volumes about this book. 

www.CoverOut.com