The Barry Diller Story: The Life and Times of America's Greatest Entertainment Mogul [Paperback]

George Mair (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1998

The meteoric rise of "Killer Diller"

Barry Diller has been a major player in the entertainment industry for more than thirty years. Always on the cutting edge, he revolutionized television with such groundbreaking concepts as the movie-of-the-week and the miniseries. He greenlighted the megahits Raiders of the Lost Ark, 48 Hours, and Terms of Endearment. Now, industry insider George Mair takes you behind the scenes for a perceptive, penetrating, and completely captivating look at both the public persona and the private life of a legendary media mogul. Learn the truth about:
* The critical acclaim--and the controversy--behind The Simpsons and Married . . . With Children
* The abortive CBS-QVC merger: what went wrong and why
* Hardball and heartbreak on The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers
* Wheeling and dealing with Hollywood heavyhitters Rupert Murdoch, Sumner Redstone, Marvin Davis, Michael Eisner, and many, many more!


"He taught movie executives to put some passion into their jobs. The business is a better place because of Barry."--the late Dawn Steel studio head and onetime Barry Diller protege at Paramount

"He really is the brightest of the bunch." --Julia Phillips Academy Award(r)-winning producer bestselling author of You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Barry Diller has been a Hollywood player since his days in the mail room of the William Morris Agency, a job he landed with the help of Marlo Thomas. A few years later, he invented the ABC movie of the week. Today he is the chairman of Silver King Communications, after having once run Paramount and Twentieth Century Fox studios. A former CBS executive and celebrity biographer, Mair (Oprah Winfrey, LJ 11/15/94) has written the first Diller biography, which attempts to chronicle the successes and failures of this media mogul. Unfortunately, the reader gains no insight into Diller's personality and his drive to influence American media. The book is a set of overheard anecdotes narrowly focused on business dealings in the media industry. There is barely a mention of Diller's family background or personal life, essentail for a biography of such an important personality. Not recommended.?Lisa N. Johnston, Sweet Briar Coll. Lib., Va.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The virtual inventor of the movie-of-the-week and the miniseries, Diller is certainly worthy of green-eyed, wary respect, and he comes off rather well in Mair's enthusiastic biography. A programming wunderkind at ABC, Diller was later Rupert Murdoch's collaborator in launching the Fox network. Since then, his leaving Fox, acquiring shopping network QVC, and embarking on a network poaching safari have baffled industry observers. Early on, Mair compares Diller to legendary movie producer Irving Thalberg (a business success), and later, to Orson Welles (a, well, nonbusinessman), as a do-everything creative genius. Diller's playmates Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Geffen, and Michael Eisner (not to mention Simpsons creator Matt Groening) pop up in passing and for comparison's sake, but mostly Mair tells the stories of Diller's triumphs, in the process giving ample information to entertain, amuse, and inform both those who applaud and those who deplore his success. Can one reasonably expect more from a media mogul bio? Mike Tribby --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471299480
• ISBN-13: 978-0471299486
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #627,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ok for a Business History, January 17, 2003

By 

Backyard Bob "books1357" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Barry Diller Story: The Life and Times of America's Greatest Entertainment Mogul (Hardcover)

Ok, for a business history of mergers, deals, movies, cable channels and so forth. It does give some glimpse into Diller's Jewish background and childhood, as well as, the vulgar and occasionally violent way he assaults his employees. However, it barely mentions his co-leadership of the notorious Velvet Mafia. Biographers of David Geffen, the long-time "associate" of Diller, are more forthcoming. Stephen Singular in "The Rise and Rise of David Geffen" discusses the Velvet Mafia and its bisexual media mogul leaders including Diller and Geffen. Tom King's "The Operator" flatly states the gay preference of Barry Diller. George Mair's book is well worth reading as is his biography of Si Newhouse, "Newhouse."