Twelve of Hollywood's top comedy writers and speak their minds about the so-called good old days, and recall the outrageous backstage antics of legendary comedians. No one is spared in frank, uncensored and frequently hilarious conversations about the stone age of broadcasting -- the 1930s, '40s and '50s -- when advertising agencies controlled the programs, stars ran amok and writers were treated with profound disrespect, like a necessary evil.
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"There's a lot of show-business history here that might otherwise be lost. What a boon for show-biz buffs and comedy students alike." -- Leonard Maltin, Entertainment Tonight, 10/98
From the Author
I live in the past, and I readily admit it. In fact, I've made a career out of it. I would love to have written comedy for radio in its heyday. Having grown up during the television era -- Jack Benny made his TV debut the week I was born -- I did not have this opportunity. As a show business historian, however, I have been able to live this dream vicariously, interviewing many of those who did.
For an oral history of radio drama (a work-in-progress at this time) I have interrogated a number of comedy writers about their work in radio and early television. And while I have sat at the feet of countless actors, comedians, musicians, announcers, producers and other industry veterans, the writers were a revelation. They proved, invariably, to be the best raconteurs and the most articulate interview subjects.
While screenwriters have finally won a measure of recognition in recent years, far less attention has been paid the writers of radio and television's Golden Age. Several of the writers featured in this book have been celebrated for their creative efforts of the 1960s and '70s, but most have seldom, if ever, talked about their work in the early days of broadcasting -- the '30s, '40s and '50s -- a decidedly different era of popular culture that has been largely forgotten.
I have been a lover of comedy and comedians all my life. This book may present a somewhat unflattering portrait of some of my favorite entertainers. But as we know, there are at least two sides to every story. Behind every successful radio and TV comic was a hard-working writer -- or a platoon of them -- who toiled in virtual anonymity. It is high time these invisible comedians took a bow.
These interviews were conducted between 1990 and 1995. Many of the subjects required little or no prodding, and since my philosophy as an interviewer is simply, "shut up and listen," and I let them go right on talking. I have edited the interview transcripts only slightly and rephrased next to nothing.
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More About the Author
I'm a freelance writer, entertainment historian and playwright. I've traveled extensively in Europe and the U.S. but researching and writing books like "Spike Jones Off the Record," "Acting Solo," and "The Beckett Actor" has been the great adventure of my life. Without readers I wouldn't be here, so I thank all of you who have discovered my books and shared my adventures.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As close as you'll ever get to finding a Time Machine,
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This review is from: The Laugh Crafters: Comedy Writing in Radio and Tv's Golden Age (Paperback)
Jordan Young's interviews with some of Hollywood's top radio comedy writers in the thirties, forties and fifties gives the reader interested in show business nostalgia so much more than could be reasonably expected. While I was reading the book, I felt that I went back in time and I throughly enjoyed every hour.
We don't read transcripts of old radio shows--instead, we get a front row seat on Sunset and Vine in Hollywood and find out--through the writers--all that went on before the show went on the air and how the whole frenzied process began again immediately after the show went off the air. I always wondered how these old radio shows were put together. What we learn is that each comedy star had his own system. While Eddie Cantor may have employed a hundred writers in a chaotic fashion over his long radio career with only modest results, Jack Benny had a long-time stable of six or seven writers and by consensus, had established, along with Fred Allen, the "gold standard" in radio comedy. I loved this book!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I loved the backstage tidbits on the major stars!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Laugh Crafters: Comedy Writing in Radio and Tv's Golden Age (Paperback)
I enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed Gerald Nachman's "Raised on Radio." I liked the format: each chapter was laid out by writer's name, his recollections and thoughts on the shows he worked on, and his credits by medium; (radio, TV, Movies, etc). You really got a feel for who was a major talent vs. who was lucky in show business. The writers really didn't get their due from the public, now here's your chance to find out who was responsible for "making" certain stars legends!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great insight into the comic minds behind comic minds.,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Laugh Crafters: Comedy Writing in Radio and Tv's Golden Age (Paperback)
What a delightful book! Full of insights into the process of writing comedy and how "lively" live radio and TV could be. Paints a clear and not always pretty picture of some of the funniest folk in comedy, including Bob Hope, Eddie Cantor, Fred Allen. The format lets the writers express themselves, and it's not always good memories they're sharing. A must for any fan of old-time radio, comedy, writing, and television. The stories are not always sweet and nostalgic, but accurate and, above-all, honest. I loved this book!
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