The Older the Fiddle, the Better the Tune: The Joys of Reaching a Certain Age [Hardcover]

Willard Scott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 14, 2003

A humorous and touching look at the joys of getting older,introduced by one of the Today show's beloved weathermen.

Willard Scott is famous for celebrating the wit and wisdom of age. In The Older the Fiddle, the Better the Tune, he asks a wide range of people, "What's the greatest thing about getting older?" From expressions of delight in senior citizen discounts to sage advice on life's challenges, the answers are always surprising, often moving, and sometimes very funny.

The book's contributors include:

-Ed Asner - Dr. Joyce Brothers - Helen Gurley Brown - Art Buchwald - George Bush, Sr. - Bill Cosby - Tony Curtis - Jimmy Dean - Phyllis Diller - Mamie Van Doren - Hugh Downs - Dominick Dunne - Betty Friedan - Peter Graves - Monty Hall - Don Hewitt - Bob Hope - Sybil Jason - Bil Keane - Kenny Kingston - Ed Koch - C. Evertt Koop - Jack :aLanne - Norman Lear - Dick Locher - Eugene McCarthy - Jayne Medows - Anne Meara - Robert Novak - Martin Perl - Jane Powell - Ned Rorem - Vidal Sassoon - Pete Seeger - William F. Sharpe - Liz Smith - Jerry Stiller - Dick Thornburgh - Stanfield Turner - Leaon uris - Jack Valenti - Mort Walker - Andy Williams

Also included are pieces from regular folk, such as the former mayor of a small town in Pennsylvania and a retired English teacher from Texas.

"If you don't really want to do something, you don't have to. Unless your wife says it's real important." --Yogi Berra

"For me one of the joys of beding over 65 is that people have stopped trying to sell me life insurance." --John Updike

"You admit that money may be the root of all evil but there is one great soothing recommendation -- it keeps your children in touch with you." --Art Linkletter

"Getting older means having shorter breath, but being long-winded." --Maya Angelou

Whether you're turning 40, 60, or 85 -- there is something unique to discover about getting older.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Scott, the Today show weatherman for more than 20 years, sees himself as an active 79-year-old. While he looks back fondly on his earlier jobs, e.g., as the first Ronald McDonald, he says that, with more time to spend with his family, he's quite happy at the moment. Scott declares that the happiest times of people's lives are their childhood and their "old age." To prove this thesis, he sought comments from a variety of individuals-famous and not-on their current lives. These comments provide surprisingly optimistic views among senior citizens. Most people say that they're happier by keeping busy-with volunteer work or jobs. Despite losing spouses or suffering serious illnesses, they feel more relaxed than when they worked because they needed their salary. One man says, "When at the tender age of eighty, I learned of computers and how e-mail worked, I was immediately aroused. I had to be in on this. It forever after became the joy of my life." Former Yankee Yogi Berra says, "You don't have to take any guff from anyone. If you don't want to do something, you don't have to. Unless your wife says it's real important." The book is a nice gift idea; however, it disappoints. Scott offers just a five-page introduction with very little personal information. The entire book is simply quotes from individuals. Other than Scott's name, there's not much substance here besides the ultimate message-old age can be rewarding.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Willard Scott, the Today show's weatherman since 1980, is also the host of Willard Scott's Home and Garden Almanac on Home and Garden Television. He has distinguished himself with his public service efforts and was recognized by President Ronald Reagan with the Private Sector Award for Public Service in 1985. Born March 7, 1934, in Alexandria, Virginia, he is married to the former Mary Dwyer. They are parents of two daughters, Mary and Sally, and proud grandparents of John and Sally Marie. He lives in the Washington, D.C., area.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (May 14, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786868929
• ISBN-13: 978-0786868926
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,028,769 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Introduction & Illustrations Enhance the Reading, June 3, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Older the Fiddle, the Better the Tune: The Joys of Reaching a Certain Age (Hardcover)

6/3/03 The amazon editorial review listing of the celebrities , (plus the celebrities listed on the back jacket which they did not include(Wally Amos,Pat Boone,Soupy Sales, The Amazing Kreskin, Fred Rogers ,plus about 10 others (incl of Dick Martin)make it a book that many will purchase without even browsing(I borrowed it based on the well illustrated jacket)....The ordinary people give "much food for thought"(although I could not find the one written by the former mayor of Pittsburg...,many have stopped to 'smell the roses'..many have become the workholic that they felt retirement's funds and funs would rid them the addiction of...then there's Sofia Gelman(Pg 152)a retired neurologist 's whose poem begins "Don't laugh at me,I'm taking classes at the police academy,Imagine me in my 70's, Still eager to fulfill my life motto'Not to miss' ,which was the next profile after a quote from Mark Twain: "Wrinkles should merely indicate where the smiles have been".

3 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointed, July 13, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Older the Fiddle, the Better the Tune: The Joys of Reaching a Certain Age (Hardcover)

As a member of A.A., I simply will not buy a book written by another member that so flagrantly breaks the most important tradition of the society he purports to embrace. I hope Willard Scott will reconsider his decision to break his anonymity at the public level. Not only will any future slip of his hurt A.A., but he has set a precedent for any future celebrity, not all of whom will remain sober after they disclose their membership. I heard Scott's C-SPAN interview, and he seems to claim a disingenuous ignorance about this important A.A. tradition, a tradition that all newcomers to A.A. are immediately and thoroughly taught. Scott says he wants to help others; he may want to. But A.A. will help more people than any individual can, and he jeopardizes A.A. by publicly announcing his membership.