Backstage with the Original Hollywood Square and over 450,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle – Amazon’s new wireless reading device. Learn more

28 used & new from $2.33
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
Backstage with the Original Hollywood Square
 
 
See all product images
See all 3 customer images
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book
Start reading Backstage with the Original Hollywood Square on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
 
  

Backstage with the Original Hollywood Square (Hardcover)

~ Peter Marshall (Author), Adrienne Armstrong (Author), Alex Trebek (Foreword) "Okay, I lied..." (more)
Key Phrases: lox box, celebrity game, Rose Marie, New York, Paul Lynde (more...)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


6 new from $25.99 21 used from $2.33 1 collectible from $20.00

Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition $14.99   -- --
Hardcover --   $25.99 $2.33

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Center Square: The Paul Lynde Story

Center Square: The Paul Lynde Story

by Steve Wilson
3.5 out of 5 stars (20)  $13.56
Paul Lynde Halloween Special

Paul Lynde Halloween Special

DVD ~ Billy Barty
3.7 out of 5 stars (42)  $14.95
Game Show Moments Gone Bananas

Game Show Moments Gone Bananas

DVD ~ Ben Stein
4.2 out of 5 stars (5)  $9.98
Best of Match Game DVD Collection

Best of Match Game DVD Collection

DVD ~ Gene Rayburn
4.2 out of 5 stars (54) 
Best of Password

Best of Password

DVD ~ Allen Ludden
4.2 out of 5 stars (16) 
› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Peter Marshall was the host for 17 years of the phenomenally successful celebrity game show, The Hollywood Squares. This is the inside story from why Peter took the job (he did not want Dan Rowan to get it) to the inner workings of the show (how did Paul Lynde come up with all those jokes?). From stories about regulars Wally Cox, Rose Marie, Cliff Arquette as Charley Weaver, Nannette Fabray, and Abby Dalton to stories about the guests - Betty Grable, Helen Hayes, George C. Scott, Richard Burton, and everybody else who was anybody in Hollywood.

Hollywood Squares debuted in 1966 and became, along with The Tonight Show, one of the two shows to be on if you wanted to plug a new movie, show, or book. There are stories of friendships and romances that grew on the show, stories of what happened when the show taped in Puerto Vallarta, Vancouver, and Jamaica. There are stories of The Hollywood Squares' funniest moments and bloopers, including those that never got by the censors.

The book includes a CD of a long-out-of-print album, Zingers from The Hollywood Squares.

Backstage with the Original Hollywood Square is an insider's view of one of the most remarkable television shows of all time.

 

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson (July 17, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1558539808
  • ISBN-13: 978-1558539808
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #816,105 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

Peter Marshall
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Peter Marshall Page
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Okay, I lied. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
lox box, celebrity game
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Rose Marie, New York, Paul Lynde, Wally Cox, Ida Mae, Bill Armstrong, Abby Dalton, Art Alisi, Karen Valentine, Beverly Hills, Charley Weaver, Peter Marshall, Merrill Heatter, Vincent Price, Bob Quigley, Jay Redack, Zsa Zsa, Las Vegas, Mary Markham, Bert Parks, George Gobel, Storybook Squares, Cliff Arquette, Jerry Shaw, Les Roberts
New!
Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 10 books:
See all 10 books this book cites

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Backstage with the Original Hollywood Square
76% buy the item featured on this page:
Backstage with the Original Hollywood Square 4.6 out of 5 stars (22)
Center Square: The Paul Lynde Story
5% buy
Center Square: The Paul Lynde Story 3.5 out of 5 stars (20)
$13.56
Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(2)
(1)
(1)
Agree with these tags?

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

22 Reviews
5 star:
 (17)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb book, even better CD, July 25, 2002
By Mike (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews
This book is a great look back at the original run of The Hollywood Squares, primarily focusing on how Peter Marshall got the job and his memories of the squares, ranging from the regulars (Paul Lynde, George Gobel, Wally Cox, Cliff Arquette/Charley Weaver) to those that only made a handful of appearances (George C. Scott, Miss Gloria Swanson, Miss Helen Hayes). The book was a very short read, taking me just over 3 hours to read from cover to cover. The pictures in the book are simply amazing, ranging from pictures of celebrities in their cubicles to Peter Marshall and Alex Trebek as celebrity players on The Magnificent Marble Machine. The photo of George Gobel dressed as Little Boy Blue is absolutely priceless.

My 2 favorite parts of the book are the complete list of celebrities that occupied the squares and the CD copy of the Zingers album released in 1974. The audio occasionally cracks and pops but the jam packed humor on the CD more than makes up for it. In my opinion, the CD by itself is worth the cost of the book.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Greta Garbo to block..., April 20, 2003
... is a phrase Peter Marshall admits he would have loved to hear on his hit television show "The Hollywood Squares". That fact, and a thousand others, come in a new and downright funny book, "Backstage with the Original Hollywood Square", written by Peter Marshall and Adrienne Armstrong.

Part memoir, part fond walk down memory lane, "Backstage" provides insights to the creation and hosting of one of America's all time successful games. Peter Marshall recants many stories, some of which he told on the E! True Hollywood Story of the "Squares" and others are brand new.

He starts off with a quick summation of his early career, and how he was offered the emcee job of a lifetime. Then he delves in to all the people behind the scenes that were important to the show. The book starts running when he reminisces about all the stars we grew to love over the years: Paul Lynde, Wally Cox, Rose Marie. While each section of the star could have been longer, he sheds some light on each one admirably.

Throughout the book, Peter comes across very polite and respectful. It's almost his persona on the Squares. He allowed the stars to shine by taking a somewhat backseat approach to hosting, yet you realize after watching it he was the glue that kept them together. In this book, he is the mere storyteller, and showcases everyone else.

What's more fantastic about this book is the CD that accompanies it. From an album entitled "Zingers from the Hollywood Squares" that was released in the 70's, this CD holds some of the Squares funniest one liners. That alone is worth the cost of the book. I had the album as a kid, and listened to it constantly, and to this day, recalled many of the jokes still!

This book was a long time coming, and needed. For many people, The Hollywood Squares wasn't a showcase for has beens, but a welcome comedic relief during some of our nation's most turbulant times. Thanks to Peter Marshall for writing this, and bringing back all the laughter!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Paul Lynde to block!, August 21, 2002
By scotbot (the Negative Zone) - See all my reviews
Peter Marshall: Why do Motorcyclists wear leather jackets?

Paul Lynde: Because Chiffon Wrinkles.

For quite some time now, I have been listening to Peter Marshall on the radio every weekday morning as he hosts "the Music of Your Life" on KLOA a.m. His knowledge of music from that era is extensive and he always adds interesting comments and stories about the songs that he plays. Every once in a while he mentions the Hollywood Squares and you can hear in his voice how he cherishes that part of his life. With his new book, "Backstage With the Original Hollywood Square", he has a chance to reminisce fondly of the much beloved game show that brought joy to lives of so many.

The tone of the book is mostly fun, and even when he briefly mentions those few things that are perhaps less than pleasant, he does so with an honest, human candor that puts things in perspective. We get a quick glimpse of Peter's life before, during and after Squares, however, the majority of the book is about all of the celebrities that took part in the show, both those that were regulars like Paul Lynde and the many brief appearances by stars throughout the years as diverse as George C. Scott to Alice Cooper. The inner workings of the show are also presented for our enlightenment, as well as the pleasant announcement that the videos of the show that were once believed lost have recently been uncovered and are now playing on the Game Show Network.

My favorite story in the book concerns an amazing letter that Pete received from none other than the Duke himself: John Wayne!

As if this fabulous photo packed book were not enough, it comes with a CD of the long out of print album, "Zingers from the Hollywood Squares"! If you liked Hollywood Squares, then you will not be let down by this bargain package.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
Ad
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Truthful, but a few inaccuracies
I ordered this book from a competing website (sorry Amazon) around 2003. Peter goes into great detail about his life and the celebs who appeared on Hollywood Squares. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Michael Ceciliani

3.0 out of 5 stars Incomplete Story of a Great Game Show
Peter Marshall's history of the Hollywood Squares offers only a little insight into what made the show so great. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mediaman

5.0 out of 5 stars Peter Marshall For The Win!
"The Hollywood Squares" debuted before I was born, but I was able to enjoy the last 3-4 years of the original run. Read more
Published 20 months ago by J. Ravetti

4.0 out of 5 stars A recapitulation of the sixteen years of the best game show ever made.
In the late sixties and seventies, Hollywood Squares was my favorite game show. It combined some of the best jokes ever heard on television with questions that really made you... Read more
Published on December 28, 2006 by Charles Ashbacher

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book by Joanne Dru's Brother!!
Peter Marshall(Joanne Dru's Brother) did a superb Job writing his book along with a small biography of his life and career as a game show host. Read more
Published on July 15, 2004 by viewer

1.0 out of 5 stars Author, Author
An interesting document, and ok in the absence of other records of the time. It's too bad that Bill Armstrong (Squares writer, producer, legendary wit, broadly reputed source of... Read more
Published on September 10, 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Read, But A Bit Short
Game show host Peter Marshall sheds some light on the famous game show and you can't lose with this much information to draw on. However, there are some missing goodies. Read more
Published on August 9, 2003 by Martin A Hogan

5.0 out of 5 stars A trip down memory lane
In the days when tv emcees were over-emotive, phony-sounding or even grumpy, Peter Marshall always came across as one of the "regular, nice" ones. Read more
Published on July 31, 2003 by Jon Hunt

5.0 out of 5 stars FUNNY! FUNNY! FUNNY!
OK, so the title of this review is redundant, but there is a reason for this. In my teens, and beyond, I had a ball reading books about the goings on in Hollywood. Read more
Published on April 15, 2003 by George McAdams

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy This Book!
You will have hours of entertaining escapist reading!
I don't normally read "showbiz" books, but bought this on an impulse, as it had so many great photographs. Read more
Published on January 5, 2003 by Queenie

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums

So You'd Like to...


Create a guide

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:













i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.



Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.