Well Reflections On The Life Career Of Jack Benny

The ultimate book on Jack Bennys varied career contains the reminiscences of friends and coworkers and a collection of essays.

Mass Appeal describes the changing world of American popular culture from the first sound movies through the age of television. In short vignettes, the book reveals the career patterns of people who became big movie, TV, or radio stars. Eddie Cantor and Al Jolson symbolize the early stars of sound movies. Groucho Marx and Fred Astaire represent the movie stars of the 1930s, and Jack Benny stands in for the 1930s performers who achieved their success on radio. Katharine Hepburn, a stage and film star, illustrates the cultural trends of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Humphrey Bogart and Bob Hope serve as examples of performers who achieved great success during the Second World War. Walt Disney, Woody Allen, and Lucille Ball, among others, become the representative figures of the postwar world. Through these vignettes, the reader comes to understand the development of American mass media in the twentieth century.

Historical Dictionary of Vaudeville contains a chronology, an introduction, an extensive bibliography, and the dictionary section has more than 1,000 cross-referenced entries on performing artists, managers and agents, theatre facilities, and the terminology central to the history of vaudeville.

LITTLE ELF: A Celebration of Harry Langdon is the legendary comedian's definitive life story, coupled with the most comprehensive Langdon filmography ever compiled, presented within 692 large pages and lavishly illustrated with over 500 images. The authors combed through paper, microfilm and digital archives - plus the films themselves - to put together the most complete and accurate summation of Langdon's life and career imaginable, from his earliest stage appearances to his final day in a movie studio. As a bonus, LITTLE ELF also contains: 1) Five of Langdon's vaudeville scripts, straight from the Library of Congress archive, including two versions of his most famous turn, JOHNNY'S NEW CAR. 2) An illustrated full synopsis of HEART TROUBLE (1928), Langdon's lost silent feature. 3) Ten vintage profiles from various movie magazines from 1925-33.

Since the advent of network television, situation comedies have been a staple of prime-time programming. In this book, Martin Gitlin has assembled the top 70 sitcoms in television history. The rankings were based on such factors as longevity, ratings, awards, humor, impact, and legacy. Iconic programs such as I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Leave it to Beaver join contemporary shows The Simpsons, Arrested Development, and Family Guy on the list. Each entry contains a comprehensive compilation of information, including cast members, a list of characters, air dates, ratings, notable episodes, awards, and more. Sure to inspire debate, The Greatest Sitcoms of All Time is the first book to rank the best sitcoms in television history.

The Wisconsin Magazine of History, the full-color quarterly magazine of the Wisconsin Historical Society, informs and delights readers with intriguing articles about the people, places and events of Wisconsin's past. Sharing the stories of times gone by and helping to shed light on the foundations of Wisconsin culture since it was first published in 1917, the Wisconsin Magazine of History celebrates all that makes Wisconsin special. Whatever your interests may be, you will find something to spark your curiosity - carefully researched and beautifully presented

From Marilyn to Mussolini, people captivate people. A&E's Biography, best-selling autobiographies, and biographical novels testify to the popularity of the genre. But where does one begin? Collected here are descriptions and evaluations of over 10,000 biographical works, including books of fact and fiction, biographies for young readers, and documentaries and movies, all based on the lives of over 500 historical figures from scientists and writers, to political and military leaders, to artists and musicians. Each entry includes a brief profile, autobiographical and primary sources, and recommended works. Short reviews describe the pertinent biographical works and offer insight into the qualities and special features of each title, helping readers to find the best biographical material available on hundreds of fascinating individuals.