Bücher von Steve Randisi

In 1938, Penny Singleton achieved worldwide fame for her movie portrayal of Blondie, the beloved comic-strip character created by Chic Young. Penny Singleton: A Biography traces the life and times of the gifted entertainer who brought Blondie to cinematic life. Born Dorothy McNulty in 1908, she worked for years in vaudeville, eventually progressing to Broadway for such musical extravaganzas as The Great Temptations, Good News, and Follow Thru. Hollywood beckoned, and the sprightly newcomer was soon before the cameras alongside William Powell, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, and other iconic stars of the 1930s. But it was the role of Blondie, in 28 popular movies and a concurrent radio adaptation, that endeared the actress to audiences. In 1952, with her film and radio commitments completed, Penny launched a highly successful nightclub act. She later ventured into regional theatre and then television, providing the voice of Jane Jetson in the futuristic animated series The Jetsons. Beneath the laughter and applause, however, was a woman determined to make use of her most fervent desire - to improve working conditions for her fellow variety performers. In 1958, Penny made headlines as the first female president of an AFL-CIO union. Thus began a 20-year journey that would be marked by legal challenges, financial setbacks, and even anonymous death threats. Drawing upon archival materials, and exclusive interviews with family members, close friends, former costars, and the actress herself, Steve Randisi presents a revealing portrait of a trailblazing show-business personality.

In 1938, Penny Singleton achieved worldwide fame for her movie portrayal of Blondie, the beloved comic-strip character created by Chic Young. Penny Singleton: A Biography traces the life and times of the gifted entertainer who brought Blondie to cinematic life. Born Dorothy McNulty in 1908, she worked for years in vaudeville, eventually progressing to Broadway for such musical extravaganzas as The Great Temptations, Good News, and Follow Thru. Hollywood beckoned, and the sprightly newcomer was soon before the cameras alongside William Powell, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, and other iconic stars of the 1930s. But it was the role of Blondie, in 28 popular movies and a concurrent radio adaptation, that endeared the actress to audiences. In 1952, with her film and radio commitments completed, Penny launched a highly successful nightclub act. She later ventured into regional theatre and then television, providing the voice of Jane Jetson in the futuristic animated series The Jetsons. Beneath the laughter and applause, however, was a woman determined to make use of her most fervent desire - to improve working conditions for her fellow variety performers. In 1958, Penny made headlines as the first female president of an AFL-CIO union. Thus began a 20-year journey that would be marked by legal challenges, financial setbacks, and even anonymous death threats. Drawing upon archival materials, and exclusive interviews with family members, close friends, former costars, and the actress herself, Steve Randisi presents a revealing portrait of a trailblazing show-business personality.

From 1962 to 1986, The Merv Griffin Show flourished as one of television's most popular variety/talk shows, offering thousands of celebrated personalities from all walks of life. The Merv Griffin Show: The Inside Story takes you behind the scenes of this iconic program through exclusive interviews with the producers, writers, talent coordinators, and publicists who helped sustain Merv as a durable presence in millions of American homes. It's all here: the backstage tensions, booking challenges, conversational triumphs and disasters, and the race for ratings that are so much a part of the TV talk show realm. The book includes vivid recaps of several "lost" episodes culled from the show's remarkable history. And there's the story of Mr. Griffin himself, spanning his days as America's Romantic Singing star in the 1940s, to his amazing success as a powerful media mogul and real estate entrepreneur in the 1980s and beyond. Most of the book's nostalgic photographs are published here for the first time.

From 1962 to 1986, The Merv Griffin Show flourished as one of television's most popular variety/talk shows, offering thousands of celebrated personalities from all walks of life. The Merv Griffin Show: The Inside Story takes you behind the scenes of this iconic program through exclusive interviews with the producers, writers, talent coordinators, and publicists who helped sustain Merv as a durable presence in millions of American homes. It's all here: the backstage tensions, booking challenges, conversational triumphs and disasters, and the race for ratings that are so much a part of the TV talk show realm. The book includes vivid recaps of several "lost" episodes culled from the show's remarkable history. And there's the story of Mr. Griffin himself, spanning his days as America's Romantic Singing star in the 1940s, to his amazing success as a powerful media mogul and real estate entrepreneur in the 1980s and beyond. Most of the book's nostalgic photographs are published here for the first time.