When Variety Was KingWhen Variety Was King
Frank Peppiatt, the most popular producer during an era when variety television reigned supreme, recounts his own remarkable life story, with beginnings as a humble Canadian boy who eventually grew up to create iconic American TV shows using a cast of Hollywood celebrities. Spending their lives behind the scenes writing comedy and turning entertainers into household names, Peppiatt and his partner John Aylesworth developed the rock TV show Hullabaloo, which led to them getting a call from New York to write for the Eydie Gorme/Steve Lawrence show. From there, the duo—known as A & P—went on to become the most in-demand writing and producing team around. They created Hee Haw, the number-one show on TV, and Peppiatt wrote and produced variety shows for Jackie Gleason, Andy Williams, Judy Garland, Julie Andrews, Sonny and Cher, and Perry Como. This anecdote-filled memoir of a bygone golden age will enthrall anyone interested in the early days of television with stories full of humor and spice. This insider’s look at some of the medium's most iconic shows and personalities will please television fans, nostalgia buffs, and cultural historians alike.
From the creator and writer of Hee Haw and other variety shows through the 60s and 70s, this is an anecdote-filled memoir of a bygone golden age. When Variety Was King captures the early days of TV with humour and spice.
An anecdote-filled recollection of a bygone golden age He created Hee Haw, the number-one show on TV. He wrote and produced variety shows for Jackie Gleason, Andy Williams, Judy Garland, Julie Andrews, Sonny and Cher, and Perry Como. He invented the rock TV show Hullabaloo. He was the most popular producer of his time a time when variety television was king. With his writing/producing partner John Aylesworth, Frank Peppiatt developed dozens of TV shows but their career began on air in the initial days of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, alongside other talented newcomers like Norman Jewison and Arthur Hiller. Then came a call from New York to write for the Eydie Gorme/Steve Lawrence show in 1958, and quickly A & P” became the most in-demand writing and producing team around. Peppiatt, a man who spent his life behind the scenes writing comedy and turning entertainers into household names, now recounts his own remarkable life story: a humble Canadian boy who grew up to create iconic American TV shows amid a cast of Hollywood celebrities. When Variety Was King captures the early days of TV with humour and spice.
He created Hee Haw, the number-one show on TV. He wrote and produced variety shows for Jackie Gleason, Andy Williams, Judy Garland, Julie Andrews, Sonny and Cher, and Perry Como. He invented the rock TV show Hullabaloo. He was the most popular producer of his time — a time when variety television was king.With his writing/producing partner John Aylesworth, Frank Peppiatt developed dozens of TV shows but their career began on air in the initial days of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, alongside other talented newcomers like Norman Jewison and Arthur Hiller. Then came a call from New York to write for the Eydie Gorme/Steve Lawrence show in 1958, and quickly “A & P” became the most in-demand writing and producing team around. Peppiatt, a man who spent his life behind the scenes writing comedy and turning entertainers into household names, now recounts his own remarkable life story: a humble Canadian boy who grew up to create iconic American TV shows amid a cast of Hollywood celebrities. When Variety Was King captures the early days of TV with humour and spice.
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- Toronto, Ontario, Canada : ECW Press, [2013], ©2013
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