Gotta love my pals at CH in Hamilton, Mark Hebscher, Donna Skelly and producer Lawrence Diskin. They very kindly invited me on CH Live @ 5:30 today to blab about my book, Truth And Rumors: The Reality Behind TV’s Most Famous Myths. The show airs at, believe it or not, 5:30 (and repeats again tonight at 11:30 p.m.).
They even let me talk about that famous Johnny Carson rumour. You know the one: Frequent Tonight Show guest Zsa Zsa Gabor once sat on Carson’s couch with her Persian cat on her lap. She asked the host if he wanted to pet her pussy. To which Carson replied, “Yeah, but the damn cat’s in the way.”
It NEVER, ever happened, even if your uncle or neighbor swear they saw it. The book details how that one, plus 150 other TV rumours, myths and urban legends, spread all over North America.
In addition to more radio and TV promotion (hey, somebody has to hump this book north of the border), I should have some local store signings to announce next week; check this space for details.
5 Comments
Not to tattle there Bill, but I sent a review copy request to your publisher three weeks ago and I received a positively deafening wall of silence.
Oh Canada!
Thanks for this heads up, Denis. Am getting a hard lesson in dealing with a U.S. publisher as a Canadian author. Been very frustrating for me because there are other book editors in print and TV and radio waiting on copies, too.
I’ll give my contact there a blast Monday morning and see if I can nudge your copy along. Appreciate the interest, I think you’ll get a kick out of the stories.
hi bill:
what about the carson/mrs arnold palmer myth? did that really happen? i heard she said something about polishing his balls and carson said something to the effect of that would really make his putter stand up.
sounds like it didn’t happen…
maybe i should just buy the book.
mark farrell
Hey Mark, that is also in my book. What did she do before a big tourney for good luck? “I kiss his balls.” Quipped Carson, “Bet that made his putter stick out.”
It never happened, but there is some evidence that the exchange took place between Steve Allen and Sam Snead’s wife during the mid-’50s. Steve Lawrence (remember Steve & Edie?), who was one of Allen’s regulars, swears the line got the biggest laugh in the history of Allen’s Tonight Show. Everybody thinks Carson said it, but he never did.
yeah, I remember Steve Lawrence. Also Schneider (sp) from One Day at a Time was a Steve Allen player (thank you pbs)
i’m going to pick up the book.
mark