[quote name=\'Bob Zager\' post=\'164574\' date=\'Sep 22 2007, 04:36 PM\']
Click the following link, and you'll see the book's Table of Contents, listing the "32 stars" profiled:
http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/contents-2.php...8-0-7864-2926-4[/quote]
Man, I don't think anybody ought to have a problem with his choices. Lining them up against our own top-50 list creates almost an exact fit. An astounding 29 of his 32 names are among our top 32 choices of all-time greats, and Dennis James ranked 33rd on our list. The only ones we ranked higher were relatively modern choices Marc Summers (23) and Tom Bergeron (25), as well as the one, the only Groucho (30). I would imagine leaving Groucho off was a deliberate choice since he doesn't really "fit the mold".
The only three names in his book that didn't make our top-32 were the aforementioned Dennis James (33), Hal March (41) and Bert Parks (45). If you're old-school and really want to make a fuss about it, you could probably make a case for Jan Murray, and to a lesser extent Art Linkletter. (To me, Hugh Downs is an anomaly the way Groucho is, someone whose fame really doesn't stem from his game shows.)
In a way, that's impressive. But in another way, it just goes to show how few guys there are who could do that sort of thing well.
