Author Topic: Game Show Hosts/Hostesses Turned Authors (Read 10488 times)

calliaume · « **on:** August 10, 2009, 02:24:18 PM »

Just started thinking about this today: who's run a game that later wrote a book?

(Note: the list includes everybody who wrote a book; whether or not the book had anything to do with game shows is not a consideration. And "author" in some cases is a reach -- I doubt Pat Sajak had a lot to do with the crossword books that bear his name.)

Feel free to add the names I've missed or forgotten.

Allen, Steve
Barker, Bob
Barris, Chuck
Bergeron, Tom
Carey, Drew
Carson, Johnny
Clooney, Nick
Collyer, Bud
Downs, Hugh
Enberg, Dick
Eubanks, Bob
Garagiola, Joe
Griffin, Merv
Hall, Monty
Ludden, Allen
Marshall, Peter
Martindale, Wink
Myerson, Bess
Pennington, Janice
Perry, Jim
Sajak, Pat
Trebek, Alex
White, Betty
White, Vanna

colonial · « **Reply #1 on:** August 10, 2009, 02:41:51 PM »

[quote name=\'calliaume\' post=\'222468\' date=\'Aug 10 2009, 02:24 PM\']Just started thinking about this today: who's run a game that later wrote a book?

(Note: the list includes everybody who wrote a book; whether or not the book had anything to do with game shows is not a consideration. And "author" in some cases is a reach -- I doubt Pat Sajak had a lot to do with the crossword books that bear his name.)
Feel free to add the names I've missed or forgotten.[/quote]

Former "Face the Music" host Ron Ely penned two mystery novels in the 90s.

Ex-"Lingo" host Michael Reagan has about a dozen books to his credit.

JD

chris319 · « **Reply #2 on:** August 10, 2009, 02:45:11 PM »

Your definition of "author" seems to include those who actually wrote the words in their books and those who didn't (e.g. Bob Barker). I haven't read the books of most of these people, but I have to wonder which fall into the former category and which into the latter. I imagine Bud wrote the actual words in his books, but ISTR Merv's was "as told to Peter Barsocchini".

Gil Fates had a short-lived career as an emcee, and I read his and Monty's books during the summer of 1978. One year later I encountered both men face to face (it's fun to drop names!).

Chief-O · « **Reply #3 on:** August 10, 2009, 02:53:30 PM »

[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'222473\' date=\'Aug 10 2009, 01:45 PM\']Gil Fates had a short-lived career as an emcee[/quote]

If I had remembered that [raise your hand if you remember the "CBS Television Quiz"], I'd have mentioned his WML? book [good reading, BTW!].

If we're also going to mention non-hosts, I guess I could throw out a good word for "J!" writer Harry Eisenberg's very detailed memoir on his years with the show.

bricon · « **Reply #4 on:** August 10, 2009, 02:58:16 PM »

[quote name=\'calliaume\' post=\'222468\' date=\'Aug 10 2009, 01:24 PM\']Just started thinking about this today: who's run a game that later wrote a book?

Feel free to add the names I've missed or forgotten.[/quote]

Jack Bailey did a cookbook titled "What's Cookin'".

Jeff MacGregor wrote a book about a season of NASCAR racing.

calliaume · « **Reply #5 on:** August 10, 2009, 03:04:47 PM »

Jamie Farr wrote an autobiography, but I'm reluctant to include him based on subhosting Wordplay.

I didn't included producers/production staff, otherwise Norm Blumenthal, Bob Noah, Les Roberts, and a few others would be added.

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #6 on:** August 10, 2009, 03:05:24 PM »

Damn you, I was wanting to get some actual work done today!

Jack Bailey
Wally Bruner
Walter Cronkite
Art Fleming
Jeff Foxworthy
Arlene Francis
John Reed King
Vicki Lawrence
Art Linkletter
Henry Morgan
Regis Philbin
Summer Sanders
Ben Stein

A lot of these really hit the margins of being an author. Bailey's was a cookbook, Bruner's a woodworking tie-in to his TV show, and King & Fleming both put their names on quiz books that they probably didn't write.

I strictly limited myself to people who hosted their own show, but if we cast a wider net (as you did with Janice and Vanna), then there are also people like Kitty Carlisle, Bennett Cerf and Orson Bean, to name only a few. For that matter, there are also Frank DeCaro and Billy Bean. (I'm pretty sure Jermaine Taylor was illiterate.)

chris319 · « **Reply #7 on:** August 10, 2009, 03:06:52 PM »

Quote

Jack Bailey did a cookbook titled "What's Cookin'".

Did every recipe call for liberal amounts of cooking sherry? (Sorry, cheap humor.)

Gil Fates wasn't a non-host strictly speaking. Ira Skutch is, but not Gil.

pentellit · « **Reply #8 on:** August 10, 2009, 03:43:16 PM »

Did Ira Skutch write a book?

SRIV94 · « **Reply #9 on:** August 10, 2009, 03:49:32 PM »

Howie Mandel has one coming out, called Here's The Deal: Don't Touch Me (slated to do a book signing in New York in early December).

Don Howard · « **Reply #10 on:** August 10, 2009, 03:58:29 PM »

[quote name=\'pentellit\' post=\'222484\' date=\'Aug 10 2009, 03:43 PM\']Did Ira Skutch write a book?[/quote]
Oh, goodness, yes. Quite a few, in fact.
My favorite of his was I Remember Television: A Memoir.
Published circa late 1980s/early 1990s.

vtown7 · « **Reply #11 on:** August 10, 2009, 04:20:45 PM »

Marc Summers wrote Everything in its place, about his dealings with OCD.

Ryan

calliaume · « **Reply #12 on:** August 10, 2009, 04:32:11 PM »

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' post=\'222488\' date=\'Aug 10 2009, 02:58 PM\'][quote name=\'pentellit\' post=\'222484\' date=\'Aug 10 2009, 03:43 PM\']Did Ira Skutch write a book?[/quote]
Oh, goodness, yes. Quite a few, in fact.
My favorite of his was I Remember Television: A Memoir.
Published circa late 1980s/early 1990s.
[/quote]
1990, by The Scarecrow Press. Available from Amazon. This has more about his own experiences than any of the other books listed under his name likely would.

chris319 · « **Reply #13 on:** August 10, 2009, 05:07:27 PM »

[quote name=\'pentellit\' post=\'222484\' date=\'Aug 10 2009, 12:43 PM\']Did Ira Skutch write a book?[/quote]
He wrote his memoir several years ago. I know and like Ira. He is THE most astute producer I've ever worked with -- I've worked with A LOT of people who call themselves producers -- and I learned a lot from him. Unfortunately, his memoir as written doesn't make for very riveting reading, I'm afraid. He talks about his days at Goodson-Todman but doesn't go into a whole lot of depth. He talks a lot about his days in the advertising industry and I had a hard time getting interested in it.

Gil Fates, the producer of What's My Line? from the beginning in 1950, wrote his memoir in 1978 but it was more about the show and the stars and is much more interesting reading. If you can find a copy, pick it up by all means. Interesting that Gil could craft such an interesting book out of such a simple show.

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #14 on:** August 10, 2009, 05:12:11 PM »

Though he is better known for other broadcasting ventures, Ed McMahon did host a couple of G-T shows. One of his books even had representative stills of his game shows.