{"product_id":"carson-the-magnificent-hardcover","title":"Carson the Magnificent - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eBill Zehme\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eMike Thomas\u003c\/b\u003e (With)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA much-anticipated biography--twenty years in the making--of the entertainer who redefined late-night television and reshaped American culture.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 2002, Bill Zehme landed one of the most coveted assignments for a magazine writer: an interview with Johnny Carson--the only one he'd granted since retiring from hosting \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eTonight Show\u003c\/i\u003e a decade earlier. Zehme was tapped for the \u003ci\u003eEsquire\u003c\/i\u003e feature story thanks to his years of legendary celebrity profiles, and the resulting piece portrayed Carson as more human being than showbiz legend. Shortly after Carson's death in 2005 and urged on by many of those closest to Carson, Zehme signed a contract to do an expansive biography. He toiled on the book for nearly a decade--interviewing dozens of Carson's colleagues and friends and filling up a storage locker with his voluminous research--before a cancer diagnosis and ongoing treatments halted his progress. When he died in 2023 his obituaries mentioned the Carson book, with \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e comedy critic Jason Zinoman calling it \"one of the great unfinished biographies.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eYet the hundreds of pages Zehme managed to complete are astounding both for the caliber of their writing and how they illuminate one of the most inscrutable figures in entertainment history: A man who brought so much joy and laughter to so many millions but was himself exceedingly shy and private. Zehme traces Carson's rise from a magic-obsessed Nebraska boy to a Navy ensign in World War II to a burgeoning radio and TV personality to, eventually, host of \u003ci\u003eThe Tonight Show\u003c\/i\u003e--which he transformed, along with the entirety of American popular culture, over the next three decades. Without Carson, there would be no late-night television as we know it. On a much more intimate level, Zehme also captures the turmoil and anguish that accompanied the success: four marriages, troubles with alcohol, and the devastating loss of a child. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn one passage, Zehme notes that when asked by an interviewer in the mid-80s for the secret to his success, Carson replied simply, \"Be yourself and tell the truth.\" Completed with help from journalist and Zehme's former research assistant Mike Thomas, \u003ci\u003eCarson the Magnificent\u003c\/i\u003e offers just that: an honest assessment of who Johnny Carson really was.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eBill Zehme was the author of the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller \u003ci\u003eThe Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin'\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eLost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman.\u003c\/i\u003e He coauthored memoirs by Jay Leno and Regis Philbin, served as a longtime writer at large for \u003ci\u003eEsquire\u003c\/i\u003e, and contributed to other publications including \u003ci\u003eRolling Stone\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePlayboy\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eVanity Fair\u003c\/i\u003e. A native and lifelong resident of Chicago, he died in 2023. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMike Thomas is the author of two critically acclaimed books, \u003ci\u003eThe Second City Unscripted: Revolution and Revelation at the World-Famous Comedy Theater\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eYou Might Remember Me: The Life and Times of Phil Hartman\u003c\/i\u003e. He spent more than fourteen years as an arts and entertainment features writer at the \u003ci\u003eChicago Sun-Times\u003c\/i\u003e and is a regular contributor to \u003ci\u003eChicago\u003c\/i\u003e magazine. He lives in Chicago with his family.\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 336\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.3 x 9.1 x 6.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 05, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47191931846905,"sku":"9781451645279","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0789\/2782\/3097\/files\/mXBCxG__Nl9781451645279.webp?v=1767892046","url":"https:\/\/bookscloud.io\/products\/carson-the-magnificent-hardcover","provider":"BooksCloud Book Dropshipping","version":"1.0","type":"link"}