New biography of Bennett Cerf, "Nothing Random"

[Robert Hutchinson]

I happened to see a mention of this earlier today while I was searching for something else. It just came out earlier this month.

The reviews I skimmed all seemed very positive. It looks like it's focused (as you'd expect) on his career with Random House, but that it also delves into his other activities, personal life, etc. And it's hefty--over a thousand pages. The author (Gayle Feldman) apparently started working on it over 20 years ago.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/48744/nothing-random-by-gayle-feldman/

[trainman]

It would have been hilarious if she'd sold it to a different publisher.

Looks like it might be a good companion to his own memoir, "At Random," which I believe only mentions WML? briefly in passing.

[carlisle96]

Here's a picture of Bennett Cerf on a prehistoric game show

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/see-what-you-know-television-game-show-with-from-left-tex-news-photo/526035668?adppopup=true

[Matt Ottinger]

Here's a picture of Bennett Cerf on a prehistoric game show

Seen locally on WCBW (about to become WCBS) in New York, and virtually ignored by the newspaper media even though it ran for a good chunk of 1946.  Among the other guests was Lucille Ball, years before I Love Lucy made her a superstar.

[calliaume]

My library already has three holds on this book! (Now four.) I don't see how anyone is going to barrel through a thousand-page book in three weeks unless they've got a lot of spare time.

[carlisle96]

My library already has three holds on this book! (Now four.) I don't see how anyone is going to barrel through a thousand-page book in three weeks unless they've got a lot of spare time.

I'm still the chump who goes to Barnes and Noble and shells out $35 for a copy, which I plan to do as soon as this ice / snowstorm lets me get out of the house.

[carlisle96]

Here's a picture of Bennett Cerf on a prehistoric game show

Seen locally on WCBW (about to become WCBS) in New York, and virtually ignored by the newspaper media even though it ran for a good chunk of 1946.  Among the other guests was Lucille Ball, years before I Love Lucy made her a superstar.

Is that where Lucy made her TV debut? I thought it was a New York-based DuMont charades show or maybe the Ed Wynn show in Hollywood. But as you say, newspapers ignored lot of those local shows and experimental broadcasts.