When Variety Was King: Memoir of a TV Pioneer: Featuring Jackie Gleason, Sonny and Cher

Frank Peppiatt, the most popular producer during an era when variety television reigned supreme, recounts his own remarkable life story, with beginnings as a humble Canadian boy who eventually grew up to create iconic American TV shows using a cast of Hollywood celebrities. Spending their lives behind the scenes writing comedy and turning entertainers into household names, Peppiatt and his partner John Aylesworth developed the rock TV show Hullabaloo, which led to them getting a call from New York to write for the Eydie Gorme/Steve Lawrence show. From there, the duo-known as A & P-went on to become the most in-demand writing and producing team around. They created Hee Haw, the number-one show on TV, and Peppiatt wrote and produced variety shows for Jackie Gleason, Andy Williams, Judy Garland, Julie Andrews, Sonny and Cher, and Perry Como. This anecdote-filled memoir of a bygone golden age will enthrall anyone interested in the early days of television with stories full of humor and spice. This insider’s look at some of the medium’s most iconic shows and personalities will please television fans, nostalgia buffs, and cultural historians alike.