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November 10, 2004
ON THE BOOKSHELFGrabbing baby boomers is the name of the game in 'Bob'By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER
For instance, I met Bob Eubanks. Yep, I was at a conference this past June and I got a book signed by Bob himself. He signed it. He said, "Thanks for playing!" Excuse me while I gush for a minute. Then Bob Eubanks shook my hand. It was, therefore, with great excitement that I finally got to read his biography, "It's in the Book, Bob" by Bob Eubanks with Matthew Scott Hansen (c.2004, BenBella Books). Bob Eubanks has been an icon in American Entertainment for longer than most of us can remember. He's most famous for his years of hosting The Newlywed Game, but you might not know that Bob's work in the music industry was perhaps his biggest contribution to entertainment, and his influence can be seen by looking at the early years of rock & roll. Back in the '50s and '60s, Bob was a disc jockey at a radio station in California. Those were the days when AM radio was king and rock & roll was a baby as far as music in time goes. Through his station connections and the nightclub he co-owned, Bob had some experience in arranging concerts, and he loved it so much that he decided to do it more often. Through wrangling and finagling, Bob began booking bigger and bigger events; in 1964, he booked The Beatles for their Hollywood Bowl gig, and he writes about the logistics of getting The Fab Four into and out of a coliseum full of hysterical fans. Hard to believe, but 40 years ago, you could have seen The Beatles play the Hollywood Bowl for as little as $3. Working with The Beatles led to bookings with Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Marty Robbins and other big name acts. Bob's radio job, as much as he loved it, had to end, but that was OK. A new career in television was waiting in the wings. If you never saw The Newlywed Game in its original run, you've probably seen it on The Game Show channel or in syndication. Even today, the answers to the scripted questions are hilarious, and watching those old shows is like comfort food for the eyes. Sadly, despite the title, "It's in the Book, Bob" doesn't talk much about the game show years (the title, of course, referring to a legendary answer to a titillating question). While I enjoyed this book, I was disappointed that there wasn't more about that part of Bob Eubanks' life. I'm sure Bob gets tired of answering questions about the show, but including it would have elevated a good book to a great book. While I don't think that anybody under 35 is going to "get" much of this book, Baby Boomers will relish it for the memories it contains. Pick up a copy of this book. And thanks for playing. Schlichenmeyer reviews books for the Pahrump Valley Times from her home in Wisconsin. |
