The late Danny Thomas recounts his fantastic life and career in this touching memoir. From his poverty-stricken boyhood to his incredible rise to fame, from his friendships with the giants of the entertainment world to his unselfish work for the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, here is a warmhearted look at one of the world's great storytellers.--Associated Press. 16 pages of photographs.

"Growing Up Laughing: My Story and the Story of Funny is a book that only Marlo Thomas could write -- a smart and gracious, witty and confident autobiographical journey. For as long as Marlo Thomas can remember, she's lived with laughter. Born to comedy royalty--TV and nightclub star Danny Thomas--she grew up among legendary funny men, carved much of her career in comedy and, to this day, surrounds herself with people who love and live to make others laugh. In this long-awaited memoir, Thomas takes us on a funny and heartwarming adventure, from her Beverly Hills childhood, to her groundbreaking creation of That Girl and Free to Be . . . You and Me, to her rise as one of America's most beloved actress-comediennes, to her marriage to talk-show king Phil Donahue. Her youth was star-studded--Milton Berle performed magic tricks (badly) at her backyard birthday parties. George Burns, Bob Hope, Sid Caesar, Bob Newhart and other great comics passed countless hours gathered around her family's dinner table. And behind it all was the rich laughter nurtured by a close and loving family. Growing Up Laughing is not just the story of an iconic entertainer, but also the story of comedy. In a voice that is curious, generous and often gleeful, Thomas not only opens the doors on the funny in her own life, but also explores the comic roots of today's most celebrated comedians, in personal interviews with: Alan Alda, Joy Behar, Stephen Colbert, Billy Crystal, Tina Fey, Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Griffin, Jay Leno, George Lopez, Elaine May, Conan O'Brien, Don Rickles, Joan Rivers, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, Ben and Jerry Stiller, Lily Tomlin, Robin Williams and Steven Wright.

Daddy picks up Corey from the daycare center, goes to the store with him and has dinner cooked by the time Mom arrives home from work.

Moviegoers know her as the housekeeper in White Christmas, the nurse in Now, Voyager, and the crotchety choir director in Sister Act. This book, filled with never-published behind-the-scenes stories from Broadway and Hollywood, chronicles the life of a complicated woman who brought an assortment of unforgettable nurses, nuns, and housekeepers to life on screen and stage. Wickes (1910–1995) was part of some of the most significant moments in film, television, theatre, and radio history. On that frightening night in 1938 when Orson Welles recorded his earth-shattering “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast, Wickes was waiting on another soundstage for him for a rehearsal of Danton's Death, oblivious to the havoc taking place outside. When silent film star Gloria Swanson decided to host a live talk show on this new thing called television, Wickes was one of her first guests. When Lucille Ball made one of her first TV appearances, Wickes appeared with her—and became Lucy's closest friend for more than thirty years. Wickes was the original Mary Poppins, long before an umbrella carried Julie Andrews across the rooftops of London. And when Disney began creating 101 Dalmatians, Wickes was asked to pose for animators trying to capture the evil of Cruella De Vil. The pinched-face actress who cracked wise by day became a confidante to some of the day's biggest stars by night, including Bette Davis and Doris Day. Bolstered by interviews with almost three hundred people, and by private correspondence from Ball, Davis, Day, and others, Mary Wickes: I Know I've Seen That Face Before includes scores of never-before-shared anecdotes about Hollywood and Broadway. In the process, it introduces readers to a complex woman who sustained a remarkable career for sixty years.

From 1950 to 2001, Lovie Beard Shelton practiced midwifery in eastern North Carolina homes, delivering some 4,000 babies to black, white, Mennonite, and hippie women; to those too poor to afford a hospital birth; and to a few rich enough to have any kind of delivery they pleased. Her life, which was about giving life, was conspicuously marked by loss, including the untimely death of her husband and the murder of her son. Lovie is a provocative chronicle of Shelton's life and work, which spanned enormous changes in midwifery and in the ways women give birth. In this artful exploration of documentary fieldwork, Lisa Yarger confronts the choices involved in producing an authentic portrait of a woman who is at once loner and self-styled folk hero. Fully embracing the difficulties of telling a true story, Yarger is able to get at the story of telling the story. As Lovie describes her calling, we meet a woman who sees herself working in partnership with God and who must wrestle with the question of what happens when a woman who has devoted her life to service, to doing God's work, ages out of usefulness. When I'm no longer a midwife, who am I? Facing retirement and a host of health issues, Lovie attempts to fit together the jagged pieces of her life as she prepares for one final home birth.

The Bewitched Continuum is a fun insider's look at the classic television show's overall continuity that will have you appreciating Samantha, Darrin, and their circle of impish witches and manic mortals in a whole new way.Adam-Michael James zaps up the same magnifying glass he uses on scripts for Hollywood studios and his columns at soapcentral.com to explore the consistencies and inconsistencies of Bewitched, comparing and contrasting all 254 episodes like never before. The only book to focus solely on the supernatural sitcom's fictional elements, The Bewitched Continuum delves into burning questions like: How come witches can use their powers in the past in some episodes but not in others? Can witches undo one another's spells, or not? The result is a definitive reference guide that is entertaining, perceptive, and always respectful.In addition to stunning photos and overviews for all eight seasons, this magical manual reveals how many times Endora called Darrin "Durwood" and who was afflicted with which witchy illness, not to mention offers an exclusive peek at one idea for the series finale Bewitched never had. Whether hardcore fan or discovering the show for the first time, The Bewitched Continuum casts a spell you won't soon forget!

LOST (AND FOUND) IN SPACE2: BLAST OFF INTO THE EXPANDED EDITION - Revised and Expanded Pictorial Memoir by Angela Cartwright and Bill Mumy (TV siblings Penny and Will Robinson from the original Lost in Space science fiction adventure series). The new "BLAST OFF" Edition is 352 pages filled with over 925 photos, including 160 brand new pages and more than 600 new images. This high-quality collectible book features a vast selection of never-before-seen photos from the Irwin Allen archives and from Bill and Angela's own personal collections. All photographs have been hand selected by the authors, with a primary focus on the 1965-68 three season run, plus bonus nostalgic reunions and adventures from the past 50+ years. Loaded with personal stories and memories from the authors, this edition is the ultimate keepsake for those who love the original 1960s TV show. Danger Will Robinson! - With 352 pages and over 925 photographs, this Brand New, Expanded pictorial memoir is almost twice the size, with three times the photos of the original, out-of-print book. - Loaded with personal stories and memories from the authors. - For the first time, never-before-shared secrets are revealed. - Expanded to include 600+ newly added series & post-series photos from the past 50+ years - Includes special bonus treasures from Bill & Angela's personal collections and brand new surprises too.

Between 1948 and 1955, nearly two-thirds of all American families bought a television set—and a revolution in social life and popular culture was launched. In this fascinating book, Lynn Spigel chronicles the enormous impact of television in the formative years of the new medium: how, over the course of a single decade, television became an intimate part of everyday life. What did Americans expect from it? What effects did the new daily ritual of watching television have on children? Was television welcomed as an unprecedented "window on the world," or as a "one-eyed monster" that would disrupt households and corrupt children? Drawing on an ambitious array of unconventional sources, from sitcom scripts to articles and advertisements in women's magazines, Spigel offers the fullest available account of the popular response to television in the postwar years. She chronicles the role of television as a focus for evolving debates on issues ranging from the ideal of the perfect family and changes in women's role within the household to new uses of domestic space. The arrival of television did more than turn the living room into a private theater: it offered a national stage on which to play out and resolve conflicts about the way Americans should live. Spigel chronicles this lively and contentious debate as it took place in the popular media. Of particular interest is her treatment of the way in which the phenomenon of television itself was constantly deliberated—from how programs should be watched to where the set was placed to whether Mom, Dad, or kids should control the dial. Make Room for TV combines a powerful analysis of the growth of electronic culture with a nuanced social history of family life in postwar America, offering a provocative glimpse of the way television became the mirror of so many of America's hopes and fears and dreams.

A young boy discusses his divorced father's new living situation, in which the father and his gay roommate share eating, doing chores, playing, loving, and living.

A ""Chicken Soup"" collection of 52 inspiring stories about remarkable dads. What they do. What they say. How they change the lives of their kids. Each story is shared with us by a daughter or son (age 4 to 81). This book is filled with family photos. The writing style is unique. It flows like melted butter and reads with a rhythm and smoothness rarely seen. Read about the dad who coldly fired his son from the family business...but then helped that young man to a fabulous life. Or the father and son trucking along together on a dusty back road...and what happened with that Playboy Magazine they found in the dirt. Your heart will go out to four-year old Janie Hite. She was born with serious medical problems that will endure for life. Read her story about a dad who reached out desperately in the middle of the night to save her life. Endorsed by Harvey Mackay (""Swim with the Sharks"" fame) and Mark Victor Hansen (""Chicken Soup"" fame), this may be the best book of 2013.