THE STORY: THE LAST NIGHT OF BALLYHOO takes place in Atlanta, Georgia, in December of 1939. Gone with the Wind is having its world premiere, and Hitler is invading Poland, but Atlanta's elitist German Jews are much more concerned with who is

Ballyhoo offers a sobering examination of the tragicomic nature of the world.

Ballyhoo! The Roughhousers, Con Artists, and Wildmen Who Invented Professional Wrestling is a history of professional wrestling’s formative period in the U.S., from roughly 1874 to 1941, and the contested interplay of wrestlers and promoters who built the “sport” as we know it. During this period, the major conventions that would define wrestling to the present day were perfected and codified, as wrestling morphed from a rough sport practiced on farms and at town gatherings to melodramatic mass entertainment that reliably drew large crowds in cities across the nation. The narrative uses the life and career of Jack Curley—a boxing promoter whose fortune took a turn for the better when he began promoting wrestling matches—as a compass as it charts the development of wrestling. By the late 1910s, Curley’s shows were selling out Madison Square Garden monthly. Ballyhoo chronicles his competition with the other promoters, as well as the lives of colorful athletes like “Strangler” Ed Lewis, Frank Gotch, the “Masked Marvel,” Jim Londos, “Gorgeous George” Wagner, “Farmer” Martin Burns, and “Dynamite” Gus Sonnenberg.

A handful of star athletes, along with their promoters and journalists, created America's sports entertainment industry during the 1920s, the Golden Age of American sports. The period had an extraordinary impact, profoundly changing individual sports, establishing the secular religion of sports and sports heroes, and helping bond disparate social and regional sectors of the country. It's when sports became a cornerstone of modern American life. Heroes and Ballyhoo profiles the ten most prominent Golden Age heroes and describes their effect on sports and society. Babe Ruth saved baseball after the Black Sox Scandal. Boxer Jack Dempsey made the “sweet science” a respectable sport. Red Grange single-handedly set professional football on a path to eventual success. Knute Rockne helped transform college football from a game to a colossal enterprise. Bobby Jones changed golf into a spectator sport, and Walter Hagen sparked the first national interest in professional golf. Bill Tilden put tennis on the front of the sports section. Tennis player Helen Wills Moody joined swimmer Gertrude Ederle in empowering women athletes. Johnny Weissmuller astonished international swimming before becoming Tarzan. The book also explores the ballyhoo artists—sportswriters, promoters, and press agents—who hyped the stars to a receptive public. Simultaneously, the spectators established themselves as the focus of popular sports. The personalities and events of the 1920s thus created today's entertainment conglomerate of heroes, promoters and advertisers, fans, arenas—and money. Sports as a profit center started with the Golden Age's heroes and PR artists, and the public's obsessive interest in sports helped shape America's emerging mass society. Heroes and Ballyhoo tells the story of what was both a symptom and a cause of modern America.

William Castle, for instance, was a master promoter. In one scheme involving The Tingler, Vincent Price warns in the movie that "the only way to stop the monster is to scream. That's the signal to the projectionist to throw the switch. Under ten or twelve seats were some electric motors, war surplus things that Castle got a bargain on. The motors vibrated the seat, in the hope of scaring a scream out of someone. Just in case it didn't Castle planted someone in the audience to get the screams rolling." This book is about flamboyant promotion, the con artist side of the movie world--everything the ballyhoo boys did to separate the customer from the price of a movie ticket--Emergo, HypnoVista, 3-D, Wide Screen, Cinemagic, Duo-Vision, Dynamation, Smell-O-Vision, plenty more. Supporting the text are 107 photos and illustrations, some never-before-published, and a filmography.

A Study Guide for Alfred Uhry's "The Last Night of Ballyhoo," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Drama For Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Drama For Students for all of your research needs.

Beastie bloopers, fiddle-de-riddles, creepy critters, tongue twisters, and so much more! Filled with hundreds of jokes of every type, this hilarious compilation is sure to tickle the funny bone and have kids screaming with laughter for hours on end. What do you call a lazy kangaroo? A pouch potato. What should you wear when you go to the beach with a monster? Sunscream. What did the skeleton say to the doctor? "This will cost me an arm and a leg!" Give this riddle a try: I have many teeth but cant chew. What am I? (A comb.) How fast do happy bikers ride? Ten smiles per hour--and there are even more smiles than that in here.

Before the days of TV, DVDs, and video games, there was the circus. When it came to town, businesses and schools would shut down. Folks would gather round, for there, right in front of their eyes, was drama, action, and intrigue. There was the grace ofthe bareback rider, the daring of the acrobat, the strangeness of the snake lady, and the delight of the dancing pigs. Vintage-style circus posters capture the weird and the wonderful while fascinating sidebars reveal historical truths behind America’s circuses. What was it like when the circus came to town? This book, illustrated in rich oils, gives us a ringside seat.

My motto in life is I am not beautiful like you, I am beautiful like me. If I have to think back to my school days, I always think of myself as the queen of the bitches! I was a snob deluxe and looked down on other people. But I always say, but God! While I never knew Him during my early years, He NEVER left me. This is my story, how I saw things through my brokenness. The purpose of this book is for people to see that our Father can use any ordinary person and that although your life feels normal, it is full of His Goodness and Grace. My story is how He prepared me for my purpose for which He created me. Each of us has a unique purpose so each of us has a unique story. As you read my life story look at your own life and see the Goodness and Love of our Father in it. You will also be able to see why He created you and how He is preparing you for your purpose. For this time, this place, these people. His Hand is in everything, before He created everything He had me in mind for my unique purpose, as well as for you - think about that! In my opinion, people can sometimes be so super-spiritual that they forget to live! I know because I was also there. Your life is the platform that the Lord uses to prepare you for your purpose, it is part of your destiny. Life is like a patchwork blanket. Some of the pieces are colorful, other paper-thin and torn, some dull and others beautiful with embroidery. Wonderfully made and beautiful. At first I just wanted to tell you the ugly, but as I've been thinking about my life lately, I've realized that it would be unfair to do so, so I decided to tell the good, the bad, and the ugly. And the funny! The Lord also gave us a sense of humor, and I Luv it !!! There are many good times. I think the Lord sometimes giggles when He thinks of my past ... Hope that you'll enjoy my journey, enjoy.