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March 25, 2015

LAST STAGE MANAGER STANDING by Daniel B. Morgan




5 STARS


LAST STAGE MANAGER STANDING
by
Daniel B. Morgan
Introduction
by
Connie Chung


INTRO (from Amazon)
Television is one of the most significant and notable inventions of the Twentieth century. Over the years, people have seen an overabundance of glitz and glamour on television. Homo sapiens used to turn on televisions in their living rooms to enjoy their TV dinners while watching the early movie, now we are pulverized by news and fluff. But what is really going on behind the camera? Stage manager Daniel Morgan gives you his insight into how the production crew works together to run and direct a show. From the shadows of the set, he shares newsroom shenanigans, attempts to explain the producer's indecisions, and offers up tasty vignettes of the talent's foibles. Finally, Morgan reveals the true nature of broadcast television and how it works (sometimes). Last Stage Manager Standing exposes the trade secrets and the politics behind the television industry. Working with some of my colleagues that ran the show was like a typical day in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc. (September 22, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1634170717
  • ISBN-13: 978-1634170710
AUTHOR
Daniel B. Morgan is a veteran TV Stage Manager, whose 50 years of experience working on a wide range of shows (ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS) has given him a unique take on what goes on behind the scenes, the story behind the story,  His eclectic array of clever anecdotes, irreverent character portraits(real names included!) and poignant tales of what it was like working on some of the most iconic shows of the past several decades is a fun and diverse chronicle of the history of television.  He had the opportunity to work with some of the same people that he and his Grandma grew up watching on TV.


REVIEW
Daniel Morgan had a long and illustrious television career and in this book he has done a wonderful job of putting details to his career. He puts names right out there.  He doesn't hide anything with his first person account of behind the scenes at CBS,ABC and others.
The reader will find out why Lumpy Brannum (aka. Mr. Green Jeans)  made the decision to pee on Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo)'s leg.  This was during the final taping of the last show.
There were more behind the scenes stories such as why an actress on a soap opera made an entrance, stopped and hugged a tree.
The  behind the scenes story of the attack on Peter Jennings by three robotic cameras during a Nightly News commercial break. A CBS remote truck turned instantly into a convertible with just one wrong turn.
There was the time during a station identification break that announcer Warren Seibold came back and the logo was on the screen backwards.
There was a shot in Greece for a week for "As The World Turns" that they used film instead of videotape so there was no audio.

Pick up a copy and have a fun and wild ride through the behind the scenes of network television.


 
I was given a complimentary copy of LAST STAGE MANAGER STANDING from the author, Daniel B. Morgan and Bostick Communications for my view of the book.

I would give this book 5 STARS.



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