David Susskind: A Televised Life

Battaglio, TV Guide business editor, expands on an article he wrote about Susskind for the Arts and Leisure section of the New York Times in 2001 and delivers the first biography of the producer and talk-show host (1920–1987). In the post-WWII years, after work as a publicist and agent, Susskind launched his Talent Associates firm, quickly establishing a reputation as a prolific producer of live television with such leading series as The Philco Television Playhouse, Armstrong Circle Theater, and Dupont Show of the Month. He moved on to produce films (All the Way Home), Broadway shows (Rashomon), and Emmy-winning TV dramas (Death of a Salesman). As a groundbreaking talk-show host, Susskind reigned for 28 years, offering serious debates and discussions of culture, politics, racism, and other issues, yet his efforts to upgrade the "vast wasteland" of TV often brought him into conflicts and confrontations with the networks. Recounting such battles, while also looking at Susskind's family life, Battaglio has packed the pages with revelatory show business anecdotes, a result of interviewing more than 150 friends, family, and business associates. Battaglio views Susskind as a "fiery life force," and he has succeeded in capturing that spirit throughout this detailed, authoritative biography, written with an emotional edge. (Oct. 12)