Johnny Came Lately: An Autobiography

This autobiography by Tonight Show executive producer de Cordova will appeal to a wide range of show business devotees. Johnny Carson fans are treated to a candid insider's perspective on the frantic, often comic process of putting the program together. Lovers of the 1910s and '20s will like the stories about de Cordova's con man father, always just one step ahead of the law with his schemes to bilk all and sundry, while aficionados of the New York stage and Hollywood's heyday will enjoy memories of the author's contacts with Hope, Merman, Bankhead, Gable, Crawford et al. TV history buffs will be especially interested in de Cordova's snappy account of his own experiences directing sitcom classics like My Three Sons. Despite the shameless name-dropping, the author's compact, breezy and amiable style keeps the reader attuned. Paperback rights to Pocket Books; Entertainment Book Club alternate; Nostalgia Book Club selection. (March)