Warm Up the Snake: A Hollywood Memoir | 
| Author: John Rich
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 608324
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 248
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1
ISBN: 0472115782
Dewey Decimal Number: 791.450232092
EAN: 9780472115785
ASIN: 0472115782
Publication Date: September 25, 2006
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Warm Up the Snake is the sprawling, backstage chronicle of John Rich’s legendary career as a television and film director. Written from an insider’s perspective, Warm Up the Snake is packed with unforgettable stories of the larger-than-life personalities, Hollywood deals, and groundbreaking productions that helped define two generations of television and film.
Rich offers a new angle on the entertainment industry—a fascinating tell-all into the world behind the cameras and microphones. As director and producer of dozens of radio, TV, and film hits, Rich enjoyed a career that spanned half a century and began virtually from the birth of television.
Much more than simply a star-studded hit parade, Warm Up the Snake also reveals some amazing, rarely seen observations on the art, business, and politics of filmmaking, directing, and producing. Not only was Rich an accomplished director, he was also an innovator who rightly garners credit for many of the tricks of the trade we now take for granted.
Warm Up the Snake is a must-have for film and TV buffs, Hollywood aficionados, or anyone interested in some of the greatest decades of American television and film.
John Rich directed and produced some of the most well-known and beloved shows in television history, including The Dick Van Dyke Show, All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Maude, Good Times, Barney Miller, Newhart, Benson, The Brady Bunch, Gilligan's Island, and many more. His feature film credits include Wives and Lovers; Boeing, Boeing; and Roustabout, starring Elvis Presley; as well as the live telecast of the opening day ceremonies of Disneyland in 1955. He won an Emmy for The Dick Van Dyke Show, two Emmys for All in the Family, and two Golden Globes for All in the Family.
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| Customer Reviews:
Wake Up the Snake June 22, 2007
I first heard about this book at an event that John Rich attended, and spoke about the book, in 2006. I'm glad I bought this book - it is superb. I've admired Rich for many years, as the crown jewel of comedy directors. He worked in the biz for fifty years, and did and saw everything in this crazy town. He had a reputation for being one of the most forceful of directors, who demanded nothing but the best from his actors - and "Snake" is a wonderfully frank text. He directed the early years of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "All in the Family", which contained some of the greatest moments in comedy. But this book is far more than just a relay of anecdotes about those shows - it is a bonafide biography that covers Rich's entire career and relations with other showbiz actors and producers...and one helluva career it was. This book was especially welcoming for me because these times are adorned by schlocky producers and directors, who are less concerned about quality and more concerned about making money for themselves and the studio. Rich wasn't about that...and the world of television is all the better because of it. Five stars.
Warm up the snake March 22, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I found this book to be a mini history of the television industry peppered with personal stories from Mr.Rich.The behind behind the scenes antidotes alone make this must reading for anyone interested in "the business." I wish that I coud have read a book like this prior to my working in the TV industry,it would have saved me a lot of time and given me a leg up on the competition.Perhaps the most important thing that John Rich said was at the beginning of the book referring to a recent job interview with some young TV executives-"people Don't hire legends"-"they threaten the rookies." In a nutshell that's why TV is in such a bad state of affairs today.People don't hire legends but they should.Jim Cox
From the Director's Point of View January 14, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
'Warm Up the Snake' is a Hollywood thing. But I'm not going to go into its meaning, for that you need to read Chapter 13.
This is a story of working in Hollywood during the Golden Age of Television. As you would expect, it is full of the most interesting little tidbits about what happened during the filming of numerous of the favorite television shows of the time.
'The Dick van Dyke' show was his. And 'All in the Family.' He had a long stream of solid hits. And with them an association with a lot of the biggest names in the business. This was a time when television was experimenting. Black actors were beginning to appear in shows and no one knew what to expect. The sponsors who paid the bills were leary and occassionally refused to sponsor shows. No one knew how the shows would play in the Southern states.
This is not a weighty tome on the television industry, but it's a very interesting read on how things are done from the directors point of view.
A great insider look from an outsider perspective. January 13, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
John Rich set Hollywood on its ear with his refusal to accept the status quo. If you want an unpretentious view of the Hollywood system, this is the book for you. Mr. Rich's ability to find the humor in any situation, and his ability to laugh at himself, pulls you into the story from the very first page. His career was spent defining the purpose and power of television with such ground breaking shows as "All in the Family" and "Maude" and made us laugh with "The Dick Van Dyke Show", "Barney Miller" and "Newhart". It would be hard to imagine television without John Rich's contribution to the medium. As someone who works in the entertainment business, this book holds a special place on my bookshelf and I consider it a must read. I can't recommend this book highly enough.
Required Reading for Any Fan of Tv! January 11, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
John Rich's story is not to be missed by any fan, student, or, for that matter, teacher of film and tv. This is one of the great generals writing about war - the biggest battles, the most intricate strategies, accounts of gruesome casualties, and, of course, hilarious battlefield mishaps and blunders. It's an easy read, as Rich, with a style that is funny, bombastic, and at times reverential to the business he truly loves, "talks" to us as though we're having a drink at the Polo Lounge, or, more accurately, in his den, in front of a roaring fire. This book has a special place on my shelf!
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