The Laugh Makers

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What to expect

"In The Laugh Makers, Bob Mills takes us on a delightful, side-splitting journey back to the slapstick sketch comedy of television's golden age—a long-ago era of variety, song-and-dance, brilliant patter, and a seemingly endless parade of laughs—sprung from the genius of 'gag men,' that talented group of wit-blessed wordsmiths to whom the book pays well-deserved homage. The Laugh Makers is a priceless collection of heretofore unpublished recollections revealing untold secrets and goings-on behind the scenes on The Bob Hope Show from Stockholm to Bora Bora, London to Peking. It's jam-packed with stories [and] anecdotes, his guest stars, and his writers—all from a fondly remembered past that will have you chuckling from start to finish. Bob Mills is well qualified to salute the famous corps of gag men who kept the comedian knee-deep in jokes. These firsthand recollections summon up the final phase of Hope's career―and the end of the trail for an entire brand of show business."—Gary Owens, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

Critics Review

“At long last, a book that pays homage to
television’s unsung heroes—those wit wizards who face a blank page every day
and somehow manage to create something John Barrymore claimed was more
difficult than dying: laughter. In his book, Bob Mills not only keeps the
reader laughing, but—like a comedic Houdini revealing his secrets—shows us how it’s
done. The Laugh Makers is a must-read
for anyone even thinking about a career in comedy.”

Shelley Berman, actor, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Boston Legal

“In the ’70s and ’80s, Hollywood Squares often taped next to The Bob Hope Show studio. Judging from the laughter we often heard
in the hallway, I always suspected Hope’s writers were having a great time over
there and now I know why. The Laugh
Makers is a fascinating, heartwarming, and revealing book on the day-to-day
life of comedy writers working for a legend. It also revives long-ago memories
of an era that was so much fun and that I’m sure we’ll never see again.”

Peter Marshall, former host of Hollywood Squares

“The author and I have lots in common—we’re both
San Franciscans, our comedy careers were launched by a KSFO disc jockey named
Don Sherwood, and we’re fellow college alumns. Now that I’ve laughed my way
through his backstage stories and priceless recollections of a long and
exciting tenure on the road with Bob Hope, I can finally say definitively and
without fear of contradiction that Bob Mills is the second-funniest graduate of
SF State.”

Ronnie Schell, actor, Good Morning, World and Gomer Pyle, USMC

“In The
Laugh Makers, Bob Mills takes us on an exciting backstage journey from
London to Stockholm, Bora Bora to Beijing, covering thousands of miles and
nearly as many laughs. Today, Mills has more mileage on him than Bob Hope’s
luggage. His book is a real gem that’s got sex, violence, intrigue—and the
second page is good, too. Actually, that’s a joke Mills wrote for Hope, but I
couldn’t resist. I have to confess, I read the book in one sitting—stuck in
traffic on the 405.”

Pat Harrington, actor, The Steve Allen Show and One Day at a Time

“It’s hard to praise the work of a longtime friend
without sounding like you’re angling for a free lunch. But Mills has really created
something unique here—an accurate, compellingly readable, hilarious, and
heartwarming inside view of one of America’s most popular variety shows, its
legendary host, and its guest stars. And I say that not because I got a free advance
copy. Actually, it wasn’t from the author—a hotel where I was staying ran out
of Gideon Bibles.”

Chuck McCann, actor, The Projectionist and Boston Legal

“When I was first introduced to the author, I
said, ‘How do you do?’ and he replied, ‘I make a nice living.’ Though an
incurable smart ass, Bob Mills is one of the warmest, most talented members of
our comedy fraternity—attributes clearly evident on every page of his landmark
homage to Bob Hope and his gag writers. So buy his book … please. He’s gotten
used to that nice living.”

Jack Reilly, Mr. Carlin on The Bob Newhart Show, Stu Pickles on The Rugrats

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