“Bruce Vilanch, a storyteller without peer, has written a tell-all . . . on himself! And it’s hilarious! He’s finally coming clean and owning up to his part in creating some of the worst television of the twentieth century, and that’s saying a lot. There’s no one like him. As they’ve been saying since I discovered him as a cub reporter at theChicago Tribune, when you’re in a pinch . . . Get Bruce!” —BETTE MIDLER
Bruce Vilanch is known as a go-to comedy writer for award shows, sitcoms, and over-the-top variety specials, but he has also been responsible for quite a few of the most legendary disasters ever made.
Some of his work lives in infamy—The Star Wars Holiday Special,The Paul Lynde Halloween Special, Rob Lowe dancing with Snow White at the Oscars, andThe Brady Bunch Variety Hour. How did these ever seem like a good idea?
Well, everyone has screwed up a few times, or had their work screwed up by others.It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time is a lifetime reflection of what Vilanch has experienced, learned, and forgotten in decades of working in show business, specifically the south forty acres known as comedy. It involves very famous people and people who were not very famous but should have been.
It explains to the people in the audience who say to themselves, once they have gotten their jaw off the floor, “’How did thisever get made?”
Don’t we all want to know?
“Bruce is the name, the man, the person, who steadied the Oscars for a hundred years. The go-to genius we all relied on.” —STEVE MARTIN“A well-written treat for fans of show-biz gossip.” —
Kirkus Reviews“In true Vilanch fashion, [It Seemed Like A Bad Idea at the Time] serves as a reminder that even the most oul~