Bob Kaufman (1925–1986)

I can't believe I read the whole thing. I don't believe Steve Allen read it all, despite his introduction. The quiz show scandal so emphasized by Allen the art and the blurbs all over the cover had little to do with the story. In fact, Rob, the main character comedy writer, actually calls the scandal that eventually brings the thing to an end a deus ex machina. Allen says it took him an hour and forty-five minutes to read and it was not for children. I guess that means he read about the first 50 pages covering a hooker encounter and a showgirl orgy.

While the period setting and subject of a 50s game show host trying to get his own show as a song and dance man is funny (that someone could aspire in the late 50s to being a $14 million superstar soft shoe dancer singing tin pan alley songs every week on TV stretches contemporary suspension of disbelief), the book is annoying.

When Rob goes to the host's shrink for his first freebie session, it was the old "I'm not gonna tell you anything"-"Won't you sit---" "It all started when I was five years old..." gag. Then it's like 10 pages of tiresome, supposedly amusing stream of consciousness description of his "real" issues. I suppose the Isolation Booth in the title must have been a clever metaphor of Rob's issues with women and his father/brother complex because the game show variety was hardly central to the story.

While it was amusing to read this imagining myself settling in for a mid-20th century night of adult entertainment, it was a mess of storytelling, even by standards of the day for "shocking" material. Eventually I guess the comedy writer winds up learning something about himself by the end of the story and that's great. I learned not to trust a Steve Allen book introduction.… (més)