Ben Alba (Chicago, IL) is an author, a trial lawyer, a law professor, a musician, and a classic television buff. He teaches legal writing and codirects the bar passage program at DePaul University College of Law. Previously, he was a litigation attorney for the Chicago law firm of William J. Sneckenberg & Associates (now Sneckenberg, Thompson & Brody).
Description
""[W]e now have the definitive fan history of the Steve Allen Tonight Show - written for fans and also for those who never knew Allen directly...fans of TV, scholars and those just plain interested in early television should be grateful for this volume....There is much to learn from Alba's book." - Television Quarterly "Finally, proof positive that Allen created the late-night format and many of the routines and characters aped by Carson, Letterman, et al...A-" - Entertainment Weekly "[A] detailed, often amusing, and entertaining nostalgia trip for those old enough to remember and an insightful view of the early history of television for those too young to have been there....Recommended." - Choice "Those old enough to remember the early days of television will enjoy Inventing Late Night: Steve Allen and the Original Tonight Show by Ben Alba with a foreword by Jay Leno ($26.00, Prometheus Books). This book will particularly please readers who are interested in the behind the scenes story of both the genius of Allen and the way the show originated and evolved. Created in 1954, The Tonight Show is the longest-running and most successful late night program and it was Allen who invented the formula with which we are all now familiar...makes for great reading." - Bookviews.com "Steve Allen had a tremendous influence on me. He was the inspiration for everything we do here." - Jay Leno "Steve Allen was an enormous influence on television. His early work is really the foundation for what late night shows have become." - David Letterman "Everybody who ever has done a talk show should pay a royalty to Steve Allen." - Bill Maher