Jayne Meadows and Ben Alba discuss Alba’s book, “Inventing Late Night: Steve Allen and the Original Tonight Show.” Meadows begins by stating that her late husband, Steve Allen, was the easiest thing to work with. Alba says he met Allen in 1997 after he got the opportunity to write liner notes for Andy Williams. Meadows and Alba talk about Allen’s mother, a vaudeville performer, and the comedians Allen worked with. Meadows recalls how she and Allen met, and Alba describes pictures in the book. Meadows shares that Allen didn’t like Joe McCarthy’s tactics even though he was an avowed anti-Communist. Alba and Meadows go on to discuss Jack Parr, Allen’s work on the “Tonight Show” and prime time, and Allen’s feelings about alcohol.
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
