Twenty years in the making, Zemhe and Thomas's book examines "one of the most inscrutable figures in entertainment history: a man who brought so much joy and laughter to so many millions but was himself exceedingly shy and private. Zehme traces Carson's rise from a magic-obsessed Nebraska boy to a Navy ensign in World War II to a burgeoning radio and TV personality to, eventually, host of The Tonight Show--which he transformed, along with the entirety of American popular culture, over the next three decades--
An immensely informative and insightful account of the personal and professional life of this heretofore inscrutable entertainment icon ... Full of compelling vignettes.
Short but florid, Carson the Magnificent is a memorial of the monoculture; a steady parade of mostly men chatting companionably to one another on a padded sectional ... Carson’s work was to keep the show going, not to dwell on unpleasant topics (including politics), and Zehme follows suit ... The book’s title, and its light glide over his womanizing and sometimes violent alcoholism, suggest that in real life, too, he was a master of disguise and escape.
Its prologue, written by Thomas, is moving and crucially important ... The backstory doesn’t upstage the biography; it deepens it, imbuing what might have been a conventionally snappy celebrity showbiz tale with a bittersweet sense of loss and accomplishment ... Until Zehme could discover a eureka insight to Carson’s encased personality, he was compelled to construct his biography from the outside, zealously collecting as many clips, scraps of personal memorabilia and insights ... Delivers the man in full while keeping the mystery of what made him tick alive.
