Morning

by W.D. Wetherell

Book Overview

In this rich, compulsively readable saga about the brave early years of television, "morning" means several things. It is the name of the first-ever morning show, pioneered by a visionary who believed... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375420886
• ISBN13: 9780375420887
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: Pantheon Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Waking up is hard to do

"Morning," W.D. Wetherell's look back at the early days of TV, and a time that really _was_ morning in America, keeps turning corners; and it will keep you turning pages all the way to its redemptive ending. At times clinical, at times dreamy, at times surrealistic, it will put you present at the creation of a fictionalized version of the original "Today" show, called "Morning" here. We learn early on that the host, Alec McGowan was shot dead on the air by his friend and on-air sidekick, Chet, and the rest of the book delves into the hows and whys.The structure is clever is a Rosebuddy kind of way. In 2000 Chet's estranged son is writing a biography of the slain host, who was shot in 1954, and is at the same time caring for the terminally ill Chet, who's been released from his life imprisonment so that he can die in freedom, and the tale zigzags back and forth between two stories, set a half-century apart.McGowan is based in large part on the original "Today" show host, Dave Garroway (he too wore double breasted suits and bowties, he had a chimp as a cast member, and he signed off with a raised palm). Garroway's end was not a violent one, though (he died in retirement) and his show, like the fictional one created here, was probably the first that actually used the potential of the new TV medium. "Today," like the fictionalized "Morning," was something fresh and new--it wasn't vaudeville, and it wasn't radio drama with visuals. It couldn't have existed before TV. And Wetherell does a superb job of reimagining those days of the early 1950s--the people, most wearing hats, flocking to the window to watch the show as it was taking place live, waving banners and placards bearing the names of their home towns (those of a certain age are likely to slap their foreheads in astonishment, thinking about days long forgotten and then admitting, "yeah that's how it was").... some readers will like this book for the re-creations of the television of an earlier day, while others will enjoy the well-told tale. And then there are those who'll like both.Notes and asides: In 1950 tokens were not yet in use on the New York subway system--the fare was a dime. Automats also took coins, not tokens. The sun sets about 5:00 in Massachusetts in November, not 6:00. It isn't clear weather the Morning show lasts two hours or 90 minutes. We are thankfully spared the presence of an appendix containing discussion group questions.

Clever

Wetherell uses a very clever approach to the book. His main character is Alec Brown, the son of a second string host of a Morning talk show who kills the host, Alec McGowan. The host is based on Dave Garroway and the Today Show of the early 1950's. Wetherell has Brown researching a biography of McGowan and filling in blanks. The research approach really works. It allows the author to skip back and forth between decades that are set over a period of 80 years. It effectively turns a fairly simple story into an engaging mystery.Weathell is very descriptive writer and a master with words. His ending is a bit weak. I suspect an editor suggested that the book which is really about tragedy needed a cutsy ending to sell. It didn't. All in all, a fast and fun read.

Magnificent

Wetherell is a fantastic writer -- his polished prose and keen observation make this book wonderful. Slowly the plot gives up its mysteries, and you keep turning the pages, trying not to read too fast lest you miss some incredible riff. Two quibbles, which are minor: As far as I know, Dave Garroway was nothing like the McGowan character seen here, although he is bound to be taken for him. Garroway was older and not particularly handsome, and certainly better behaved. The other problem is the pervasive cynicism here -- pretty much every character, even minor passing characters, is a jerk, a drunk, a pervert, etc., and is unrepentant at that. There's some rough stuff going on here. Well, maybe that's how Wetherell sees things. Anyway, you'd do yourself a favor by buying this.

High Wire Act

I picked this book up on the strength of the author's notes. I was unacquainted with W. D.Wetherell's prior work. He deserves all the praise he can garner for this one. It is an original work of high literary value. The use of overarching metaphors that drive the narrative rather than the easier route of simple plotting; the sustained, unbroken drive, and the effort the author makes to dig deeply into the complexity of events and characters - to find believable, psychologically natural justifiction for the events and entanglements he describes are all the mark of a mature literary talent at the height of his descriptive and creative powers.I began the book with the realization that Mr. Wetherell had set himself up for a difficult task, and I fully expected that there would be the usual sag in the middle, or the overly tidy resolution at the end - a dip into self-reference, nostalgia, sentimentality or a series of overstated metaphors. But the author is relentless in his disciplined judgement and striving for the original and fresh view of his material.There were passages that I was tempted to skim, the dreamy sequences of stream-of-consciousness inner monologue, but the beauty of the language and the aptness of these sequences to the general plot made me go back and re-read them in detail, and I was inevitably rewarded with insight and understanding.Great work!