Wicked Branson

by Edward L. Underwood, John Pinney (Contributor), Karen J. Underwood

Branson’s wholesome brand of entertainment made it the nation’s destination for family fun, but the vacation wonderland can’t claim a spotless past. Murder and mischief dogged the town’s efforts at respectability from the very beginning. The founder’s own brother, Galba Branson, was a prominent member of the notorious vigilante gang the Bald Knobbers. He died in a picnic shootout that originated in a church prank. Branson’s transformation into a showbiz mecca brought quarrel and scandal in its wake, from provoked orangutans to wire-tapped dressing rooms. Three comedians and authors—Ed and Karen Underwood and John Pinney—offer this backstage pass to the seamier side of Branson’s history.

147 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 20, 2017

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't care for this. I was expecting this to be offbeat stories about the early days of Branson. The book promises to be a "backstage pass to the seamier side of Branson's history", per its description, and the other couple books I've read in the "Wicked" series are all specific stories about people or events from 60 years ago plus. Maybe a third of the book lived up to this expectatoin. Some legends about the founding family of Branson, stories about one of the first tourist attractions in the area, Marvel Cave, and information about a vigilante group that could be found in the area after the Civil War can be lumped into this category, though even this seemed to be primarily legend rather than documented history. The rest of the chapters seemed to be dedicated to why it's hard to make money as a Branson entertainer, gossip about some of the entertainers from the 1990's (i.e., Tony Orlando and Wayne Newton had some sort of feud, some of the acts featuring animals supposedly mistreated them, etc.). There was a chapter that basically said prostitutes can currently be found in Branson. It should be obvious to anyone that's been to Branson that there are many acts which probably don't do so hot for various reasons. It's also fairly clear that Branson isn't immune to problems that all other cities and towns experience, including poverty, drugs, prostitution... Ultimately, reading about old semi-celebrity gossip and the hypocrisy and discrepancy between the way Branson is presented to tourists and its reality was fairly entertaining, at least to someone who's been to Branson way too many times. It just wasn't what I was expecting or wanting. To be fair, I don't know how much there is to write about in regards to actual "wicked" history seeing as that Branson is a small town and was even tinier prior to its big boom in the 1980s, but I imagine there's more to it's history than was featured in the book. One of the chapters mentioned there was a murder in one of the oldest buildings in town, but instead of discussing it further it says to go on a ghost tour to find out more. I much rather would have had more information there than a chapter on modern day prostitution. I did think that the book was fairly well written stylistically with few of the typos and editing mistakes that can sometimes be found in books on local history.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The term "wicked" in the title (and I do recognize it's part of a series) was a bit misleading. Really this is more of a look at the stories of Branson that aren't always talked about. In a place focused on family fun and entertainment, you don't always hear about the tough stuff. While there is some history, particularly about the baldknobbers, there's lots about Branson in its current form. I especially found the pieces about performers, both the realities of the finances and stories about individuals, most fascinating. This was a quick, enjoyable read and one that gave me stories and facts I can share with others on my next visit to Branson!

[Carla Hazen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh...

Not quite what expected but still glad I read it. Loved a lot of the early history but thought more recent history/stories were vague. Guess I would say the appetizer course was great but the main course..not so much. I'm sure there was a lot more they could say but understand they prob exercised caution.