The Ben Hecht Show: Impolitic Observations from the Freest Thinker of 1950s Television

by Ben Hecht

On February 15, 1958, writer Ben Hecht (1893-1964), a flamboyant and caustic social critic, appeared on The Mike Wallace Interview . Wallace and his producer, Ted Yates, agreed that Hecht's personality was provocative enough to be the basis of a television show. The Ben Hecht Show was born. For 22 weeks, Ben Hecht held forth on a variety of subjects, enraging some, engaging many. Here is a sample of Hecht's stories and essays from his short-lived television show. Entertaining, defiant, realistic, and iconoclastic, these are the impolitic thoughts of a man who tried to awaken the public from the "optical opiate" of 1950s television.

232 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1993

About the author

Ben Hecht, an American, wrote short stories, novels, such as Erik Dorn in 1921, dramas, including The Front Page in 1928 with Charles MacArthur, and screenplays, such as Gunga Din in 1938.

Ben Hecht, a journalist, directed and produced movies. A journalist in his youth, he went to 35 books and entertained most people. He received credits alone or in collaboration for seventy films.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Hecht