The Gentleman Press Agent: Fifty Years in the Theatrical Trenches with Merle Debuskey

by Robert Simonson

(Applause Books). From his unlikely start as a Jewish All-American and "three-letter man" in segregated Baltimore, Merle Debuskey was for fifty years beginning just after World War II and ending in the mid-'90s New York theater's top publicist, handling more Broadway shows than any press agent in Broadway history. He was Joe Papp's right-hand man for thirty years, and was the first mouthpiece for legendary nonprofits Circle in the Square and Lincoln Center Theater. He was the unseen player who, with Papp, fought Robert Moses, ensuring that Shakespeare in the Park remained free; made sure How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying kept its title; saved Zero Mostel's life; housed redbaiters target John Henry Faulk, befriending the blacklisted; manhandled George C. Scott and Mort Saul; and romanced Kim Stanley, all the while puffing on his pipe, banging away at his old manual typewriter, and never seeming to break a sweat. He was Broadway's last gentleman press agent.

Genres: Theatre

292 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 15, 2010

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked hearing all the theatre stories, but I wasn't too intrigued about Merle's background, interesting though it was. I just didn't get as caught up in the book as I would have liked. I really wanted to feel like I was "in the trenches" as the subtitle suggests (or at least at Angus McIndoe hearing the stories firsthand) but I felt a little removed. But still worth reading about an important man of the theatre and a great guy!

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I loved reading about Merle Debuskey and the large swath of theatre history with which he intersected, the structure of this book felt like a hot mess. The storytelling is great, it's just the order of the stories that kept throwing me off my game as a reader.