And the Show Goes On

by Sheldon Leonard, Andy Griffith (Foreword)

From Actor-director-producer Leonard has a real gift for storytelling that he displays to the fullest in a breezy, readable memoir of his life in show business. Starting out as an actor in 1930s New York in such forgotten hit plays as Hotel Alimony, Fly Away Home , and Kiss the Boys Goodbye , Leonard had the foresight and financial need to leap first to radio and movies, then to television, in which he created or produced such rerun perennials as Make Room for Daddy, The Andy Griffith Show , and the controversial (for its time) I Spy . Along the way, Leonard met lots and lots of fascinating people--John Garfield, Jack Benny, Danny Thomas, Carl Reiner, and Bill Cosby, to mention a few of the dozens about whom Leonard has a funny story or three to tell. Some of these stories are well known, such as those of the closeness of the writers, actors, and staff of The Dick Van Dyke Show ; others are not, such as those of Leonard's various, sometimes dangerous, adventures around the world while filming I Spy . –Jack Helbig

Genres: Theatre, Memoir, Nonfiction

254 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2004

Reviews

[Richard Tolleson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sheldon Leonard was the voice of my first favorite cartoon character, Linus the Lionhearted. Interestingly enough, it wasn't important enough for Mr. Leonard to mention anywhere in his book. However, I won't hold that against him. He was busy producing and executive producing such TV classics as Make Room for Daddy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, I Spy, and many more. In fact, it's likely that he only took the Linus gig as a favor to General Foods/Post, who sponsored Andy Griffith. I found this autobiography fascinating. Although Leonard has been gone for 10 years (he died only three years after writing this book), the stories are fascinating. His career went from Broadway to film to TV, and each jump necessitated that Mr. Leonard reinvent himself, to a certain degree. One note: in the closing chapters, there's a lot of mention of Bill Cosby, who starred in I Spy. Leonard is very profuse in his praise of Cosby. Leonard would likely not include those chapters were he alive today, but he took a certain amount of pride in making Cosby a star. In light of what we know now, those passages (especially those describing the interaction between Cosby and his wife, are somewhat jarring.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant look back by an accomplished man. He doesn't talk a lot about his specific acting roles on Broadway or in films, but then, there were so many! Along the way, he got to know a lot of intriguing people...of whom he has anecdotes, but not too much gossip (he's mostly kind, but also pretty straightforward). It's interesting that, in his long career, he experienced the changing theater, film, radio, and television professions from the inside. He clearly enjoyed directing and producing more than acting because of the greater control and creativity they afforded. His later reminiscences lean heavily on the location shooting (of which apparently he was a pioneer) for I Spy; but that's understandable because it was more recent to his writing and involved enormous problem-solving and memorable travel experiences.

[MH · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slim show biz memoir from a man who performed on Broadway in the 30s, Hollywood in the 40s, and is responsible for more than a few television classics. Leonard's voice comes through clearly, but it never gets at all personal - he gives his childhood a few pages and his marriage and children only a few sentences. Some of his choices are surprising (appearing in It's a Wonderful Life gets one paragraph - shooting I Spy on location gets about a third of the book), but it's a quick, largely enjoyable read full of mostly amusing anecdotes, an insider's view of the film and theater industries of the past, and a few grievances against demanding actors, ignorant executives, and how the business has changed.

[Jim Hendrickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an ok memoir but was a little to heavy on his broadway days and “I Spy”. Not really boring but more a gentle look at a 5 star career.

[Tina]

I would have liked to read more about The Dick Van Dyke Show (it was why I bought and read the book) and less about I Spy, but overall a good memoir.

[Samantha Glasser]

I've always thought Sheldon Leonard was a nice looking man. I've seen him play gangsters in many black and white movies, so though he seems to be better known as a producer, I was most interested for the stories of his early life and career in Hollywood. This book is written at a fast clip, so he doesn't go in depth about anything, but he does convey entertaining stories along the way.

“If the actor couldn’t sense when a laugh was coming, he was liable to step in to it, smothering his dialogue in the laugh. When that happened a few times, the audience was likely to stop laughing for fear they might miss what was being said.”

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uhhhhhh....Harry the Horse's autobiography?! How could I NOT read this??? Also, who knew: the man who put Bill Cosby on TV!

***

Interesting....not too detailed, but the first I've read that goes into detail on TV and radio, rather than movies. No mention of Harry the Horse, boo!

[Kathryn]

for mom