David C Tucker: 6 books

The Emmy–nominated star of the classic 1950s sitcom I Married Joan, Joan Davis (1912–1961) was also radio’s highest paid comedienne in the 1940s—and she displayed her unique brand of knockabout comedy in more than forty films. This book provides a complete account of her career, including...

On stage from her childhood, Martha Raye (1916–1994) proudly embraced the role of the clown, her gift for slapstick comedy enhanced by a fine singing voice. She became a star with her first feature film, Rhythm on the Range (1936), as the zany, loudmouthed girl looking for love—or chasing it as...

On December 31, 1939, nationwide radio audiences listened as 17-year-old Josephine Owaissa Cottle, a Texas schoolgirl, won Gateway to Hollywood’s new talent competition. Her prize was a movie contract at RKO and a memorable stage name—“Gale Storm.” One of the United States’ most beloved...

Most of the bright and talented actresses who made America laugh in the 1950s are off the air today, but their pioneering Hollywood careers irrevocably changed the face of television comedy. These smart and sassy women successfully negotiated the hazards of the male-dominated workplace with class...

Empire of Liberty takes a new look at the public life, thought, and ambiguous legacy of one of America's most revered statesmen, offering new insight into the meaning of Jefferson in the American experience. This work examines Jefferson's legacy for American foreign policy in the light of several...

Revised and updated, this long-awaited second edition provides a comprehensive introduction to what the most thoughtful Americans have said about the American experience from the colonial period to the present. The book examines the political thought of the most important American statesmen, activists,...