Nostalgia: Stars of Yesteryear by Jack Hawn
There’s little doubt that 94-year-old journalist and author Jack Hawn has a sentimental longing and wistful affection for the past, typically for periods and places with happy personal associations.
It’s called nostalgia. And in a distinguished career in which there was plenty (his editor at the Los Angeles Times dubbed him the Nostalgia Editor), Hawn has pieced together many memories of times gone by, and it is the essence of his third book, Nostalgia: Stars of Yesteryear.
“My filing cabinet is filled with features about superstars of yesteryear published long before this era of tattoos, weird hairdos and the universal acceptance of the adjectives ‘cool’ and ‘awesome,’” says Hawn. Many of the tales come from his experience as a sports copy editor and later an entertainment section editor at the Times.
Documents a Successful Journalism Career
Fittingly, the more than 50 individual feature articles cover sports stars and entertainment industry giants of his days, spanning decades, often in the twilight of their careers: Muhammad Ali, Leon Spinks, Joe Namath, Les Brown, Sammy Davis Jr., the Andrews Sisters, The McGuire Sisters, Minnie Pearl, Helen Reddy, Rosemarie Clooney, Peggy Lee, Rudy Vallee and many more.
The stories offer new insights and take unique angles that might go beyond their subjects’ professional personas. For example, the article on the legendary Andrews Sisters focuses on Phyllis’s love affair with Mafia boss Sam Giancana. Phyllis, as it turns out, refused to believe that Giancana’s orders often resulted in bodies floating horizontally somewhere. “I just knew that I liked the man,” she would say.
Or Hawn’s story on Joe Namath did not dwell on his exploits on the gridiron but rather his fleeting acting career. It seems opportunistic producers tried to capitalize on his name rather than his abilities – with predictable results.
Hawn tracks the later stages of Perry Como’s successful singing career, using nostalgia to keep himself relevant. But Como is no longer in the limelight. Como borrows a phrase from George Burns: “When I get up in the morning, I look in the paper and if my name isn’t in the obituary column, I shave.”
Brings Readers to a Not-Yet-Forgotten Past
Readers will find Hawn to be an engaging storyteller, sharing his recollections of fading stars in a way that brings back bittersweet memories of yesteryear.
He even tells a story of his own experience pitching a Twilight Zone-like TV show which, ironically, is rejected due to the legacy and success of The Twilight Zone itself.
That was it for Hawn, but thankfully he has put together this delightful anthology of celebrities, sure to satisfy any reader’s desire to reconnect and reminisce about the past.
About Jack Hawn:
Born in 1930 in Kearney, NE, Jack Hawn grew up in Southern California. At the University of California at Santa Barbara, a pre-law major, Jack’s curriculum included bowling with young girls, junior varsity football on a team of misfits, and an English class that focused on Hamlet. When Jack’s girlfriend was whisked off by Joe College in a shiny new convertible, he walked into an army recruiting office…and signed up for three years.
In civilian life, he worked as a copyboy at a Hollywood newspaper, was paid $5 to review plays and nightclub acts, and a year later filled a sports desk vacancy. Hired by the Los Angeles Times in 1970 as a sports copy editor, Jack became a boxing columnist and later transferred to the entertainment section. He also earned extra income as a television dramatist and wrote TV and radio scripts for sportscasters. Visit https://authorjackhawn.com.
