The Bookerman Book Review of “Tim and Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White” by Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen with Ron Rapoport (part 2 of 2)

(Note: This book review is part two of two installments. I told you I would have this up by the weekend. With MacBook Pro, Anything is Possible:-)

(Special Update: Many thanks to my friend Nelson Davis for editing this re-published 2nd installment: not only are you a great editor Nelson, but you wear groovy hats as well :-)

     Sadly, Reid and Dreesen were wrong, eventually becoming disillusioned by the reluctance of booking agents, club owners and media outlets to hire them; their frustrations, economically and personally, began to mount.  It was as if a prophecy, made by the eminent Marvin Junior of the singing group The Mighty, Mighty Dells, had eventually come true.

     “It’s a game they play called Divide and Conquer,” Marvin Jr. told them.  The Dells had supported and befriended Reid and Dreesen in the early 70’s, when Tim and Tom were The Dells’ opening act at the 20 Grand Club in Detroit.

    “They going to come up to Tim and say, ‘You don’t need that white boy in your act.  You’re funny without him.’  And they’re going to tell Tom, ‘What are you working with that nigger for?  He holding you back.’  I’m telling you it’s going to happen.  Be ready for it,” Marvin Jr., in his wisdom, warned them.

     True enough, the cumulative effects of financial hardships, broken marriages and the reluctance of an American entertainment industry to understand and assimilate the value of their act, caused Reid and Dreesen to part ways. Ironically, it also made them become better artists; working individually, they were forced to identify their hindrances to progress, set clearer goals and determine their value as artists. 

     Rapoport’s fast-paced style as a sports journalist allows the reader to visualize Reid and Dreesen’s career arcs as a process of self-development.  He seamlessly weaves Reid and Dreesen’s stories into multiple levels and layers of narrative.

     The first layer should be required reading by would-be artists as a textbook on “How to Survive In Show Business Without Losing Your Mind.”  Reid and Dreesen cultivated mental toughness and thick skin to afford the price of success in Hollywood, enduring the everyday banality of ruthlessness to create and sustain their careers.

     On this level we experience what it means to be “less-than-a-dollar-a-day” homeless in Hollywood with Dreesen and wallow in the anguish Reid experiences in L.A.'s casting offices for “not-being-black-enough.”

     Yet, we also see the value of being prepared, as Dreesen and Reid make the most of each and every miniscule opportunity: Dreesen stepping in at the last minute to replace Bill Cosby on Sammy Davis Jr.’s television program; Reid regaining his self-confidence by honing his skills as a standup comic in topless bars, while maintaining a vow of celibacy.

     The book’s second narrative layer should be studied by interculturalists as original source documentation describing the fundamental value of leveraging diversity to eradicate racism, developing cultural humility and profiting from identity development.

     As a culture worker, Reid demonstrates how frankness often trumps cross-cultural misunderstanding when describing the behind-the-scenes impact his introduction of a Carl Carlton song, “Bad Mamma Jamma,” forced him to translate word pictures-as-foreign language to network executives of the WKRP television series who, in their ignorance, interpreted the song title as obscene.  Dreesen similarly demonstrates how to overcome status anxiety by utilizing poverty culture insight as he describes in detail the level of intimacy he cultivated with his mentors, Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra.  In spite of their status differences, they practiced deep honesty and respect for one another, onstage and off. 

     If all art is political, Reid and Dreesen’s examples reveal that all artists pay a heavy price to produce products in sociopolitical climates when political will is scant, but that investments in relationships, while remaining flexible, can empower artists during difficult economic and political times.  This is significant in a third narrative layer, for we are reminded how much America’s entertainment industry resembles gangster boogie: after all these years, we finally learn the true reason Reid’s Emmy Award-winning, critically acclaimed CBS television series, “Frank’s Place,” was cancelled (from the voice of the late CBS news anchor/godfather Walter Cronkite no less).  Yet we find it is because of such setbacks, Reid’s career blossomed as an actor, director, producer and owner of his own independent film studio, winning him recognition and respect in the global film industry.  Similarly, Dreesen speaks from the heart of a lion, breaking down the history of the casino industry and its impact on the entertainment industry: as the national market expanded to absorb places like Atlantic City, most stand-up comics lost business. Dreesen, in a Cholly Atkins-like power move, modified and expanded his repertoire to fit new audiences as a motivational speaker, toastmaster and entertainer for lucrative corporate events, working at least 20 nights a month to this day.

     The red thread Rapoport uses to hold all these narrative layers together is side-splitting humor— the incident when Tim and Tom decide to hire a songwriter to write them a theme song is worth the price of the book alone.  Moreover, their entire story reads like a “who’s who” of the past four decades of American show business, considering the diversity of cultural icons with whom they have collaborated: Carl Reiner, Johnny Carson, Don Cornelius, Merv Griffin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Stevie Wonder, The Mighty Dells, Hugh Hefner, Della Reese, George Clinton, Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, Dianne Carrroll, Dionne Warwick, Smokey Robinson, David Letterman, Richard Pryor, Jay Leno and countless others.

     One can easily imagine that if Will Smith and Robert Downey Jr. teamed up to make a feature film based on Tim and Tom’s true story, they would break the box office open.  In the meantime, we are fortunate to have this book to savor.  It is a must-read for anyone who wishes to understand the intricacies of entertainment culture and significantly, how genuine pioneering work tastes, sounds, looks and feels.

Links

The Official Book Site

Tim Reid's Official Site

Tom Dreesen's Official Site

Comments

[Kev the Bookerman]

Dear Mr. Rapoport,
I thank you for your kind words of encouragement and support. As for who I am, I'm just a regular guy who appreciates great writers like you who tell the truth without flinching. I'll be telling my version of "who I am" on this little blog, without flinching; please do check up on me, once in awhile, when you have time.

your unflinching friend,
Kevin M. Booker (aka Kev The Bookerman)

[Ron Rapoport]

This is Ron Rapoport writing to say that Tim Reid, Tom Dreesen and I all agree this is the most thoughtful and elegantly written review of the many our book has received. Thank you for your appreciation, and close reading, of the book. Now will you please tell us who you are?