This week, Ira spoke with Tom Santopietro.
Tom Santopietro is author of “Considering Doris Day (Doris Day will celebrate her 96th birthday April 3).”
In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Santopietro talks about Doris Day’s unique status as one of the top entertainers of the 20th century, her extraordinary success in movies, radio, recordings and television; the lack of recognition due her by Baby Boomers based on a few motion pictures that cemented an image; Paul McCartney’s acknowledgement of her as a great singer; and why she agreed to play Las Vegas, but could not come to terms with the casino.
He also is the author of five other books: “Barbara Cook: Then and Now,” the best-selling “The Sound of Music Story,” “The Godfather Effect: Changing Hollywood, America, and Me,” “Sinatra in Hollywood,” and “The Importance of Being Barbra.”
A frequent media commentator in programs ranging from the PBS documentary “The Italian Americans” to the Jimmy van Heusen biography “Swingin’ With Frank & Bing,” Santoprieto conducts monthly interviews for Barnes and Noble and lectures on classic films. Over the past thirty years he has managed more than two dozen Broadway shows.
Prior to becoming an author, Santopietro worked as a tennis pro and has spent twenty-five years as a manager of more than 30 Broadway shows, including Phantom of the Opera, A Few Good Men, Jersey Boys, and Master Class.
