William F. Buckley, Jr. in Popular Culture
From the cover of Time Magazine to the Tonight Show to Aladdin, William F. Buckley, Jr. was a fixture of American popular culture for decades. American Impresario will be published on Feb. 25, 2025!
Dear Friends and Readers,
The countdown continues with just fifteen days to go until the publication of the memoir of my friendship with William F. Buckley, Jr.: American Impresario: William F. Buckley, Jr. and the Elements of American Character. It is available for purchase from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers where fine books are sold. More info, here.
Thank you to those of you who have pre-ordered a copy and to those still considering it. If you have already purchased your copy, please feel free to forward this and other newsletters to friends and acquaintances whom you think might find this interesting.
Since the publication date is fast approaching (February 25), you’ll be seeing more newsletters but I promise they will be pithy and packed with some interesting anecdotes about Bill Buckley.
In past newsletters, here, I’ve focused on some elements of Bill, the Renaissance man: mentor, man of letters, promoter of the arts & humanities, sailor, and even concert harpsichordist playing J.S. Bach. This time I take a look at Bill in popular culture and his uncanny ability to use mass media to entertain and what mass media saw in him. He understood the power of television as a medium and in some ways was a living and breathing caricature of himself. Bill was the celebrity intellectual and made being an intellectual cool. He was one of the greatest debaters of the second half of the 20th century but he was also one of the greatest entertainers. This made him an incredible impresario and a quintessentially American impresario.
The images below my signature are linked to relevant YouTube clips I thought you would enjoy. It’s hard to believe the extent to which Bill permeated the media landscape during the course of his many decades as a public figure. In addition to marking the 100th anniversary of his birth, 2025 marks the 60th anniversary of Buckley’s run for mayor of New York which propelled him to media stardom. He famously answered someone who asked him what he would do if he won the election by saying, “Demand a recount!” After his longshot run for mayor in 1965, he launched Firing Line in 1966 which remained on the air until 1999 after 1,504 episodes. In 1967 he appeared on the cover of Time. That was just the tip of the iceberg to come.
Below my signature, I’ve selected some clips I thought you would enjoy and also encourage you to visit the Hoover Institution’s YouTube page, here, where you’ll find a selection of Firing Line episodes, including this one with Groucho Marx.
American Impresario: William F. Buckley, Jr. and the Elements of American Character will be published on February 25, 2025. You can order it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers where fine books are sold. More info, here.
Thanks for reading and your continued interest.
All best wishes,
Larry Perelman
