Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Rowan & Martin and the FBI...and the CIA...and the Mob...

The death a couple of days ago of Dick Martin - of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In fame - reminds me to tell you that copies of the FBI's disapproving file on the comedic pair can be found within the pages of my Celebrity Secrets book.

As I note within its pages:

"Laugh-In, the comedy series that debuted on NBC on January 22, 1968, and that ran until March 12, 1973, turned its hosts, Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, into stars across the length and breadth of the entire United States.

"Although both Rowan and Martin had wide experience as comedy writers, the appeal of Laugh-In stemmed largely from the cast’s ability to improvise rather than to read from pre-planned scripts. And it was this fresh, new approach, coupled with vibrant and entertaining characters, unique skits, and memorable catchphrases that attracted a young audience and ensured the show its phenomenally successful five-year run.

"But not everyone was pleased by Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, and, least of all, the CIA and FBI. In fact, what is particularly intriguing about Rowan and Martin is the sheer number of references to the pair that can be found in intelligence files."

Indeed, the pair were the subject of several official files (and possibly several unofficially-sanctioned investigations, too) in the secretive arena of U.S. Intelligence.

Hotel-Sex, the Mob, the CIA, and J. Edgar Hoover: it's all there...