Synopses & Reviews
Born in 1930 in “Diddlin Doras” establishment on the banks of Rapid Creek and carried by the Madam herself to a social worker at the Alex Johnson Hotel in Rapid City, Ron Hull was destined from the outset to live an interesting life. And interesting it has indeed been, at the very least. A well-known and much-loved figure after six decades in television, Hull sets out in
Backstage to tell his story—from playing a bellhop in a junior class play in South Dakota (and meeting his “real” mother backstage) to initiating the
American Experience series for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Before he even owned a television set, Hull produced a military TV show at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. But it wasnt until he got a job in public broadcasting in Lincoln, Nebraska, that he truly found his medium. Hull has a lifetime of fascinating anecdotes to tell: working as a producer and director, encountering celebrities like John Wayne and William Shatner, befriending famous Nebraskans like writers Mari Sandoz and John Neihardt and actress Sandy Dennis, moving to Saigon in 1966 to bring television to embattled Vietnam, and working in Washington as director of the program fund for the CPB. Through it all, though, Hulls story is a tribute to his adopted Nebraska, a celebration of the people—stars and unsung heroes—hes known, and a moving memoir of the dramas of life, large and small.
Review
“Ron Hulls book is a compelling read. Its the story of a life filled with richness of experience, personal and professional success, invaluable public service, and authentic high adventure—and all following about as inauspicious beginnings as its possible to imagine.”—Dick Cavett, talk-show host Alan Wilkinson - One Writer's Life
Review
“You must read this book! I found myself weeping, laughing, and above all, caring.”—Eva Marie Saint, Academy Award-winning actress Dick Cavett
Review
“Who says you cant get anything done in Washington? Read how Ron Hull was key to bringing some of the best work of Bill Moyers, Joseph Campbell, and Ken Burns to public television and how he got that (and more) done in his terrific years at CPB.”—Jeffrey Hayden, producer, director, and writer Eve Marie Saint
Review
"The author does an amazing job at bringing you into his life, though all of the interesting twists and turns that have made this man into the truly unique individual that you can see that he is. . . . This was a great book that I would highly recommend to one and all."—Christopher Lewis, Dad of Divas Daniel L. Schiedel - Great Plains Quarterly
Review
"Possessing a remarkable memory, and with attention to detail, Hull takes us on an intimate pilgrimage. . . . Ron's personal journey echoes a line from Nebraska's Willa Cather: 'The end is nothing; the road is all.""—Leta Powell Drake, Lincoln 55 Plus Christopher Lewis - Dad of Divas
Review
"Hull's book takes us on a nostalgic ride through the founding days of public television."—Paul Hammel, Omaha World Herald Nebraska History
Review
"There's far more in this book than I expected. . . . For anyone who knows of Ron, and knows about Nebraska's public broadcasting record . . . I'd say, go and buy it."—Alan Wilkinson,
One Writer's Life Leta Powell Drake - Lincoln 55 Plus
Review
"For Hull, the performing arts and mass media have always been tools of self-discovery, and his memoir reminds us of television's latent educational and connective power."—Chris Rasmussen, Nebraska History Chris Rasmussen
Review
"Ron Hull's Backstage: Stories from My Life in Public Television sums up the incredible journey of a man who has loved, with heart and soul, the mission and impact of a philosophy and medium known as public television."—Daniel L. Schiedel, Great Plains Quarterly Paul Hammel - Omaha World Herald
About the Author
Ron Hull is senior advisor to Nebraska Educational Telecommunications and professor emeritus of broadcasting at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.