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Introduction
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xiii |
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It's Only Language
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1 |
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Ghost Stories
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6 |
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Basil Rathbone's Mysterious Message
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9 |
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Luck in the Afternoon
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12 |
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Jet-lagged in the South China Sea
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14 |
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What My Uncle Knew About War
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17 |
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An Innocent Misunderstanding
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21 |
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What Was He Thinking?
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24 |
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Imus in the Hornets' Nest
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27 |
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When That Guy Died on My Show
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30 |
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Back On with the Show
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34 |
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An Author's Nightmare
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37 |
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A Life in Rim Shots
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41 |
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No Gagging the Gags
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44 |
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Sopranos Grief
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47 |
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Virginity, Lost
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51 |
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Cinema Days
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53 |
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Is Bigger Really Better?
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57 |
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Him, to Kick Around Again
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60 |
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Witness for the...Who, Exactly?
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64 |
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Hey, Listen! This One'll Kill Ya!
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68 |
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Hail, the Conquered Hero
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73 |
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In This Corner, Norman Mailer
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77 |
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When They Told Me Norman Wrote a Book ...
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84 |
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With Readers Like Y'all ...
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91 |
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A Potpourri of Pols
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96 |
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Was It Only a Game?
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100 |
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Bobby and You
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108 |
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A Most Uncommon Man
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111 |
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Uncommoner than Thou: Buckley, Part 2
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115 |
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Candidate, Improve Your Appearance!
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119 |
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Memo to Petraeus and Crocker: More Laughs, Please
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123 |
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Petraeus, Custer, and You
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127 |
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Liar, Liar, Pants Aflame
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131 |
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Polygraphically Perverse
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135 |
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À la Recherche de Youthful Folly
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138 |
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Good to See You. Is It You?
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143 |
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Smiling Through
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148 |
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Smiling Through, Part 2
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152 |
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What's So Funny About Nebraska
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159 |
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Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be ...
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164 |
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Cavett Dodges the Chair
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168 |
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Experience 101
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171 |
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'Tis But a Man Gone ... but What a Man
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174 |
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Anger Mismanagement
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178 |
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Fright Night
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182 |
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The Wild Wordsmith of Wasilla
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186 |
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How's That Again, Guy?
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190 |
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A Better Sort of Insult
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193 |
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I'm Not Weeping; It's an Allergy
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197 |
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Writers Bloc: When Updike and Cheever Came to Visit
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201 |
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Conjuring Slydini
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205 |
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Seriously, What Are the Odds?
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213 |
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Why Can't We Talk Like This?
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216 |
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Miller Talks Again
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218 |
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Sky's the Limit
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220 |
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Who's Afraid of Richard Burton?
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225 |
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Richard Burton, Take 2
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229 |
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Strange, Dear, but True, Dear
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232 |
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A Third Bit of Burton
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236 |
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Richard Burton: A Regretful Au Revoir
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238 |
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Dangerous Substance: Sample with Care
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242 |
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The Ghost Ship W.W.
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245 |
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Almost Nothing About Tiger Woods
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249 |
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Why, I Oughta ... and I Did
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252 |
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Awesome, and Then Some
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256 |
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Oh, What a Lovely Mess!
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260 |
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More Awesomeness, or John Wayne, Part 2
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263 |
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Acknowledgments
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267 |
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Index
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269 |