THE IMPERFECT STORM: From Henry Street To Hollywood is the improbable – and vastly entertaining – story of Howard Storm (nee Howard Sobel), who grew up on the mean streets of New York’s Lower East Side during the Great Depression and went on to become a successful standup comic, actor, improv teacher, and television director.
In the world of entertainment, Howard’s hilarious storytelling prowess is legendary. After years of friends demanding he set these stories down in book form, he finally did it, with the help of author Steve Stoliar (RAISED EYEBROWS: My Years Inside Groucho’s House). THE IMPERFECT STORM is filled with funny, shocking, sometimes bittersweet stories about playing rough-and-tumble mob-owned clubs in the ‘50s, graduating to big-time clubs in the ‘60s, directing such classic TV shows as RHODA, LAVERNE & SHIRLEY, MORK & MINDY, TAXI and EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, and much, much more. Along the way, there are previously unpublished photos and never-before-told stories about such immortals as Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, Valerie Harper, Joan Rivers, Don Rickles, Jonathan Winters, and Robin Williams, just to shave the tip off the iceberg. A remarkable tale, from start to finish.
“A terrific book. Great show-business stories, celebrities, gangsters, prizefighters – all fresh tales, hilariously told by a guy who really knows how to tell them.”
— Woody Allen
“What a humorously entertaining and immersing autobiography!!! It makes one feel they’re on an extended car-trip with a favorite uncle through the glory days of show-biz; from vaudeville to the Catskills to Broadway to Hollywood sit-coms. (And had I known Howard was so ‘connected,’ I would have gotten to work on time!) This amazing trip through time is certainly worth the ride.”
— Pam Dawber
“One of the most life-affirming reads ever. Howard Storm is an American Master.”
— Richard Lewis
“I’ve known Howard Storm for almost 40 years. I know him a lot better now. From the lower east side to the borscht belt, from the comedy clubs of the Village to the sound stages of Hollywood, this hilarious and touching book is like having an intimate conversation with a funny charming man who has seen almost everything and everyone from in front of and behind the camera.
— Billy Crystal
“The only problem with the book is that it ends.”
— Dick Cavett
“’The Imperfect Storm’ is a perfect read.”
— Bob Newhart
“I may be in the minority, but I liked it.”
— Mel Brooks
