This tale of Dick Wormser's career reveals the trials and wonders of the world of pulp fiction in the thirties, as well as the travails and triumphs of Hollywood writers in the forties and fifties. He wrote short stories for The Shadow and other action magazines, and was named by Street & Smith to revive Nick Carter, for which he wrote a 60,000-word novel every two weeks until they had enough backlog to make it a semi-monthly. Hired and fired twice by Harry Cohn at Columbia Pictures, he toiled at Republic and Universal writing screenplays, that became mostly B movies-some good some bad. He was one of Ray Stark's earliest clients, before Ray made the transition to one of the industry's premier producers. During World War II, he served as Forest Ranger, patrolling the coast of Southern California on horseback. Dick made his living writing-producing an amazing output: three hundred short stories, two hundred novelettes, a dozen books, about twice that many serials. His oeuvre included mysteries, Westerns, juveniles, histories and even a cookbook Southwest American Cooking, or Home on the Range.

ABC, NBC, CBS are the three names commonly associated with network television. The fourth name, Du Mont, is not usually recognizable by those younger than 50 or those who are not communications students. The Du Mont Television Network tells the story of the rise, the development, and the failure of this fourth network. Bergmann and Skutch present the Du Mont network's story in a dramatic, narrative style, from its days in the basement of an old pickle factory to its collaborations with the Paramount company. The story of the network's founder, Dr. Allen Du Mont, as well as details about management, programs, new technologies, and the network's fall from grace are a fascinating read. Bergmann, a former managing director of the Du Mont network, provides a rare insider's view of the network's history and its eventual demise. The Du Mont Television Network will intrigue television history fans, as well as communications students and media professionals.