Warm Up the Snake: A Hollywood Memoir

Warm Up the Snake is the sprawling, backstage chronicle of John Rich’s legendary career as a television and film director. Written from an insider’s perspective, Warm Up the Snake is packed with unforgettable stories of the larger-than-life personalities, Hollywood deals, and groundbreaking productions that helped define two generations of television and film.

Rich offers a new angle on the entertainment industry—a fascinating tell-all into the world behind the cameras and microphones. As director and producer of dozens of radio, TV, and film hits, Rich enjoyed a career that spanned half a century and began virtually from the birth of television.

Much more than simply a star-studded hit parade, Warm Up the Snake also reveals some amazing, rarely seen observations on the art, business, and politics of filmmaking, directing, and producing. Not only was Rich an accomplished director, he was also an innovator who rightly garners credit for many of the tricks of the trade we now take for granted.

Warm Up the Snake is a must-have for film and TV buffs, Hollywood aficionados, or anyone interested in some of the greatest decades of American television and film.

John Rich directed and produced some of the most well-known and beloved shows in television history, including The Dick Van Dyke Show, All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Maude, Good Times, Barney Miller, Newhart, Benson, The Brady Bunch, Gilligan's Island, and many more. His feature film credits include Wives and Lovers; Boeing, Boeing; and Roustabout, starring Elvis Presley; as well as the live telecast of the opening day ceremonies of Disneyland in 1955. He won an Emmy for The Dick Van Dyke Show, two Emmys for All in the Family, andtwo Golden Globes for All in the Family.