The Hollywood (Fla.) Sun-Tattler reviews Richard Grayson's WITH HITLER IN NEW YORK and publishes feature article "He Wants to Be a Celebrity"

The Hollywood (Fla.) Sun-Tattler reviews Richard Grayson's With Hitler in New York in today's issue:


Hollywood (Florida) Sun-Tattler

Wednesday, January 16, 1980


Book Review


Story Collection Uneven


"With Hitler in New York," by Richard Grayson.

Taplinger Publishing Company, New York , $7.95.


Reviewed by KATHLEEN KROG


Richard Grayson is a bright young man, a new resident of Broward County and a not-so serious candidate for the vice presidency. (He's not old enough to qualify.)

He is a writer. "With Hitler in New York" is a collection of off-beat short stories. Some of them are a little too short – on entertainment value, ability to hold interest and good writing style. Grayson is intrigued by The Big Name, as in Adolph Hitler, Abe Lincoln and more currently known celebrities like Alan King, Betty Friedan and Beverly Sills.

His literary treatment of today's famous is much more enjoyable than what he writes about past figures of both ill and good repute.

The title story, in the first person, is an exceptionally strange little treatise on what Adolph Hitler would do if he was a tourist in New York City today. If it's supposed to be funny, it fails. If it's supposed to be one of those "what-would-Hitler-do-if-he-were-alive-today" pieces, it isn't. It's just a dumb, quite pointless story.

So, in a slightly less offensive way, is "Lincoln on the Couch," which depicts dear old Abe as an unloved, cuckolded bigot. This isn't even revisionist history at its worst conjecture, but at least the story deals in more reality than Hitler on a search for a good Chinese restaurant in the Big Apple.

Grayson should forget about rewriting history and stick at looking at the present with a surprisingly loving and sensitive eye-view. His introduction is a neat little tribute to his uncle, with whom he shared good talk and good marijuana, and his first girlfriend. It's funny, a little poignant and easy to understand and relate to. You remember what Grayson ruefully says about himself long after what he imagined about Hitler and Lincoln.

In another too brief look at what he knows, "Peninsular People," Grayson paints a pretty little stretch of sand inhabited by residents everyone would like as neighbors. It's the kind of thing we'd all like to write about our favorite place of being.

This is a very uneven collection of stories by a talented writer who hasn't quite figured out what he's best at yet.

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reports on Richard Grayson's Candidacy for Vice President

The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reports today (Thursday, January 10, 1980) on Richard Grayson's candidacy for Vice President.

Miami Herald reports on Richard Grayson's Candidacy for Vice President

The Miami Herald today (Sunday, January 6, 1980) reports on Richard Grayson's candidacy for Vice President in an article in the Political Scene column by Michael Silver and Pat Fisher titled, "Him, Vice President? Is This Some Kind of Joke?" on page 14BR":

The campaign is in full swing now. It's easy to tell because Richard Grayson has at last become adept at throwing out this timeworn phrase whenever he can't answer a question that needs an answer: "I'll have no comment on that." Six words dear to the heart of every politician ever caught in a bind, whether it be intellectual, moral or criminal. That's where the similarity between Grayson - writer of satire, teacher of English at Brooklyn College in New York City and your everyday politician ends. 

GRAYSON, IN case you haven't heard, is a candidate for vice president.Of the United States. He's not running for president because being the country's top leader takes too much out of a person. "Look how Carter's aged," he said. Grayson was in Broward last week campaigning. He'll be here this week too. And maybe the week after. But don't hold your breath waiting for his pitch. He's hardly on a whirlwind popularity-seeking mission. 

AFTER A week in Broward he'd made only one public foray. He went from his parent's home in Davie to the Broward Mall, where people laughed at him, he said.

This is a man who'd be too young to be vice president even if, by some twist of fate, he were elected. Grayson is 28, seven years too young to live in the house that the Navy built. Grayson has these plans, should he somehow land in the lap of power in Washington D.C.: Fred Silverman, president of NBC television, would be president political scene michael silver pat fisher of the United States. Silverman may not comply. "He seems unwilling to take a salary cut to become President," said Grayson.

Gloria Vanderbilt, whose signature adorns the blue-jeaned derrieres of women everywhere, would be Secretary of the Treasury. "The dollar bill may go In if her signature was on it." Little funnyman Gary Coleman would be United Nations ambassador because "he says cute things." Honorary titles would abound: Things like Baron of Broward, Duke of Davie, Marquee of Miami Beach .... • Governors of states would compete for gasoline allocations on a TV show called "Bowling for Gallons," hosted by James Schlesinger, former U.S. energy czar. An evening with Tom Snyder would replace the death penalty as the most severe punishment meted out to the county's Godless criminals.

THE HUMOROUS platform is nothing new. Every big election year joke candidates air their unbalanced philosophies and expend energy on haphazard missions to win highest re offices of the land. Maybe they're frustrated or angry or just crazy. For his part, Grayson is sick of the system. The system, he says, stinks.

The campaigns are too long, "Politics is now show business, completely,' and politicians care more about "popularity polls than programs." 

"WE DON'T elect the best person, we elect the best candidate," he griped. Something ought to be changed, but Grayson doesn't know what. So he's poking a little fun. Would he like politics if he won? "I'll have no comment on that," he said.

Saturday Review publishes article on Richard Grayson's plan to draft NBC President Fred Silverman for U.S. President

Today, January 5, 1980, Saturday Review published an article, "As the White House Turns," on page 6 in its Front Runners column, about Richard Grayson's plan to draft NBC President Fred Silverman for U.S. President.