Jon Krampner (born in 1952 in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

) is an American

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

and author of

biographies A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...

popular history Popular history, also called pop history, is a broad genre of historiography that takes a popular approach, aims at a wide readership, and usually emphasizes narrative, personality and vivid detail over scholarly analysis. The term is used in con ...

and

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

Work

Krampner's first book, ''The Man in the Shadows: Fred Coe and the Golden Age of Television'', a biography of television producer

Fred Coe Frederick Hayden Hughs Coe (December 23, 1914 – April 29, 1979) was an American television producer and director most famous for '' The Goodyear Television Playhouse''/'' The Philco Television Playhouse'' in 1948-1955 and ''Playhouse 90'' from ...

, was published in 1997. A second, ''Female Brando: The Legend of Kim Stanley'', followed in 2006 and charted the life of the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

actress

Kim Stanley Kim Stanley (born Patricia Kimberley Reid; February 11, 1925 – August 20, 2001) was an American actress who was primarily active in television and theatre but also had occasional film performances. She began her acting career in theatre a ...

. His third book, ''Creamy and Crunchy: An Informal History of Peanut Butter, the All-American Food'' was published in 2012. The book is a popular history of

peanut butter Peanut butter is a food Paste (food), paste or Spread (food), spread made from Grinding (abrasive cutting), ground, dry roasting, dry-roasted peanuts. It commonly contains additional ingredients that modify the taste or texture, such as salt, ...

. His most recent book is ''Ernest Lehman: The Sweet Smell of Success'' (2022), published by the University Press of Kentucky.

Ernest Lehman Ernest Paul Lehman (December 8, 1915 – July 2, 2005) was an American screenwriter and film producer. He was nominated six times for Academy Awards for his screenplays during his career, but did not win. At the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001 ...

was the screenwriter of films such as ''Somebody Up There Likes Me'', ''Sweet Smell of Success'', ''North By Northwest'', ''West Side Story'', ''The Sound of Music,'' and ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' Krampner is also the author of short stories, including ''The Provence Lane Haunting'' (2002), ''The Mazeroski Blues'' (2016), and ''Why I Built My House the Way I Did'' (2017). Krampner’s collected papers, consisting of research notes, interview transcripts and audiotapes and general material, are held in the special collections department of the Heard Library at

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

Critical reception

In its review of ''The Man in the Shadows'', ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' wrote, "Krampner weaves Coe’s story with solid writing, subtle humor and a slavish devotion to detail." ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' called it "engrossing" and ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

,'' "valuable." ''Female Brando'' was described by ''Talkin’ Broadway'' as "a must-read for anyone interested in actors and the Golden Age of American Theatre. It is well researched, ..includes extensive and detailed notes, and is generally fascinating.” ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' said it was "crucial", while ''Kirkus Reviews'' said it presented "a steadily turning kaleidoscope of vivid, unsettling images." ''The New Yorker'' also praised ''Creamy and Crunchy'', calling it “enjoyable and informative”. ''

Harvard Business Review ''Harvard Business Review'' (''HBR'') is a general management magazine published by Harvard Business Publishing, a not-for-profit, independent corporation that is an affiliate of Harvard Business School. ''HBR'' is published six times a year ...

'' described it as "scholarly, yet charming and entertaining."“Should We Break Up Big Food?” by Tim Sullivan, Harvard Business Review, May 2013, https://hbr.org/2013/05/should-we-break-up-big-food

Bibliography

* ''The Man in the Shadows: Fred Coe and the Golden Age of Television'' (Rutgers University Press, 1997) * ''The Provence Lane Haunting'' (Eclipse: A Literary Journal, 2002) * ''Female Brando: The Legend of Kim Stanley'' (Backstage Books/Watson-Guptill, 2006) * ''Creamy and Crunchy: An Informal History of Peanut Butter, the All-American Food'' (Columbia University Press, 2013) * ''Joe Wilson: What He Didn’t Find in Africa'' (Smashwords, 2015) * ''The Mazeroski Blues'' (Across the Margin, 2016) * ''Why I Built My House the Way I Did'' (Across the Margin, 2017) * ''Ernest Lehman: The Sweet Smell of Success'' (University Press of Kentucky, 2022)

Work

Critical reception

Bibliography

References

External links