Jon Krampner

Jon Krampner (born April 9, 1952 in Manhattan) is an American author whose books include The Man in the Shadows: Fred Coe and the Golden Age of Television (Rutgers University Press, 1997) and Female Brando: The Legend of Kim Stanley (Watson-Guptill/Backstage Books, 2006). Both were biographies of cultural figures who were important in 1950's New York.
Coe was the leading producer of 1950's live television drama, producing "Marty," "The Trip to Bountiful," "Peter Pan" and "Days of Wine and Roses" on live dramatic anthologies such as "Philco-Goodyear Playhouse," "Producers Showcase" and "Playhouse 90." He was regarded as a patron saint of writers, discovering or promoting the careers of writers such as Paddy Chayefsky, Horton Foote, Tad Mosel, David Shaw, David Swift, N. Richard Nash, Robert Alan Arthur, Herb Gardner, A.E. Hotchner, Harry Muheim and others.
Stanley was a leading light of the Actors Studio, where she studied under Lee Strasberg, and an important exponent of Method Acting. Her Broadway roles included Anna Reeves in "The Chase" (1952), Millie Owens in "Picnic (1953)," Georgette Thomas in "The Traveling Lady" (1954), Cherie in "Bus Stop" (1955), Sara Melody in "A Touch of the Poet" (1958), and Elizabeth von Ritter in "A Far Country" (1961). Her short roster of films includes "Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) and "Frances" (1982).
While both Coe and Stanley were culturally pivotal figures, both of their careers were shortened by alcoholism. Wanting a break from being the chronicler of tormented geniuses who have lapsed into obscurity, Krampner was, as of January 2011, working on "Creamy and Crunchy: An Informal History of Peanut Butter, the All-American Food."

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