David L. Wolper is known to be amongst the most successful and influential producers in entertainment history. He was the man responsible for classics such as Roots, The Thorn Birds and L. A. Confidential. This is his fascinating memoir of life at the very hub of Hollywood. David L. Wolper and television were born in 1928. Wolper's entrepreneurial talents were obvious from the start when he sold homegrown radishes to his mother for a penny each and delivered sealed envelopes for the wise guys who hung around New York's Copacabana nightclub. Part salesman, part visionary, Wolper began his television career in 1949 by peddling programs to the newly created broadcasting stations. For over half a century, his production company, Wolper Productions, created thousands of hours of diverse programming, including the two highest rated mini-series of all-time, Roots and The Thorn Birds. He also produced such spectacles as the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and movies such as L.A. Confidential and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Yet despite Wolper's numerous awards and accolades, he remained street-smart, wry and surprisingly down-to-earth. Told in a conversational, comfortable voice, Producer is filled with funny and startling anecdotes about such diverse personalities as Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Elvis Presley and John Lennon, and tales of fellow filmmakers such as Orson Welles and Frederico Fellini. Producer is the engaging and inspiring memoir of a true pioneer.