Andy Varipapa

Bowling's First Superstar

Glenn Gerstner (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

251 Seiten

2024
McFarland & Co Inc (Verlag)
978-1-4766-9333-0 (ISBN)

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For more than 50 years, Andy Varipapa dazzled fans with an array of never-before-seen trick shots in person, on movie screens, and on television. Sourced from interviews and more than 1,000 secondary sources, this first-ever biography of Varipapa tells the personal story of bowling’s greatest showman and one of its most influential figures.

Born in Italy in 1891, Andy Varipapa immigrated to the United States in 1903, uneducated and unable to speak English. Equipped with little more than athletic ability, the will to succeed, and a healthy dose of self-confidence, he became bowling's first superstar. In the 1940s and 1950s, Varipapa was the world's most famous bowler. For more than 50 years, he dazzled fans with an array of never-before-seen trick shots in person, on movie screens, and on television. Varipapa was not only a performer but one of the greatest bowlers ever. He won the prestigious BPAA All-Star tournament in 1946, silencing critics who claimed he was just an entertainer. And he did so at age 55, long past most bowlers' retirement age. To prove it was no fluke, he repeated in 1947.

Bowling fans recognized the outspoken and brash "Great Varipapa," who once said, "I'm the most skillful, talkative, and controversial bowler who ever lived." Few knew Andy, the kind and loyal family man and friend. Sourced from interviews with family and friends and more than 1,000 secondary sources, this first-ever biography of Varipapa tells the personal story of bowling's greatest showman and one of its most influential figures.

Glenn Gerstner has taught sport management, economics, and finance at Adelphi University, Hofstra University, Farmingdale State College, and St. John’s University. He lives on Long Island.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgmentsvii

Preface

Introduction

One. Arrival

Two. The Bowler

Three. Husband, Father, Machinist

Four. Lawler’s

Five. The Match

Six. Tricks

Seven. Hollywood

Eight. Out in the Cold

Nine. Andy Comes to Town

Ten. Who’s the Champ?

Eleven. A New Kind of Tournament

Twelve. The War

Thirteen. All-Star Andy

Fourteen. Back-to-Back

Fifteen. Respect

Sixteen. Traveling Man

Seventeen. Television

Eighteen. Boom, Jackpot, and Heartache

Nineteen. No Slowing Down

Twenty. Century Lanes

Twenty-One. A Lasting Honor

Epilogue

Appendix I: Tournament Victories, Awards, and Honors

Appendix II: Glossary of Bowling Terms and Acronyms

Chapter Notes

Bibliography

Index

Erscheinungsdatum	24.04.2024
Zusatzinfo	42 photos, glossary, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Verlagsort	Jefferson, NC
Sprache	englisch
Maße	178 x 254 mm
Themenwelt	Literatur ► Biografien / Erfahrungsberichte
	Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Freizeit / Hobby
	Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Sport
ISBN-10	1-4766-9333-1 / 1476693331
ISBN-13	978-1-4766-9333-0 / 9781476693330
Zustand	Neuware