A LIVE evening on The Town Hall stage with Ron Howard and Clint Howard in conversation, moderated by Malcolm Gladwell...10/12 at 7pm

 

The Town Hall (www.thetownhall.org) has announced a special evening with brothers Ron Howard and Clint Howard as they reflect on their new book THE BOYS (Harper Collins). The live evening, moderated by Malcolm Gladwell (co-founder of Pushkin Industries; author of seven New York Times bestsellers) will take place on October 12 at 7PM at The Town Hall (123 W. 43rd Street), the same day THE BOYS is released.   “What was it like to grow up on TV?” is not a question most of us know the answer to, but Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard and fan-favorite actor Clint Howard do. The brothers rose to fame on popular shows of the 1960s and 70s like Happy Days, The Andy Griffith Show, and Gentle Ben. At The Town Hall, they chat about their new dual memoir THE BOYS, in which they reflect on the importance of family and share memories of their extraordinary childhood spent on sound stages, hanging out with Hollywood legends like Andy Griffith, and working with trained bears. They’ll also dig deeper, examining the industry with the perspective of life experience behind them.   Tickets prices, which include a copy of THE BOYS are $47-$52 and are available at www.TheTownHall.org   The evening is presented in partnership with Strand Bookstore(www.strandbooks.com) and is also providing copies of THE BOYS.   “After the last year and a half of working on this book, I am really looking forward to sitting with Clint and Malcolm at Town Hall to dive into our life experiences, as well as share all that we have learned throughout this process,” said Ron Howard.    Clint Howard agreed. “Writing a memoir with my brother has been an awesome experience and kicking off our book tour in New York City is a dream come true.”    “We are excited to welcome Ron and Clint Howard to The Town Hall to discuss their book THE BOYS,” said Artistic Director Melay Araya. “This is an exciting opportunity for audiences to get a peek behind the scenes of Hollywood from two these two prolific men and to see that while their family’s circumstances may have been different, they have gone through some of the same struggles and triumphs that many families do. Our goal at The Town Hall is welcome important voices commenting on the American experience, and we know this evening will be fun and enlightening.”   With the perspective of time and success—Ron as a filmmaker, producer, and Hollywood A-lister, Clint as a busy character actor—the Howard brothers delve deep into an upbringing that seemed normal to them yet was anything but. Their Midwestern parents, Rance and Jean, moved to California to pursue their own showbiz dreams. But it was their young sons who found steady employment as actors. Rance put aside his ego and ambition to become Ron and Clint’s teacher, sage, and moral compass. Jean became their loving protector—sometimes over-protector—from the snares and traps of Hollywood.   By turns confessional, nostalgic, heartwarming, and harrowing, THE BOYS is a dual narrative that lifts the lid on the Howard brothers’ closely held lives. It’s the journey of a tight four-person family unit that held fast in an unforgiving business and of two brothers who survived “child-actor syndrome” to become fulfilled adults.   # # #   About The Artists   RON HOWARD  Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard is one of this generation’s most popular directors. From the critically acclaimed dramas A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon, Rush, and Apollo 13 to the hit comedies Parenthood and Splash, he has created some of Hollywood’s most memorable films. Howard made his directorial debut in 1977 with Grand Theft Auto. He began his career in film as an actor, performing in The Journey when he was four years old. He also starred in The Music Man, the long-running television series The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days, and in the film American Graffiti. His most recent films as a director are Hillbilly Elegy and the upcoming Thirteen Lives.    CLINT HOWARD  Clint Howard is a character actor and the younger brother of filmmaker Ron Howard. He began his acting career at the age of three when he played the role of Leon on The Andy Griffith Show. He starred opposite the titular bear in the popular late-’60s CBS television series Gentle Ben and has gone on to act in countless TV shows and films over the years. Among his credits are Star Trek in virtually all of its incarnations, Apollo 13, Seinfeld, Rock ’n’ Roll High School, Arrested Development, The Waterboy, and many horror films.   MALCOLM GLADWELL Malcolm Gladwell is president and co-founder of Pushkin Industries. He is a journalist, a speaker, and the author of seven New York Times bestsellers including The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, Talking to Strangers, and The Bomber Mafia. He has been a staff writer for the New Yorker since 1996. He is a trustee of the Surgo Foundation and currently serves on the board of the RAND Corporation.   # # #

MORE ABOUT TOWN HALL Town Hall has played an integral part in the electrifying cultural fabric of New York City for more than 100 years. A group of Suffragists' fight for the 19th Amendment led them to build a meeting space to educate people on the important issues of the day. During its construction, the 19th Amendment was passed, and on January 12, 1921 The Town Hall opened its doors and took on a double meaning: as a symbol of the victory sought by its founders, and as a spark for a new, more optimistic climate. In 1921, German composer Richard Strauss performed a series of concerts that cemented the Hall's reputation as an ideal venue for musical performances. Since, Town Hall has been home to countless musical milestones: The US debuts of Strauss, and Isaac Stern; Marian Anderson's first New York recital; in 1945, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker introduced bebop to the world; Bob Dylan's first major concert in '63; and much, much more.

MORE ABOUT STRAND BOOK STORE The Strand, located at 12th Street and Broadway in NYC, carries over 2.5 million used, new, and rare books, covering topics as far-ranging as occult to philosophy to finance. The Strand was born in 1927 on Fourth Avenue on what was then called “Book Row.” Book Row covered six city blocks and housed forty-eight bookstores. Benjamin Bass, the founder, was twenty-five years old when he began his modest used bookstore. He sought to create a place where books would be loved, and book lovers could congregate. He named his bookstore after the London street where avant-garde writers like Thackeray, Dickens, and Mill once gathered and book publishers thrived. The Strand quickly became a Greenwich Village institution where writers went to converse, sell their books and find a hidden treasure to buy. Today, the Strand is the sole survivor of Book Row’s colorful past. The bookstore is led by third generation owner Nancy Bass Wyden, who is honored to carry her family's 94-year legacy forward. www.strandbooks.com.

www.TheTownHall.org