Today, Cappy McGarr’s first book, The Man Who Made Mark Twain Famous, has been published nationally by Post Hill Press, and distributed by Simon & Schuster.

The memoir gives an exclusive behind the scenes look at over two decades of the legendary Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which McGarr co-created and has shepherded since its inception. The book is a hilarious, behind-the-scenes peek into meetings between former presidents and the nation’s most iconic comedians. Additionally, all proceeds from this book will go to the Kennedy Center Arts Education Programs, which are near and dear to Cappy’s heart.

McGarr’s book contains the stories of Eddie Murphy meeting President Obama, Bill Murray putting in the Oval Office, as well as McGarr riffing with Carol Burnett at her Mark Twain Prize rehearsal dinner and arguing with the Secret Service to get Paul McCartney’s bodyguard into the White House—plus many more.

With a foreword by Ken Burns, the book has been applauded by Lily Tomlin, Bill Murray, Carole King, David Rubenstein, and more. The book jacket includes the following praise for The Man Who Made Mark Twain Famous:

“I laughed. I cried. I questioned my sanity. These are all things that happened over the course of my last encounter with Cappy. But his book about the Mark Twain Prize is funny too.”

- Lily Tomlin, Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize recipient and Kennedy Center Honoree

“Reading Cappy’s book is not unlike sitting down to dinner with him and listening to the stories he has picked up from decades of rubbing elbows with political leaders and comedians alike...There are laughs and howls and chuckles and chortles.”

- Ken Burns, America’s foremost documentary filmmaker

“Cappy knows how to put on a great show—whether at the Kennedy Center or the White House. Like the events he helps stage, his book is a delightful celebration of American entertainment and politics, with no shortage of laughs along the way.”

- Carole King, Kennedy Center Honoree and Library of Congress Gershwin Prize Honoree

In The Man Who Made Mark Twain Famous, McGarr also gives the inside scoop on acclaimed shows he produced from the East Room of the White House, including the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Plus, he tells tales from his involvement in national politics—including encounters with the likes of President Lyndon B. Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, Governor Ann Richards, President George W. Bush, President Barack Obama, and many others.

The memoir contains insights about humor’s essential role in politics, even at a time of great national challenges.

The Man Who Made Mark Twain Famous is available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and major retailers nationwide.

About Cappy McGarr:

Cappy has been involved in 30 nationally broadcasted shows on PBS: 22 Mark Twain Prizes, 7 shows at the White House (including 4 Gershwin Prize ceremonies), and the Lincoln Awards. For his work on the Mark Twain Prize, he has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy and an NAACP Image Award. Along with co-creating the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, he is also a creator of The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the nation’s highest honor for music. Cappy is also one of the few people in history to be appointed to the Kennedy Center by two different presidents of the United States. He has also chaired many times the committee that chooses the Kennedy Center Honors, and continues to proudly serve as a member of this committee.

Included as an annex is the Name Drop Directory with name mentions from each chapter from The Man Who Made Mark Twain Famous.

FOREWORD

Huckleberry Finn

Ulysses S. Grant

Lyndon B. Johnson

Cappy McGarr

Janie McGarr

Theodore Roosevelt

George Bernard Shaw

Mark Twain

 

PREAMBLE

Lloyd Bentsen

Joe Biden

Mel Brooks

Bill Clinton

Tom Daschle

Tina Fey

Aretha Franklin

Al Gore

Jimmy Kimmel

Steve Martin

Paul McCartney

Eddie Murphy

Bill Murray

Barack Obama

Martin Short

 

INTRODUCTION: DELIRIOUS IN THE OVAL OFFICE

George W. Bush

Jimmy Carter

Dave Chappelle

Bill Clinton

Hillary Clinton

Arsenio Hall

Everett Raymond Kinstler

Eddie Murphy

Trevor Noah

Barack Obama

Ronald Reagan

Deborah Rutter

 

CHAPTER ONE: EVERYBODY READY, EXCEPT CAPPY

Davy Crockett

Casey McGarr

Marla McGarr

Wilbur Howell McGarr

Wilbur Ray McGarr II

Fess Parker

 

CHAPTER TWO: APPARENTLY FAIRLY BRIGHT

Sandy Gottesman

Steve Gutow

Gary Kusin

Ronald Reagan

 

CHAPTER THREE: AS GOOBER GOES, SO GOES THE STATION

Dolph Briscoe

Roy Butler

Clark Gable

Cary Grant

Goober Hoedecker

Lyndon B. Johnson

Mike Levy

Ron Nessen

Richard Nixon

Jimmy Stewart

 

CHAPTER FOUR: BLIND LEADING THE BLIND

Frank Denius

Lowell Lebermann

Virginia Lebermann

Kathryn McGarr

 

CHAPTER FIVE: AN UNIDENTIFIED AIDE

Liz Carpenter

Hubert Humphrey

Lady Bird Johnson

Lyndon B. Johnson

John F. Kennedy

Abraham Lincoln

Lowell Lebermann

Harry J. Middleton

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Elspeth Rostow

Walt Whitman Rostow

Earl Warren

Bill Wright

Andrew Young

 

CHAPTER SIX: THE SOUFFLÉ NEVER RISES

Lyndon B. Johnson

Elizabeth McGarr McCue

Kathryn McGarr

Janie McGarr

John D. Rockefeller

 

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE GOLDMAN AGE

George W. Bush

Pete Coneway

Henry Fowler

Bill Gruver

Lady Bird Johnson

George Kozmetsky

Chuck Kuhn

Janie McGarr

Tommy Walker

Roy Zuckerberg

 

CHAPTER EIGHT: SENATOR, YOU’RE NO LLOYD BENTSEN

Lloyd Bentsen

George H.W. Bush

George W. Bush

Bill Clinton

Michael Dukakis

Pete Geren

Yo-Yo Ma

Jack Martin

Janie McGarr

Barack Obama

Dan Quayle

Ann Richards

Bob Strauss

 

CHAPTER NINE: LANDSLIDE DASCHLE

Lloyd Bentsen

George H.W. Bush

Bill Clinton

Tom Daschle

Nancy Erikson

Rita Lewis

Jack Martin

Ross Perot

Ross Perot, Jr.

Elizabeth McGarr McCue

Kathryn McGarr

 

CHAPTER TEN: FOLLIES, LEGISLATIVE AND RABBINICAL

Larry Amoros

Dolph Briscoe

Janey Briscoe

Tom Daschle

Sue Fischlowitz

Steve Gutow

Arsenio Hall

Ann Richards

 

CHAPTER ELEVEN: DO IT FOR DALLAS

Queen Elizabeth II

Ron Kirk

Annette Cap McCue

Elizabeth McGarr McCue

Kathryn McGarr

Fred Meyer

Janie McGarr

Barack Obama

Annette Strauss

Carole Young

 

CHAPTER TWELVE: WAITING FOR PEROT

Lloyd Bentsen

George H.W. Bush

Bill Clinton

Tom Daschle

Al Gore

Barack Obama

Ross Perot

Annette Strauss

Archibald M. Willard

 

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & DASCHLE

Lewis Black

Robert Byrd

David Crosby

Sebastian Daschle

Tom Daschle

Al Gore

Joe Lieberman

Graham Nash

Stephen Stills

 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: THE MARK TWAIN PRIZE

Lenny Bruce

Buffy Cafritz

William Cafritz

Jimmy Carter

Dave Chappelle

Bill Clinton

Hillary Clinton

Katherine Dunham

Morgan Freeman

Whoopi Goldberg

Murray Horwitz

Jim Johnson

Bob Kaminsky

Peter Kaminsky

Elia Kazan

Jim Kimsey

Mark Krantz

Monica Lewinsky

Marie Mattson

Janie McGarr

Alma Powell

Colin Powell

Leontyne Price

Richard Pryor

Ronald Reagan

Carl Reiner

Chris Rock

John Schreiber

Jerry Seinfeld

George Shultz

Frank Sinatra

Jean Kennedy Smith

Jimmy Stewart

Ann Stock

Annette Strauss

Virgil Thomson

Dick Van Dyke

Paul Warfield

Damon Wayans

Larry Wilker

Robin Williams

Jonathan Winters

Stevie Wonder

 

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: WINTERS IS COMING / CARL’S HOUR

Sid Caesar

Bill Clinton

Tina Fey

Karl Gerhardt

Steve Martin

Mary Tyler Moore

Richard Pryor

Carl Reiner

Charlie Reiner

Rob Reiner

Jerry Seinfeld

Jean Kennedy Smith

Donald Trump

Robin Williams

Jonathan Winters

 

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: WE CAN STILL BE FUNNY

Harry Belafonte

George W. Bush

Cedric the Entertainer

Billy Crystal

Linda Daschle

Tom Daschle

Tommy Davidson

Whoopi Goldberg

Alan King

David Letterman

Janie McGarr

Lorne Michaels

Conan O’Brien

Caroline Rhea

Paul Simon

Wanda Sykes

Jon Stewart

Chris Tucker my

Bruce Vilanch

Robin Williams

 

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: BROADCASTING LEGENDS OF BROADCASTING

Dan Aykroyd

John Belushi

Richard Belzer

George W. Bush

Earl Campbell

Dave Chappelle

Tim Conway

Jack Crosby

Joanne Crosby

Jane Curtin

Ellen DeGeneres

Chris Dodd

Jacob Epstein

Tina Fey

Kelsey Grammer

Darrell Hammond

George Lopez

Bernie Mac

Steve Martin

John McCain

Lorne Michaels

Willie Nelson

Bob Newhart

Dolly Parton

Miss Piggy

Mary Kay Place

Don Rickles

Darrell Royal

Edith Royal

Paul Simon

Elaine Stritch

Julia Sweeney

Lily Tomlin

Christopher Walken

 

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: HOPES DASCHED

George W. Bush

Bill Clinton

Tom Daschle

Tim Johnson

John Kerry

Barack Obama

John Thune

 

CHAPTER NINETEEN: A TEXAN AND TWO NEW YORKERS

Jason Alexander

Christina Applegate

Lucie Arnaz

Matthew Broderick

Mel Brooks

George W. Bush

Sid Caesar

Samuel Clemens

Bob Costas

Billy Crystal

Larry David

Robert De Niro

Danny DeVito

Richard Dreyfuss

Jimmy Fallon

John Goodman

Tom Hanks

Patricia Heaton

Eric Idle

Diane Keaton

Anthony Kennedy

Nathan Lane

Queen Latifah

Jon Lovitz

Steve Martin

Lorne Michaels

Randy Newman

Robert Redford

Carl Reiner

Rob Reiner

Martin Short

Neil Simon

Paul Simon

Lily Tomlin

Barbara Walters

 

CHAPTER TWENTY: TRAGEDY AFTER TRAGEDY IN COMEDY

Richard Belzer

Lewis Black

George Carlin

Kelly Carlin

Margaret Cho

Bill Cosby

Jimmy Durante

Peter Kaminsky

Jimmy Kimmel

Ben E. King

Denis Leary

Bill Maher

Richard Pryor

Michel Richard

Joan Rivers

Garry Shandling

Jon Stewart

Lily Tomlin

 

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: TWAIN IN THE TWEENS

Fred Armisen

Ed Asner

Jack Black

Matthew Broderick

Carol Burnett

George W. Bush

Steve Carell

Johnny Carson

Kristin Chenoweth

Tom Daschle

Ellen DeGeneres

Jimmy Fallon

Will Ferrell

Tina Fey

Aretha Franklin

Jon Hamm

Sean Hayes

Jennifer Hudson

Lyndon B. Johnson

Jimmy Kimmel

Jane Krakowski

John Leguizamo

Jane Lynch

Jacqueline Mars

Steve Martin

Janie McGarr

Adam McKay

Seth Meyers

Lorne Michaels

Tracy Morgan

Jason Mraz

Barack Obama

Conan O’Brien

Viveca Paulin

Nancy Pelosi

Amy Poehler

Sam Rayburn

Mitt Romney

Pete Rouse

Paul Rudd

Molly Shannon

Taylor Swift

Lily Tomlin

Vince Vaughn

Betty White

Owen Wilson

 

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

Mel Brooks

Dave Brubeck

Grace Bumbry

Robert De Niro

Whoopi Goldberg

Carl Reiner

David Rubenstein

Deborah Rutter

Bruce Springsteen

Robin Williams

 

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: CAROL BURNETT AND THE CAR BOY

Julie Andrews

Tony Bennett

Joe Biden

Garth Brooks

Carol Burnett

Johnny Carson

Kristin Chenoweth

Hillary Clinton

Tim Conway

Kevin Eubanks

Jimmy Fallon

Tina Fey

Chelsea Handler

Rashida Jones

Kourtney Kardashian

Robert Klein

Vicki Lawrence

Jay Leno

Al Madrigal

Kate McKinnon

Seth Meyers

Barack Obama

Amy Poehler

Steve Ricchetti

Robert Risko

David Rubenstein

Maya Rudolph

Jerry Seinfeld

Martin Short

J. B. Smoove

Wanda Sykes

Bruce Vilanch

Rosemary Watson

 

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: THE COUP OF BILL MURRAY

Aziz Ansari

Jay Bernhardt

Roy Blount Jr.

George M. Cohan

Jane Curtin

Miley Cyrus

Brian Doyle-Murray

Merrick Garland

Rhiannon Giddens

Bill Hader

Craig Johnson

Clayton Kershaw

Jimmy Kimmel

David Letterman

Janie McGarr

Lorne Michaels

Bill Murray

Barack Obama

Antonin Scalia

Paul Shaffer

Frank Sinatra

Emma Stone

Sigourney Weaver

 

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: THE KING OF LATE NIGHT AND THE QUEEN OF SITCOMS

Louisa May Alcott

Stephen Colbert

Bryan Cranston

Larry David

Chris Elliott

Tina Fey

Al Franken

Ilana Glazer

Tony Hale

Biff Henderson

Abbi Jacobson

Alan Kalter

Brett Kavanaugh

Keegan-Michael Key

Jimmy Kimmel

Lisa Kudrow

David Letterman

Mike Lotus

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Norm MacDonald

Steve Martin

Paul McCartney

John Mulaney

Bill Murray

Kumail Nanjiani

Barack Obama

Amy Schumer

Jerry Seinfeld

Paul Shaffer

Martin Short

Donald Trump

Eddie Vedder

Jill Vedder

Jimmie Walker

Warren Zevon

 

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: CHAPPELLE’S PRIZE

Aziz Ansari

Erykah Badu

Yasiin Bey

Dave Chappelle

Michael Che

Common

Bradley Cooper

Morgan Freeman

Tiffany Haddish

Colin Jost

John Legend

Steve Martin

Lorne Michaels

Trevor Noah

Q-Tip

David Rubenstein

Sarah Silverman

Jon Stewart

Kenan Thompson

Frédéric Yonnet

 

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: THE GERSHWIN PRIZE

Yolanda Adams

Marc Anthony

Burt Bacharach

Corinne Bailey Rae

Tony Bennett

James H. Billington

Wayne Brady

Joe Clancy

Shawn Colvin

Elvis Costello

Sheryl Crow

Hal David

Dalton Delan

Jerry Douglas

Gloria Estefan

Stephen Foster

Art Garfunkel

George Gershwin

Ira Gershwin

Philip Glass

Dave Grohl

Herbie Hancock

Emmylou Harris

Faith Hill

Dixie Hummingbirds

India.Arie

Anita Johnson

Jonas Brothers

Bob Kaminsky

Carole King

Diana Krall

Mark Krantz

Alison Krauss

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

John Lennon

Lyle Lovett

Stephen Marley

Barrie Marshall

Martina McBride

Mary Mary

Paul McCartney

Lorne Michaels

Barack Obama

Jerry Seinfeld

Paul Simon

Julianna Smoot

Esperanza Spalding

George Stevens Jr.

James Taylor

Jack White

Will.i.am

Stevie Wonder

Buckwheat Zydeco

 

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: IN PERFORMANCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE

Yolanda Adams

Bishop Rance Allen

Jeremy Bernard

Leon Bridges

Ken Burns

Pastor Shirley Caesar

Ray Charles

Bill Clinton

Rodney Crowell

Andra Day

Dalton Delan

Aretha Franklin

Rhiannon Giddens

Buddy Guy

Anthony Hamilton

Emmylou Harris

Luci Johnson

Richard Kurin

Queen Latifah

Demi Lovato

Darlene Love

Lyle Lovett

Tamela Mann

MC Lyte

Audra McDonald

Janie McGarr

Brian Stokes Mitchell

Keb’ Mo’

Sam Moore

Barack Obama

Michelle Obama

Lynda Robb

David Skorton

Jussie Smollett

Esperanza Spalding

James Taylor

Trombone Shorty

Usher

Michelle Williams

Stevie Wonder

 

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: NAVY SEAL OF APPROVAL

John Bryson

Tom Daschle

Ellen DeGeneres

John Dalton

General Martin Dempsey

Chris Domencic

Martina McBride

Cindy Moelis

Barack Obama

Julianna Smoot

Gene Sperling

 

CHAPTER THIRTY: AFTERTHOUGHTS

Lloyd Bentsen

Joe Biden

Carol Burnett

George H.W. Bush

George W. Bush

Jimmy Carter

Dave Chappelle

Bill Clinton

Ellen DeGeneres

Tina Fey

Whoopi Goldberg

Lyndon B. Johnson

Lowell Lebermann

David Letterman

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Steve Martin

Hudson Michael McCue

Janie McGarr

Kathryn McGarr

Bill Murray

Richard Nixon

Barack Obama

Richard Pryor

Ronald Reagan

Ann Richards

Annette Strauss

Oscar Wilde

 

APPENDIX A: WHY WASHINGTON NEEDS A LAUGH

George W. Bush

Bill Clinton

Bob Dole

Will Ferrell

Tina Fey

John Kerry

Steve Martin

Jeff Nussbaum

Jon Stewart

Quentin Tarantino

Mo Udall

 

APPENDIX B: A BRIEF HISTORY OF AMERICAN COMEDY

Fred Armisen

Dan Aykroyd

Alec Baldwin

Jack Benny

Milton Berle

Shelley Berman

Mel Brooks

Naomi Brossart

Lenny Bruce

Burns and Allen

George W. Bush

Sid Caesar

Eddie Cantor

George Carlin

Johnny Carson

Jimmy Carter

Dana Carvey

Charlie Chaplin

Chevy Chase

Bill Clinton

Charles Correll

Howard Cosell

Bill Cosby

Elvis Costello

Jeremy Dauber

John Dunning

Frank Fay

Will Ferrell

Gerald Ford

Redd Foxx

Estelle Getty

Freeman Gosden

Abel Green

Dick Gregory

Darrell Hammond

Goober Hoedecker

Bob Hope

Stefan Kanfer

Buster Keaton

Jerry Lewis

Jackie “Moms” Mabley

Dewey “Pigmeat” Markham

Steve Martin

Marx Brothers

Groucho Marx

Jackie Mason

Vaughn Meader

Lorne Michaels

Kliph Nesteroff

Bob Newhart

Barack Obama

Jack Paar

Jay Pharoah

Richard Pryor

Ronald Reagan

Carl Reiner

Don Rickles

Peter Robinson

Rocky & Bullwinkle

Will Rogers

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Nipsey Russell

Donald Trump

Jimmie Walker

Slappy White

Flip Wilson

Henny Youngman

 

APPENDIX C: PURE VANITY

Ken Burns

Steve Case

Bob Dedman

Jeff Doumany

Dayton Duncan

Tom Erickson

Jack Furst

Mike Gage

Ray Wylie Hubbard

Bob Kaminski

Bob Kaminsky

Junior Knight

Mark Langdale

Bob Lutz

Janie McGarr

Bill Miller

Don McNamara

Bill Noelke

Ray Price

Mark Pryor

LeAnn Rimes

Mark Robinson

Jeff Williams

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Julie Andrews

Ryan Bell

Lloyd Bentsen

Carol Burnett

Ken Burns

Buffy Cafritz

George Carlin

Berry Cox

Linda Daschle

Chandler Dean

Dalton Delan

Luke Dempsey

Jeff Doumany

Debra Englander

Aretha Franklin

Dick Gregory

Jay Hodges

Murray Horwitz

David Jaderlund

Jim Johnson

Michael Kaiser

Bob Kaminski

Bob Kaminsky

Peter Kaminsky

Carole King

Mark Krantz

Lenny Kravitz

Marie Mattson

Michael Matuza

Paul McCartney

Annette Cap McCue

Hudson Michael McCue

Janie McGarr

Carolyn McGarr

Kathryn McGarr

Elizabeth McGarr McCue

Austin Miller

Jan Miller

Leslie Miller

Trevor Noah

Jeff Nussbaum

Drew Patrick

David Perry

Alma Powell

Will Ris

David Rubenstein

Deborah Rutter

John Schreiber

Jerry Seinfeld

Jean Kennedy Smith

Ann Stock

Annette Strauss

Bob Strauss

Lily Tomlin

Mark Ulriksen

Larry Wilker

Matthew Winer

Stevie Wonder

Steven Wright