Word: hucksterism
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DIED. Long John Nebel, 66, dean of all-night radio talk-show hosts whose early specialty was interviewing hypnotists, UFO freaks and sundry other pitchmen of the occult; of cancer; in Manhattan. An eighth-grade dropout with a quicksilver tongue, Long John (6 ft. 5 in.) worked as carnival huckster, mind reader and auctioneer before going on Manhattan's WOR in 1956. Indefatigable, he came to command 42 hours of air time a week on WNBC, more than any other host in radio history...
With national elections approaching, Mrs. Thatcher undertook a highly public effort to reach out to the common folk. She turned up for a walkabout along Petticoat Lane, London's celebrated street market, where she was bussed by a local huckster. But she also needed a popular issue, and so she did what had hitherto been politically unthinkable: she injected the explosive issue of immigration, meaning race, into the campaign. In a television interview, Mrs. Thatcher called for a "clear end to immigration," on the ground that "people are really rather afraid that this country might be swamped by people...
...audience. It's obvious why he chooses not to dwell on shop talk. The muscle-beach look alone will not sell the man. For Schwarzenegger, it's the personality that sets him above such former Mr. Americas as pro-wrestler Tony "Dino" Marino and comic book huckster Mike Marvel...
While Elvis Presley lived, there was not a single store hawking Presleyana in Memphis. But since his death last month, the reclusive rock pioneer has been merchandised in a manner that would arouse the envy of the smoothest huckster. Outside his Graceland mansion, peddlers vend memorabilia, including dollar bills with Presley's portrait in place of George Washington's (price: $8). A package of 19 original Presley records is being offered for $9,500. A Columbus, Ga., used-car dealer is restoring the singer's first Cadiliac to take on a national tour. A Delaware outfit called...
Preston Madden of Hamburg Place ushered prospective buyers past ferns and bunting into an air-conditioned, mirrored tack room. As butlers proffered champagne from silver trays, Madden screened footage of his past turf champions. Tom Gentry, the showman of the bluegrass, hawked his yearlings like a carnival huckster, giving away Tom Gentry T shirts, Tom Gentry hats and Tom Gentry Slush, a rum and lime concoction. Seth Hancock, breeder for Claiborne Farm, conducted business more sedately. His yearlings were paraded six at a time before sharp-eyed trainers searching for tiny flaws: a foot that was slightly crooked, a back...