The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
Not exactly a household word, Max Shulman is nonetheless one of the great  stealth writers in American pop culture. He cowroteThe Tender Trap, which  became abig-screen  vehiclefor Frank Sinatra, and his hilarious, Elvis-intensive satireRally 'Round the Flag, Boys!also made it to Hollywood, pairing the young Paul Newman with the equally young  Joanne Woodward. Shulman's best-known creation, however, is probably Dobie  Gillis--that smooth-talking schlemiel of a college student, always on the make for female  companionship. And in this case, the synergistic success of the book--which generated  both alimp movie musicaland a much-beloved television series--does Shulman a real disservice. Why?The  Many Loves of Dobie Gillisis much funnier than either of its live-action spin-offs,  for one thing. With Dobie himself narrating, the plots shake off at least a grain of their  sitcom stiffness. More to the point, though, is Shulman's mastery of wise-guy prose: the  goofy, comical elevation of Dobie's voice suggests a kind of broad-brushS. J. Perelman, and if  Shulman is a tad less clever than that comedic monster, he's also superior at inducing the  world-class belly laugh. CertainlyThe Many Loves of Dobie Gillisdoes the trick  nicely, and the period illustrations are an irresistible bonus, suitable for framing.