On 19 October 1953 the young singer Julius La Rosa was f i r e d by A r t h u r Godfrey from Godfrey's daily television show. What was notable in this mundane business decision was that Godfrey carried out the firing without warning live on television. After La Rosa finished singing a song near the end of the Monday morning show, Godfrey faced the camera and issued a thirty-eight-word statement:

That was Julie's swan song with us. He goes now out on his own, as his own star, soon to be seen on his own program, and I know you wish him Godspeed as I do. Bye, Bye.

The singer was shocked, as were the estimated 7 million viewers. Godfrey justified the firing on the grounds that La Rosa had "lost his humility." He claimed that the singer had written...