‘Lady Luck’ and the Career of an Entertainer

Max Morath often credits “Lady Luck” with at least part of his success. However, listening to his stories and reading accounts of his long life in Show Business, we come to realize something important that young aspiring performers need to know about establishing successful careers. Those who have worked advising young people who were preparing for life after college have found some floundering amid decisions they were facing, and a rare few already set on a course. However, the vast majority have had quite an unrealistic idea about what it would take to make a successful career, especially those in athletics or in the fine arts. Often the more talented the students were the most unrealistic about the course of their future. It was as if they expected to announce they were ready to begin, and someone would immediately whisk them off to a mansion and instant fame. Dissuading them of this myth could be particularly challenging. To illustrate what it usually takes to become successful and how much hard work is required, I needed an example for illustration. Max Morath is reluctant to write publicly about his career, preferring to allow new performers to get the publicity. However, to help young, aspiring, and talented people understand what it takes to be a success, he shared some of the details of his own preparation that led to his long career. To begin, he discovered he had tw