Books About TV, Movies, and More

[bmasters9]

The Streets of San Francisco: A Quinn Martin TV Series (James Rosin's 2011 tribute to and episode guide for this 1972-77 ABC police/detective series [w/the late Karl Malden as Lt. Mike Stone, 24-year veteran of the SFPD in its homicide department; Michael Douglas as his longest-serving partner, Insp. Steve Keller, who was there from 1972-76; and the late Richard Hatch as his other partner, Insp. Dan Robbins, who was only there for the fifth and final go, 1976-77])

 

[krankydoodle]

I just finished Sh*t, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema by Lindy West and really enjoyed it. It helped that I've seen almost all the movies discussed and I liked that it mostly sticks to talking about one movie per chapter. In contrast, I love Shea Serrano but I haven't seen a lot of the movies he covers in Movies (And Other Things) and I found the format hard to get into.

There are some takes in the book that we've all probably heard before (Troy in Reality Bites is awful, Natalie in Love Actually is not fat despite other characters going on about it, etc), but it's a fun, fast read that I'd recommend if you're in the mood for some funny pop culture commentary. This is the first book I've read that references the pandemic, which felt strange but didn't affect my enjoyment.

[Prairie Rose]

The definitive (in my opinion) listing of primetime shows was first published in 1979. The last time it was updated was 2007. I wish someone, even if it wasn't Brooks/Marsh, would update it again.

[Tom Holmberg]

The Disney Afternoon: The Making of a Television Renaissance (Disney Editions Deluxe)
Jake S Friedman
Disney Editions; Deluxe edition (October 4, 2022)
ISBN: 9781368021913

When the Disney Afternoon premiered in 1990, kids tossed their backpacks aside to watch their favorite Disney television characters. Unlike with feature films, these stars had a new adventure every weekday, and their audience journeyed with them on a daily basis. Throughout the '80s and '90s, Disney raised the bar with a lineup of innovative, high-quality television animation. The characters were endearing, the writing was clever, and the art was exceptional. Those who grew up with these characters have continued their love affairs for shows like Darkwing Duck, Gargoyles, TaleSpin, and the irrepressibly beloved DuckTales, deep into adulthood. For the first time, learn the history of the Disney Afternoon shows, read interviews from the creative teams, and revel in rare, behind-the-scenes artwork, plus get the full making of story of the modern-day DuckTales series and its legacy connections to the past.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop: The Team That Changed Children's TV
Nat Segaloff
University Press of Kentucky (October 4, 2022)
ISBN: 9780813196268

For almost half a century, celebrated ventriloquist and entertainer Shari Lewis delighted generations of children and adults with the help of her trusted sock puppet sidekick Lamb Chop. For decades, the beloved pair were synonymous with children's television, educating and entrancing their young audience with their symbiotic personalities and their proclivity for song, dance, and the joy of silliness.

But as iconic as their television personas were, relatively little inside knowledge has been revealed about Lewis herself and the life-changing moments that led her to the entertainment industry and perhaps, most importantly, to Lamb Chop.

Renowned for her skills as a performer, Lewis was an equally skilled businesswoman. Operating in an era when women were largely left out of the conversation, she was one of the few women to run her own television production company. Whether it was singing, dancing, conducting, writing, drawing, or ventriloquism―a skill in which she was virtually unmatched―Lewis spent the entirety of her 65 years in pursuit of performative perfection. Constantly innovating and adapting to the needs of her audience and the market, Lewis extended the longevity of her career decade after decade. Her contributions, and that of Lamb Chop, and the rest of her puppet pals forever changed the history of children's television.

Now, two decades after Lewis and Lamb Chop last graced television with their presence, Lewis' daughter Mallory and author Nat Segaloff have set the record straight about the iconic pair in Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop: The Team that Changed Children's Television. In this seminal biography, the pair pull the veritable wool from the eyes of audiences who adored the legendary entertainer to examine the joys, sorrows, triumphs, and sheer hard work that gave Lewis and Lamb Chop their enduring star power.

Edited February 28, 2022 by Tom Holmberg

[GreekGeek]

I recommend Killing John Wayne by Ryan Uytdewilligen if you're interested in any combination of the following: John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Howard Hughes, the 1950's, the history of the atomic age, RKO Studios, the golden age of the historical blockbuster. It's about the making of The Conqueror, in which John Wayne played Genghis Khan in the sort of "yellowface" performance that would never happen today. The "killing" of the title refers to the cancer deaths of Wayne and many others who worked on the film, possibly due to exposure to nuclear weapons testing.

[Tom Holmberg]

On 2/28/2022 at 9:36 PM, GreekGeek said:

I recommend Killing John Wayne by Ryan Uytdewilligen if you're interested in any combination of the following: John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Howard Hughes, the 1950's, the history of the atomic age, RKO Studios, the golden age of the historical blockbuster. It's about the making of The Conqueror, in which John Wayne played Genghis Khan in the sort of "yellowface" performance that would never happen today. The "killing" of the title refers to the cancer deaths of Wayne and many others who worked on the film, possibly due to exposure to nuclear weapons testing.

Some info on this (for those unfamiliar): https://www.slashfilm.com/760920/the-forgotten-john-wayne-film-that-left-a-tragic-legacy/

 

[Tom Holmberg]

The Fresh Prince Project: How The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Remixed America
Chris Palmer
ISBN: 978-1982185176

More than thirty years have passed since The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air premiered on NBC but unlike other family sitcoms of its era, it has remained culturally relevant and beloved by new generations of fans. With fresh eyes on the show in the wake of 2022’s launch of Bel-Air, a Fresh Prince reboot on NBC’s Peacock, The Fresh Prince Project brings us never-before-told stories based on exclusive interviews with the show’s cast, creators, writers, and crew. The Fresh Prince Project is an eye-opening exploration and celebration of a show that not only made Will Smith a household name but helped redefine America’s understandings of race, sex, parenthood, and class.

 

 

The Wire: The Complete Visual History.
Brandon Easton
ISBN: 9781647227739

Twenty years after the debut of The Wire, HBO’s landmark television show remains one of the most celebrated and beloved stories of all time. Now, this deluxe coffee table book tells the story of a historic production, through candid, never-before-seen photography from the HBO archives.

• HUNDREDS OF NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN PHOTOS: Discover an exclusive treasure trove of incredible photography and art that tells the story of The Wire like never before.

• INTERVIEWS WITH CAST AND CREATORS: The visual story of The Wire is narrated by all-new interviews with creator David Simon, and key cast  members, including Dominic West, Wendell Pierce, Sonja Sohn, Lance Reddick, Michael K. Williams, and Idris Elba.

[Tom Holmberg]

Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me
Ralph Macchio
ISBN: 9780593185834

Since The Karate Kid first crane-kicked its way into the pop culture stratosphere in June 1984, there hasn’t been a week Ralph Macchio hasn’t heard friendly shouts of “Wax on, wax off” or “Sweep the leg!” Now, with Macchio reprising his role as Daniel LaRusso in the #1 ranked Netflix show Cobra Kai, he is finally ready to look back at this classic movie and give the fans something they’ve long craved.
 
The book will be Ralph Macchio’s celebratory reflection on the legacy of The Karate Kid in film, pop culture, and his own life. It will be a comprehensive look at a film that shaped him as much as it influenced the world. Macchio will share an insider's perspective of the untold story behind his starring role—the innocence of the early days, the audition process, and the filmmaking experience--as well as take readers through the birth of some of the film’s most iconic moments.

Ultimately, the book centers on the film itself, focusing on the reason that the characters and themes have endured in such a powerful way and how these personal experiences have impacted Macchio's life. It will bring readers back to the day they met Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi for the first time, but will also provide a fascinating lens into how our pasts shape all of us and how the past can come back to enrich one's life in surprising and wonderful ways.

[Tom Holmberg]

Article about forthcoming "Big Bang Theory" book:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/big-bang-theory-book-to-reveal-untold-secrets-about-hit-comedy-exclusive-1235121289/

 

 

[Tom Holmberg]

The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man: A Memoir
Paul Newman (Author), David Rosenthal (Editor)
ISBN: ‎9780593534502

In 1986, Paul Newman and his closest friend, screenwriter Stewart Stern, began an extraordinary project. Stuart was to compile an oral history, to have Newman’s family and friends and those who worked closely with him, talk about the actor’s life. And then Newman would work with Stewart and give his side of the story. The only stipulation was that anyone who spoke on the record had to be completely honest. That same stipulation applied to Newman himself. The project lasted five years.
 
The result is an extraordinary memoir, culled from thousands of pages of transcripts. The book is insightful, revealing, surprising. Newman’s voice is powerful, sometimes funny, sometimes painful, always meeting that high standard of searing honesty. The additional voices - from childhood friends and Navy buddies, from family members and film and theater collaborators such as Tom Cruise, George Roy Hill, Martin Ritt, and John Huston —that run throughout add richness and color and context to the story Newman is telling.
 
Newman’s often traumatic childhood is brilliantly detailed. He talks about his teenage insecurities, his early failures with women, his rise to stardom, his early rivals (Brando and Dean), his first marriage, his drinking, his philanthropy, the death of his son Scott, his strong desire for his daughters to know and understand the truth about their father. Perhaps the most moving material in the book centers around his relationship with Joanne Woodward - their love for each other, his dependence on her, the way she shaped him intellectually, emotionally and sexually.
 
THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF AN ORDINARY MAN is revelatory and introspective, personal and analytical, loving and tender in some places, always complex and profound. 

 

[Tom Holmberg]

Number One Is Walking: My Life in the Movies and Other Diversions
Steve Martin (Author), Harry Bliss (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781250815293

Number One Is Walking is Steve Martin’s cinematic legacy―an illustrated memoir of his legendary acting career, with stories from his most popular films and artwork by New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss.

Steve Martin has never written about his career in the movies before. In Number One Is Walking, he shares anecdotes from the sets of his beloved films―Father of the Bride, Roxanne, The Jerk, Three Amigos, and many more―bringing readers directly into his world. He shares charming tales of antics, moments of inspiration, and exploits with the likes of Paul McCartney, Diane Keaton, Harrison Ford, and Chevy Chase. Martin details his forty years in the movie biz, as well as his stand-up comedy, banjo playing, writing, and cartooning, all with his unparalleled wit.

With gorgeously illustrated cartoons and single-panel “diversions” in Steve and Harry’s signature style, Number One Is Walking is full of the everyday moments that make up a movie star’s life, capturing Steve Martin’s singular humor and acclaimed career in film. The perfect gift from the team who brought you the #1 New York Times bestseller A Wealth of Pigeons.

 

>Really, they don't mention "L.A. Story" among his movies?

Edited April 20, 2022 by Tom Holmberg

[Tom Holmberg]

Ernie in Kovacsland: Writings, Drawings, and Photographs from Television's Original Genius
by Ernie Kovacs 
ISBN: 9781683966678

In celebration of this cockeyed genius and his prolific creative output, Fantagraphics presents a career retrospective of Ernie Kovacs featuring never-before-seen material from Kovacs's archive.

Best known for his wildly imaginative, gleefully absurdist television show in the 1950s, Ernie Kovacs (1919 – 1962) was also a notorious illustrator, novelist, essayist, newspaper columnist, and poet. In celebration of this cockeyed genius and his prolific creative output, Fantagraphics presents a career retrospective featuring never-before-seen photos from Kovacs's archive; excerpts of his magazine articles, columns and books, hand-notated TV scripts: a smattering of his "illustrated profuselies," the wacky improvisational sketches he drew on air; and more. Curated by Josh Mills (son of Edie Adams, Kovacs's wife and a performer on his show), Edie/Ernie archivist Ben Model, and counterculture historian Pat Thomas, the book offers a unique glimpse into the mind of a pioneering comedian.

Kovacs inspired countless comedians, musicians, humorists, and writers in the latter half of the 20th century and beyond. He is cited as a direct influence by the creators and stars of such innovative comedy series as Saturday Night Live, Monty Python, and Mystery Science Theater 3000. An award in his name has been granted to uproarious humorists like Amy Sedaris (Strangers with Candy) and Harry Shearer (This is Spinal Tap). A true visionary, Kovacs's iconoclastic approach has forever made its mark on the world of comedy.

 

 

[Spartan Girl]

On 4/20/2022 at 1:04 PM, Tom Holmberg said:

>Really, they don't mention "L.A. Story" among his movies?

I’m sure it’ll be in the book—and fuck yeah, I’m getting this.

[Tom Holmberg]

The Making of Bridgerton: The Official Ride from Script to Screen
Shonda Rhimes &, Betsy Beers
ISBN: 9781668001073

The stunning, full-color, behind-the-scenes look at Shondaland’s hit series on Netflix—the Emmy-nominated Regency-era Bridgerton—featuring exclusive material from executive producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers, photos and interviews with cast and crew, and more!

[Tom Holmberg]

The Mother of All Degrassi: A Memoir
Linda Schuyler
ISBN: 9781770416833

When a young schoolteacher decides to teach her Grade 8 class about filmmaking and creates a documentary that ends up being broadcast internationally, she sets in motion a career of storytelling for an age group largely ignored by TV executives … and creates one of the most-loved television franchises of all time

Includes fabulous behind-the-scenes photos and stories for Degrassi fans

Linda Schuyler, co-creator and executive producer of the long-running Degrassi series, shares her personal stories about the grit and determination necessary to make it as a woman entrepreneur in the bourgeoning independent Canadian television industry of the early 1980s.

After surviving a near-fatal car accident in 1968, Linda found her life continuing to veer in unexpected directions, ultimately leading her to use her innate abilities as an educator to become a successful storyteller and businesswoman.

Linda’s deep fondness for teenagers has made her a champion for adolescents. In The Mother of All Degrassi, she shares her strong belief that television is all about the story, and a good story is all about making the political personal. Through anecdotes and introspection ― and some great behind-the-scenes stories for Degrassi fans ― Linda examines her philosophy to dream big, think small, meet life head-on, and always keep an open heart.

[Grrarrggh]

Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility: The Diaries. Genuinely laugh out loud funny and a wonderful behind the scenes view at making a film. Plus it has the entire screenplay, which she won an Oscar for. 

[Spartan Girl]

Just finished Jennifer Grey’s Out of the Corner which recounted, among other things, her experience making Dirty Dancing. It is well known that she and Patrick Swayze didn’t get along starting from their days making Red Dawn—he and the guys played a prank putting firecrackers outside her tent the night before she shot her death scene and (because she smoked a joint before they went off) it freaked her out so much that she felt like it ruined it for her. So when the filmmakers wanted to cast him as Johnny, she said “Anybody but him.” Even when they put aside their differences for that famous screen test, there was still plenty of friction between them: he’d show up late when shooting, and the fact that he was a more experienced dancer with not a lot of patience for her inexperience led to a lot of fights, which ironically worked well for the movie itself. While they didn’t exactly wind up besties by the end of the shooting, it was still a bonding experience.

This passage at the end of that chapter got me:

Quote

I wish Patrick were alive. I wish we could get together. I wish we could reminisce about how, even though neither of us were kids, we were still very young…and dumb. In the chaos of it all, I couldn’t see what we had in each other. I wish I could tell him I’m sorry for all the times I was judgmental or ball busting, for not treating him with more empathy and compassion, for not trusting that a man could actually show up for me. I wish I could tell him what I know now. That I was scared and in over my head. I wish I could tell him how lucky I feel to have him as my Baby’s one and only Johnny.

 

[Tom Holmberg]

The Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee Book
Jerry Seinfeld
ISBN: 9781982112769

A celebration of and behind-the-scenes look at Jerry Seinfeld’s groundbreaking streaming series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.

Over eleven seasons and eighty-four episodes, Jerry Seinfeld drove around in classic cars, grabbing coffee and chatting with the funniest people alive. He reminisced with the late Garry Shandling; bantered with legends Steve Martin, Tina Fey, and Eddie Murphy; reunited with the cast of Seinfeld; and even paid a visit to President Barack Obama in the Oval Office. These and dozens of other guests talked about the intricacies of stand-up, the evolution of their careers and personal lives, and whatever else popped into their brilliant minds. The result was not only a hilarious collection of casual yet intimate conversations—a rare opportunity for viewers to witness their favorite performers unscripted and unvarnished—but arguably the most important historical archive about the art of comedy ever amassed.

Now that archive is preserved in the form of a gorgeously designed and carefully curated book. Seinfeld has hand-picked the show’s keenest insights and funniest exchanges. Also included is a fascinating oral history featuring interviews with dozens of crew members, executives, guests, and Seinfeld himself that details how this scrappy creative experiment landed unprecedented access to the White House, earned multiple Emmy nominations, and helped lead the streaming revolution.

Featuring a newly written introduction by Seinfeld and filled with beautiful never-before-seen production photos, this book is essential reading for comedy lovers, car aficionados, coffee connoisseurs, and Jerry Seinfeld fans.

[Tom Holmberg]

Quentin Tarantino Book 'Cinema Speculation' to Land Oct. 25

"Harper is calling “Cinema Speculation” a combination of “film criticism, film theory, a feat of reporting, and wonderful personal history.” Tarantino, 59, is also known for such movies as “Pulp Fiction,” “Reservoir Dogs” and “Django Unchained." He has previously cited such '70s films as “Jaws,” “Apocalypse Now" and “Carrie” as among his favorites."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-27/quentin-tarantino-book-cinema-speculation-to-land-oct-25

[Tom Holmberg]

Schoolhouse Rock!: The Updated Official Guide
George Newall & Tom Yohe
ISBN: 9781368077743

A revised and updated edition of the bestselling adult book, Schoolhouse Rock! The Official Guide, timed to the 50th anniversary of the premiere.

“Conjunction Junction, what’s your function?”

If you don’t recognize those five little words, then you weren’t camped out in front of the television set every Saturday morning from 1973 to 1985. Those catchy, jazzy tunes from Schoolhouse Rock! taught millions of us the fundamentals of math, grammar, science, and history. We learned how a bill becomes a law in “I’m Just a Bill,” the planets of our solar system in “Interplanet Janet,” how to turn an adjective into a perfectly good adverb in “Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here.” Plus we unknowingly memorized the Preamble to the Constitution!

A blast from the past, Schoolhouse Rock! The Updated Official Guide includes the unforgettable lyrics and memorable moments from the original segments and the later inclusions, such as:

My Hero, Zero
Three Is a Magic Number
Figure Eight
Conjunction Junction
Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here
Interjections!
Telegraph Line
A Victim of Gravity
Interplanet Janet
Sufferin’ Till Suffrage
The Preamble
I’m Just a Bill
Dollars and Sense
Tyrannosaurus Debt

Sprinkled with facts and behind-the-scenes trivia, Schoolhouse Rock! The Updated Official Guide is the must-have book for every fan who wants to relive this beloved pop-culture sensation.

[Tom Holmberg]

Directed by James Burrows: Five Decades of Stories from the Legendary Director of Taxi, Cheers, Frasier, Friends, Will & Grace, and More
James Burrows 
ISBN: 9780593358245

From the director of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, Cheers, Frasier, Friends, and Will & Grace comes an insightful and nostalgic memoir that offers a bounty of behind-the-scenes moments from our favorite shows, peeling away the layers behind how a successful sitcom comes together—and stays that way.

Legendary sitcom director James Burrows has spent five decades making America laugh. Here readers will find never-revealed stories behind the casting of the dozens of great sitcoms he directed, as well as details as to how these memorable shows were created, how they got on the air, and how the cast and crew continued to develop and grow. Burrows also examines his own challenges, career victories, and defeats, and provides advice for aspiring directors, writers, and actors. All this from the man who helped launch the careers of Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer, Woody Harrelson, Jennifer Aniston, Debra Messing, and Melissa McCarthy, to name a few. 

Burrows talks fondly about the inspiration he found during his childhood and young adult years, including his father, legendary playwright and Broadway director Abe Burrows. From there he goes on to explain his rigorous work ethic, forged in his early years in theater, where he did everything from stage managing to building sets to, finally, directing. Transitioning to television, Burrows locked into a coveted job with The Mary Tyler Moore Show, where he first observed and then started to apply his craft. Directing most of the episodes of Taxi came next, where he worked closely with writers/producers Glen and Les Charles. The three formed a remarkable creative partnership that helped Burrows achieve his much sought-after goal of ownership and agency over a project, which came with the creating and directing of the seminal and beloved hit Cheers. Burrows has directed more than seventy-five pilots that have gone to series and over a thousand episodes, more than any other director in history.

[Tom Holmberg]

Emily in Paris: Paris, J'Adore!: The Official Authorized Companion to Emily's Secret Paris
ISBN: 9780316520522

"Paris, J'Adore!" is Emily Cooper's diary about her life in France so far. From leaving her boyfriend in Chicago to starting at marketing firm Savoir in Paris, it reveals all the thrill, fear and confusion Emily experiences as she embarks on her new life. She becomes acquainted not only with French workplace etiquette - the long lunches, the arguments, the determined reluctance to use social media - but also with Gabriel, the hottest chef in town. Some things, though, are beyond comprehension: like why the first floor in a Parisian apartment building is the second floor and the first floor is the ground floor. As the months go by, Emily learns how it's perfectly normal to have a glass of Sancerre for breakfast and how you should never turn up early at work. But more than anything, she learns about love, female friendships, and how exciting it is to step out of your comfort zone in this beautiful and intriguing city.
Paris, J'Adore! is also a guidebook to how to be a Parisian, with tips on fashion, romance, and where to capture the perfect selfie in the City of Lights. Written in Emily's voice, it will contain the following sections:

Emily's Fashion Paris - all about Emily's favourite outfits and designers - from Cadault to Chanel - as well as tips on what to wear to the beach, where to find the best boutiques, and how to dress like a Parisian;

Emily's Romantic Paris - the best bridges to kiss and break up on, where you can find the most breathtaking views and the most perfect backstreets, why the magic of the Eiffel Tower twinkling at night is the most intoxicating backdrop to falling in love, and a selection of the most evocative French songs to sing along to;

Emily's Secret Paris - where Parisians show Emily the real Paris, from the hamman in the Mosquée de Paris to the Atelier des Lumières, and from small independent French cinemas to delightful neighbourhood restaurants; 

Emily's Workplace Paris - how to navigate tensions and emotions in a French boardroom, lunch and coffee break rituals, Sylvie's own version of Savoir's Employee Handbook, and how to teach the French about social media; 

Emily's Escapades from Paris - including the delights of the Champagne region, the sheer glamour of Saint-Tropez and the opulence of the Château de Versailles.

Packed with four-colour photographs, exquisite illustrations and beautiful shots of Paris, Paris, J'Adore! is a hugely desirable gift book for all the fans of the show.

[Tom Holmberg]

The New Lucy Book: A Complete Guide to Her Six Decades on Television and in Films  
Mark, Geoffrey
ISBN: 9781493061396

Written with the cooperation of Luci Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr., both of whom consented to rare interview, The Lucy Book is an amazing retrospective and the life and career of America’s favorite redhead. Containing hundreds of original interviews with cast members, guest stars, production people, contemporaries, family, and friends, this book will tell you what it was really like to work with Lucy. Year ny year, episode by episode, television appearance by television appearance, you follow the meteoric career of this comedy legend. Her five TV series are thoroughly covered, as are her myriad guest appearances on other situation comedies, dramas, game shows, talk shows, variety shows, commercials, and specials. All told, more than 1,000 television appearances and her 75 films are extensively chronicled in this book.

[Tom Holmberg]

Kolchak: The Night Stalker (TV Milestones Series)
Kendall R. Phillips 
ISBN: 9780814349045

Before Buffy the Vampire Slayer or The X-Files, there was Carl Kolchak, a world-weary Chicago newspaper reporter with a cheap, seersucker suit and a penchant for uncovering monsters lurking in every corner. Kolchak first appeared on American screens in the 1972 ABC television movie The Night Stalker, which was then the most-watched television movie in history. The success of this initial offering led to a sequel, The Night Strangler, and a television series, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, that ran from 1974 until 1975. By carefully focusing on the historical and artistic contexts in which it emerged, Kendall R. Phillips offers insights into the way the series both reflected contemporary horror narratives and changed them. Ultimately, the series proved influential for later television horror shows based not only on what it did right but on the mistakes future creators would learn to avoid. The enduring impact of the series on current television horror continues to draw more and more individuals into its robust fanbase, and these fans continue to consume and create new narratives of their favorite monster-hunting reporter even fifty years after he first appeared.

Reviews

Phillips weaves together his authority as a leading horror scholar with his childhood love of Kolchak: The Night Stalker to produce a compelling analysis of this groundbreaking cult television classic. Positioning the show as a milestone of 1970s television and a vital forerunner to contemporary television horror, this book is a must-read for fans and scholars alike. -- Stacey Abbott ― professor of film and television, University of Roehampton UK, and author of Undead Apocalypse

A fascinating and highly engaging 'deep dive' into the Kolchak mythos. Phillips's analysis of the production background and cultural significance of Kolchak: The Nightstalker makes for a supremely entertaining and informative read. An important addition to the growing field of television horror studies. -- Jon Towlson ― author of Subversive Horror Cinema

With Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Kendall Phillips presents a rigorous assessment of an important television show, the impact of which is still being felt today. Phillips writes of Kolchak's history, textual nuances, and legacy with exemplary clarity and attention to detail. -- Johnny Walker ― associate professor in the Department of Arts, Northumbria University

_____________________________________________________

The Good Place (TV Milestones Series)
Erin Giannini 
ISBN: 9780814348659

"Pobody's nerfect" - or whatever the saying might be! As humans we are constantly worried about how our actions may come back to haunt us. The Good Place (2016-2020) is a high-concept American sitcom that brought light to the dark topic of the afterlife, and the show tackled this worry head-on. Although it had a life span of only four seasons, The Good Place made a lasting impact on American television culture and garnered many accolades for producer Michael Schur (also producer of The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine). Author Erin Giannini argues that the show redefines the classic sitcom structure by mixing the genres of fantasy and comedy, while simultaneously teaching the viewers the importance of character development through the analysis of moral and ethical principles. Giannini also analyzes the "not so in your face" political commentary seen in The Good Place, as this show took place during a tumultuous time in American politics. Television studies scholars and fans of the show will enjoy Giannini's analysis of The Good Place as they read about the show's laughs and twists and turns.

Reviews

Holy forking shirtballs, Erin Giannini has written the definitive guide to The Good Place! With a thoughtful eye for detail, Giannini weaves an understanding of the thematic, political, narratological, and pedagogical value of this groundbreaking sitcom. A must-read for fans and scholars alike, this volume explores what The Good Place is, what it can be, and what it means for all of us. -- Paul Booth ― professor of media and cinema studies, DePaul University

In addition to her excellent observations on The Good Place'spointed comedic critique, its deft storytelling techniques, and its engagement with deeper themes, Giannini insightfully examines the place of the series among its televised forebears, contemporaries, and descendants. The Good Place is a good read! -- Janet Brennan Croft ― editor of Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

This excellent study provides a sophisticated account of the ambitions of The Good Place. Erin Giannini guides us through the complexities of the show both as a sitcom and as pedagogy, assisting us in appreciating both its philosophical themes and its achievement as television. Anyone interested in the show or the possibilities of television would benefit from reading this book. -- James B. South ― professor of philosophy, Marquette University

The Good Place provides a thorough and commanding televisual critique worthy of the complexity of its subject matter. Erin Giannini grounds her scholarship in well-explicated political and philosophical context, helping the reader to appreciate both the series' immediate social relevance and its value as art that transcends its cultural moment. Excellent reading for scholars, students, and fans. -- Regina Hansen ― Boston University

Edited June 17, 2022 by Tom Holmberg

[Blergh]

 Jackie Coogan: The World's Boy King: A Biography of Hollywood's Legendary Child Star (2003)

by Diana Serra Cary (1918-2020)

 Mrs. Cary started out life as Peggy-Jean Montgomery who would become the film star Baby Peggy at the age of 18 months. Having a similar but longer- lasting career was her acquaintance Jackie Coogan (1914-1984) who was catapulted into world fame by co-starring with Charlie Chaplin in The Kid (1921) but would wind up in obscurity before regaining some fame in middle age playing Uncle Fester in The Addams Family (1964-1966) . Starting with his own parents' childhoods and going to his end before ending the book with a plea for the protection of child performers, Mrs. Cary takes the reader on quite the roller coaster using superb data and, at times, uncanny insights on the subjects.. No, neither he nor his parents are by any means saints and all three would have quite a few unexpected turns that Mrs. Cary pulls no punches on including his marriages, being a heroic glider pilot in Burma in World War II to. .. having one of his best friends in college getting kidnapped and murdered with the accused individuals being lynched before any trial happened

Spoiler

(and Mrs. Cary presents chilling evidence that Coogan might have been part of that lynch mob)

. From the first page to the end, Mrs. Cary has authored quite an engaging tome filled with all kinds of background stories and giving an good insight as to what life was like for children and adults behind the scenes in the entertainment industry from late 19th century vaudeville stages to movie  and television productions in the last part of the 20th century.  I give this a solid A! 

Edited June 16, 2022 by Blergh

[Tom Holmberg]

Can't say I like this show or the roasts...

Backstage at the Dean Martin Show
Lee Hale & Richard D Neely
ISBN: 9781493072866

The Dean Martin Show, with its big-name stars—such as Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Stewart, Lucille Ball, and John Wayne—glitzy production number, and often risque skits, for nine years owned Thursday nights at ten o'clock on television. But nothing about the show was as big a draw as its inimitable host, the breezy, roguishly handsome Dean Martin. Now Lee Hale, the show's musical director, and later producer of The Golddiggers and Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts, lets you peek behind the curtains at all the fun, friendship, and occasional star tantrums that went into making this top-rated variety program.

[Tom Holmberg]

The Friends Book of Lists: The Official Guide to All the Characters, Quotes, and Memorable Moments
Michelle Morgan
ISBN: 9780762480593

Packed with compelling facts and trivia from all ten seasons, Friends Book of Lists breaks down the memorable series in a collection of 100+ easy-to-digest lists focusing on themes, characters, and favorite moments in an irresistible package.

Each entry in this comprehensive book celebrates another corner of the Friends universe and offers new discoveries and facts concerning cherished characters and themes. From every time Joey says, “How you doin’?” to memorable holiday episodes, each list will delight fans and remind them why Friends is one of the most beloved comedy series of all time. Lists include:

Family Trees
Chick and Duck Appearances
Every Time Ross Says, “We were on a break!”
Ugly Naked Guy’s Activities
Chandler’s Top Four Reasons to Get Married
Phoebe’s Songs
Imaginary Things on Joey’s Resumé
Ross’s Spray Tan Disaster
Janice’s Appearances
Guest Star Appearances
And more!

Including full-color photos and visuals throughout, Friends Book of Lists is an officially licensed must-have collector's item for the ultimate Friends fan.

[Tom Holmberg]

Collecting The Simpsons: The Merchandise and Legacy of our Favorite Nuclear Family
Warren Evans, James Hicks & Lydia Poulteney
ISBN: 9781684810536

The Simpsons Merchandise Guide for all Simpsons Lovers

This quirky book unleashes the entire story of all Simpsons merchandise, spanning over decades. Warren Evans, the Bart of Darkness, details a massive collection of rare Simpsons memorabilia.

Jump right into 90s nostalgia! Simpsons Lovers everywhere can explore the explosion of Simpsons merchandise and products, right in the comfort of their own home. From action figures, video games, comics, lunch boxes, and yes, even cookie jars, this book is a collectors paradise full of insightful information.

The perfect collector’s item to have! This full-color guide features high quality photos of Simpsons-inspired products, and never-before-seen interviews from the toys' creators, writers, actors, and producers. This is the perfect gift for fans of Friends, Family Guy, and the like!

Inside, you’ll find:

Never-before-seen in-depth interviews and collector items from real-life Simpsons lovers

Read for fun: all of the words of Warren Evans, a note-worthy expert on The Simpsons family

Full-colored photographs of Simpsons merchandise and collector items from the beginning of the Simpsons dynasty

If you're looking for one of the best books for tv nerds who like The Big Bang Theory, Welcome to Dunder Mifflin, or The Simpsons Secret, then Collecting the Simpsons belongs right on your bookshelf!

[Tom Holmberg]

The Worst We Can Find: MST3K, Rifftrax, and the History of Heckling at the Movies
Dale Sherman
ISBN: 9781493063918

Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) and its various offshoots, such as Rifftrax and Cinematic Titanic, have been making fun of movies for over thirty years. In the process, they captured the spirit of what had been a beloved pastime for generations of wags, wiseacres, and smartalecks, and inspired countless more. The Worst We Can Find looks at how “riffing” of films came about, the history of the shows, and why what could be an annoying habit in the theater has become a long-lasting franchise in entertainment over the years. Mystery Science Theater 3000 first aired on a small television station in St. Paul, Minnesota. In a twist on programs of the past where movie hosts introduced films on local television channels, MST3K would liberate not very good or horribly bad films through humor with the help of a handful of writers, puppeteers, and performers who never could let a chance to make fun of what was happening on the screen get away from them. Dale Sherman covers where creative heckling came from in the years before the program, through the way MST3K and its progeny—including Rifftrax, Cinematic Titanic, and The Mads Are Back, have redirected the art of riffing into a style that manages to be both affectionate and cutting.

[Tom Holmberg]

The Little Book of Frasier 
Orange Hippo!
ISBN: 9781800691933

Running for 11 seasons and syndicated worldwide, there’s always a Frasier rerun airing somewhere – and the audience is lying in wait for the eagerly anticipated 2022 reboot on Paramount+.

Quick-witted, cultured and pompous, Frasier Crane is a relationships therapist who struggles with relationships, with hilarious results. Although he ties with Oliva Benson in Law & Order for the longest-running US television character, it’s the ensemble cast playing out the well-rounded storylines that is the key to the show’s success and comedy credentials.

[Tom Holmberg]

A Convenient Parallel Dimension: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever
James Greene Jr.
ISBN: 9781493048243

“Rarely has a movie this expensive provided so many quotable lines.” So wrote Roger Ebert in his review of Ghostbusters, the 1984 blockbuster that handed our paranormal fears over to some of the sharpest comic minds of the day. Ghostbusters instantly resonated with audiences thanks to eye-popping special effects and crackling wit; to date, it remains the highest-grossing horror comedy of all time. The film spawned an Emmy-nominated Saturday morning cartoon, a tentpole 1989 sequel, a contentious 2016 reboot, legions of merchandise, and one of the most dedicated fan bases in history. Ghostbusters also elevated its players to superstardom, something a few cast members found more daunting than the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

Now, for the first time, the entire history of the slime-soaked franchise is told in A Convenient Parallel Dimension: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever. The cohesion of talent during the mid-’70s comedy revolution, the seat-of-their-pants creation of the first Ghostbusters, the explosive success that seemed to mandate a franchise, the five year struggle to make Ghostbusters II, the thirty-one-year struggle to make Ghostbusters III—it’s all here, with incredible attention to detail. Thoroughly researched and engaging, A Convenient Parallel Dimension smashes long-held myths and half truths about the dynamics behind this cultural juggernaut and presents the real story, down to the last drop of ectoplasm.

[Tom Holmberg]

Rube Tube: CBS and Rural Comedy in the Sixties
Sara K. Eskridge
ISBN: 9780826222626

Historian Sara Eskridge examines television’s rural comedy boom in the 1960s and the political, social, and economic factors that made these shows a perfect fit for CBS. The network, nicknamed the Communist Broadcasting System during the Red Scare of the 1940s, saw its image hurt again in the 1950s with the quiz show scandals and a campaign against violence in westerns. When a rival network introduced rural-themed programs to cater to the growing southern market, CBS latched onto the trend and soon reestablished itself as the Country Broadcasting System. Its rural comedies dominated the ratings throughout the decade, attracting viewers from all parts of the country. With fascinating discussions of The Andy Griffith Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, and other shows, Eskridge reveals how the southern image was used to both entertain and reassure Americans in the turbulent 1960s.

[Tom Holmberg]

New Book about Siskel & Ebert due out in Oct 2023. 

Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever
Matt Singer
G.P. Putnam's Sons (October 24, 2023) Hardcover  ‎ 320 pages ISBN‏: ‎ 9780593540152

A fascinating and lively dual biography of Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert—two reporters with no formal training in cinema or television who evolved from sworn enemies in the Chicago film scene, to reluctant collaborators, to one of the most famous and powerful film critics in entertainment history.

On a cold Saturday afternoon in 1975, two men (who had known each other for eight years before they’d ever exchanged a word) met for lunch in a Chicago pub. Gene Siskel was the film critic for the Chicago Tribune. Roger Ebert had recently won the Pulitzer Prize—the first ever awarded to a film critic—for his work at the Chicago Sun-Times. To say they despised each other was an understatement.

When they reluctantly agreed to collaborate on a new movie review show with PBS, there was at least as much sparring off-camera as on. No decision—from which films to cover to who would read the lead review to how to pronounce foreign titles—was made without conflict, but their often-antagonistic partnership (which later transformed into genuine friendship) made for great television. In the years that followed, their signature “Two thumbs up!” would become the most trusted critical brand in Hollywood.

In Opposable Thumbs, award-winning editor and film critic Matthew Singer eavesdrops on their iconic balcony set, detailing their rise from making $325 a week on local Chicago PBS to securing multimillion-dollar contracts for a syndicated series (a move that convinced a young local host named Oprah Winfrey to do the same). Their partnership was cut short when Gene Siskel passed away in February of 1999 after a battle with brain cancer that he’d kept secret from everyone outside his immediate family—including Roger Ebert, who never got to say goodbye to his longtime partner.But their influence on in the way we talk about (and think about) movies continues to this day.

[Tom Holmberg]

Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson's Creek: How Seven Teen Shows Transformed Television
Thea Glassman
Running Press Adult (June 27, 2023) ISBN: 9780762480760

The untold stories of seven revolutionary teen shows (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, My So-Called Life, Dawson’s Creek, Freaks and Geeks, The O.C., Friday Night Lights, and Glee) that shaped the course of modern television and our pop cultural landscape forever.

The modern television landscape is defined by influential and ambitious shows for and about teenagers. Groundbreaking series like Euphoria, Sex Education, and Pen15 dominate awards season and lead the way when it comes to progressive, diverse, and creative storytelling. So how did we get here from Beverly Hills, 90210?

In Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson’s Creek, entertainment journalist Thea Glassman takes readers behind the scenes of seven of the most culturally significant series of the last three decades, drawing on dozens of new interviews with showrunners, cast, crewmembers, and more. These shows not only launched the careers of such superstars as Will Smith, Michael B. Jordan, Claire Danes, and Seth Rogen, but they also took young people seriously, proving that teen TV could be smart, revolutionary, and “important”—and stay firmly entrenched in pop culture long after it finished airing. And while many critics insist that prestige dramas like The Sopranos and Mad Men paved the way for television, some of the most groundbreaking work was actually happening inside the fictional hallways of high schools across America in teen shows whose impact remains visible on our screens today.

[Tom Holmberg]

Camp TV of the 1960s: Reassessing the Vast Wasteland
Isabel Pinedo & W. D. Philips (Editors)
ISBN: 9780197650752

Camp TV of the 1960s offers a comprehensive understanding of all of the many forms camp TV took during that critical decade. In reevaluating the history of camp on television, the authors reconsider the infantilized conceptualization of sixties television, which has generally been characterized as the creative and cultural ebb between the 1950s Golden Age of television and the networks' shift "relevance" in the early 1970s.

Encompassing contributions from a broad range of media and television scholars that (re)consider programs like Batman, The Monkees, The Addams Family, Bewitched, F Troop, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, chapters closely examine beloved 1960s American prime-time programs that drew significantly on aspects of camp, many of which were widely syndicated and left continuing imprints on popular culture. Other chapters consider key TV precursors from the early sixties; British camp television programs such as The Avengers; the use of musical codes to convey camp humor (even on black-and-white sets); the role that the viewing strategies of queer communities played - and continued to play even decades later; and how camp's multivalence allowed for more conservative readings, especially among older audiences, which were critical for the move to "mass camp" throughout American culture by the early seventies.

Camp TV of the 1960s is essential reading for students and scholars in television studies and others interested in the history and theory of camp, the 1960s, or popular culture, as well as fans of these well-known but generally understudied television programs.

[Tom Holmberg]

Dressing the Part: Television's Most Stylish Shows 
Hal Rubenstein
ISBN: 9780063272590

From longtime fashion director, consultant, media personality, and author, Hal Rubenstein, comes a lush, full color, illustrated guide to the most influential fashion on television from the 1950s to today, revealing the surprising ways our favorite shows have significantly reflected and often shaped the way we dress.

No other medium has shaped our lives as thoroughly and consistently as television. Since its advent in the 1950s, television has served as a portal for discovering culture, initiating trends, and altering shared perceptions. Yet as Hal Rubenstein contends, television has done much more; its most dramatic, lasting, and effective influence can be found in our closets. Our most popular and lasting fashion trends and hallmarks of personal style haven’t come from runways or magazines, but from what’s on TV. For decades television has served as a personal stylist, showing us how others dress and defining what we should be wearing.

From Mary Tyler Moore's capri pants on The Dick van Dyke Show and Emma Peel's dominatrix jumpsuit on The Avengers to Olivia Pope's trademark white trench on Scandal and Don Drapers' grey sharkskin suits on Mad Men, Dressing the Part is a rich history of popular American fashion and culture in the modern age. In this gorgeous compendium, the longtime fashion director and expert identifies the most stylish television shows of the past 70 years, highlighting the ways they have affected and often inspired ordinary Americans’ wardrobes. Combining his decades of fashion expertise and insider knowledge with lush photographs, archival sketches, fascinating interviews with  over two dozen of television’s best costume designers, commentary from showrunners and co-stars, and little-known backstories, Rubenstein reveals with insight and wit how television has shaped everyday fashion, guiding and often elevating how we dress.

Illustrated with over 175 gorgeous, full-color photographs, Dressing the Part is an extraordinary survey of our most beloved shows and their most enduring impact on style, shining a spotlight on the most innate human characteristics of all—how we imitate and then adapt what we enjoy seeing on others.

 

[Tom Holmberg]

What's Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service
Melissa Fitzgerald & Mary McCormack
ISBN: 9780593184547

A behind-the-scenes look into the creation and legacy of one of TV’s most beloved shows: The West Wing, as told by actors Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack, and cast and crew of the hit series, spotlighting what made the show so great—but even more so, the commitment to service that has made The West Wing, and the relationships behind it, endure

Step back inside the world of President Jed Bartlet’s Oval Office with Fitzgerald and McCormack as they reunite The West Wing cast and crew in a lively and colorful “backstage pass” exploration of the timeless series. This intimate, in-depth reflection reveals how The West Wing was conceived and spotlights the army of people it took to produce it, as well as the lifelong friendships it forged and the service it inspired. Most important, it underscores how the series envisaged an American politics of decency and honor, and created an aspirational White House beyond the bounds of fictional television, a tradition that continues today.  What's Next will highlight initiatives supported by the cast and crew from justice reform to arts education.
 
From cast member “origin stories” to the collective, cathartic farewell on the show’s final night of filming, and everything in between--annual cast-and-crew trips to Vegas . . . that time the Democratic National Convention came to town--What’s Next will delight readers with tales of on-set hijinks and off-camera anecdotes that even West Wing superfans have never heard. Meanwhile, a deeper analysis of the show’s legacy through American culture, service, government, and civic life reflects on just how resonant The West Wing was at the time and remains to this day. Like the show itself, What's Next is a witty, heartfelt blend of entertainment and inspiration.  
 
Not is The West Wing one of the most beloved shows of all time, it also lit a spark for a generation to get involved in the political process, in service, and in activism of every kind. What’s Next revisits beloved episodes with fresh, untold commentary; compiles poignant and hilarious stories from the show’s actors, crew, and creators; and makes a powerful case for competent, empathetic leadership, and for hope and optimism in whatever lies ahead.

[Tom Holmberg]

Behind the Screens: Illustrated Floor Plans and Scenes from the Best TV Shows of All Time
Iñaki Aliste Lizarralde
ISBN: 9781797219431

Hand-drawn floor plans and richly imagined architectural illustrations tell the story of television’s most memorable on-screen sets and scenes.

Come explore where Lucy and Ethel baked a monstrous loaf of bread, where Phoebe performed “Smelly Cat,” where Jim and Pam fell in love, and countless other homes, offices, and towns as familiar to you as your own living room. Illustrator Iñaki Aliste Lizarralde has expertly rendered thirty-five of the most memorable television floor plans in modern history—puzzling together the layouts with an architect’s eye for detail and a director’s sense of storytelling.

TV fans will delight in the interiors and exteriors from shows like Friends, Seinfeld, and The Simpsons, where characters and plotlines converge to create worlds so mesmerizing you want to binge-watch season after season. With immersive illustrations from shows across decades and countries, this truly unique art collection offers hilarious TV moments, Easter eggs, and behind-the-scenes trivia to test even the biggest superfans.

GIFT OF AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE: Here is a thorough deep dive and binge-worthy art collection for television superfans, cinephiles, fans of the Warner Brothers' studio tour, and anyone who likes to watch hours of TV at a time.
 
A NEW WAY TO BINGE YOUR FAVORITE TV: Rediscover your love of the classics like I Love Lucy and Little House on the Prairie; revisit childhood favorites like The Brady Bunch and Sesame Street;or explore recent classics like The Office, Sex and the City, and Friends.

HAND DRAWN, HIGHLY INTRICATE: Imagine living and working in your favorite fictional worlds—these floor plans are drawn as if they could exist in your neighborhood or town rather than on a soundstage. Created from memory and research by a trained architectural illustrator, each image gives you a sense of place in the context of the show’s world.

INTERNATIONAL APPEAL: Throughout the book you’ll find fan favorite shows from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Shows like Kim’s Convenience, Schitt’s Creek, Killing Eve, and Sherlock appear alongside U.S. favorites like Seinfeld, Gilmore Girls, New Girl, and The Big Bang Theory.

 

[Tom Holmberg]

Pandora's Box: The Greed, Lust, and Lies That Broke Television
Peter Biskind
ISBN: 9780062991669

Bestselling author of Easy Riders, Raging Bulls and Down and Dirty Pictures, cultural critic Peter Biskind turns his eye toward the new golden age of television, sparked by the fall of play-it-safe network TV and the rise of boundary-busting cable followed by streaming, that overturned both—based on exclusive, candid, and colorful interviews with executives, writers, showrunners, directors, and actors.

We are now lucky enough to be living through the era of so-called “Peak TV,” in which television, in its various guises and formats, has seized the entertainment mantle from movies, and dominates our leisure time. How and why this happened is the subject of this book.

Instead of focusing on one service, like HBO, Pandora’s Box asks, “What did HBO do, besides give us The Sopranos?” The answer: It gave us a revolution. Biskind bites off a big chunk of entertainment history, following HBO from its birth into maturity, moving on to the basic cablers like FX and AMC, and ending up with the streamers and their wars, pitting Netflix against Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, and the killer pluses—Disney, Apple, Paramount, et al.      

Since the creative and business sides of TV are thoroughly entwined, Biskind examines both, and the interplay between them. Through frank, and occasionally shockingly intimate interviews with creators and executives, Pandora’s Box investigates the dynamic interplay of commerce and art through the lens of the relationships among the networks, cablers, and streamers—sometimes allies, sometimes enemies—and uses the shows they air, in particular the game changers, as windows into the byzantine practices of the players as they use money and guile to destroy their competitors. 

At the end, this book crystal balls the future in light of the success and/or failure of the streamers that, after apparently clearing the board, now face life threatening problems, some self-created, some not. Pandora’s Box may be right or wrong, or most likely both, but regardless, it is a provocative read. 

 

[Tom Holmberg]

Black TV: Five Decades of Groundbreaking Television from Soul Train to Black-ish and Beyond
Bethonie Butler
ISBN: 9780762481514

With iconic imagery and engrossing text, Black TV is the first book of its kind to celebrate the groundbreaking, influential, and often under-appreciated shows centered on Black people and their experiences from the last fifty years.
 
Over the past decade, television has seen an explosion of acclaimed and influential debut storytellers including Issa Rae (Insecure), Donald Glover (Atlanta), and Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You). This golden age of Black television would not be possible without the actors, showrunners, and writers that worked for decades to give voice to the Black experience in America.
 
Written by veteran TV reporter Bethonie Butler, Black TV tells the stories behind the pioneering series that led to this moment, celebrating the laughs, the drama, and the performances we’ve loved over the last fifty years. Beginning with Julia, the groundbreaking sitcom that made Diahann Carroll the first Black woman to lead a prime-time network series as something other than a servant, she explores the 1960s and 1970s as an era of unprecedented representation, with shows like Soul Train, Roots, and The Jeffersons. She unpacks the increasingly nuanced comedies of the 1980s from 227 to A Different World, and how they paved the way for the ’90s Black-sitcom boom that gave us The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Living Single. Butler also looks at the visionary comedians—from Flip Wilson to the Wayans siblings to Dave Chappelle—and connects all these achievements to the latest breakthroughs in television with showrunners like Shonda Rhimes, Ava DuVernay, and Quinta Brunson leading the charge.
 
With dozens of photographs reminding readers of memorable moments and scenes, Butler revisits breakout performances and important guest appearances, delivering some overdue accolades along the way. So, put on your Hillman sweatshirt, make some popcorn, and get ready for a dyn-o-mite retrospective of the most groundbreaking and entertaining shows in television history.

[Tom Holmberg]

Monsters on Maple Street: The Twilight Zone and the Postwar American Dream
David J Brokaw
ISBN: 9780813197845

Post-World War II America has often been mythologized by successive generations as an exceptional period of prosperity and comfort. At a time when the Cold War was understood to be a battle of ideas as much as military prowess, the entertainment business relied heavily on subtle psychological marketing to promote the idea of the American Dream. The media of the 1950s and 1960s promoted an idealized version of American life sustained by the nuclear family and bolstered by a booming consumer economy. The seemingly wholesome and simple lifestyles portrayed on television screens, however, belied a torrent of social, economic, and political struggles occurring at the time. By the late 1950s, television writers were increasingly constrained to distract audiences from confronting counternarratives to the Dream. Among the programs that railed against this trend was Rod Serling's television masterpiece The Twilight Zone. Now considered an enduring classic, the allegorical nature of the show provides a window into the many overlooked issues that plagued Cold War America.

In Monsters on Maple Street: The Twilight Zone and the Postwar American Dream, David J. Brokaw describes how the TV show reframed popular portrayals of white American wish fulfillments as nightmares, rather than dreams. Brokaw's close reading of the show's sociopolitical dimensions examines how the series' creators successfully utilized science fiction, horror, and fantasy to challenge conventional thinking – and avoid having their work censored - around topics such as sexuality, technology, war, labor and the workplace, and white supremacy. In doing so, Brokaw helps us understand how the series exposed the underbelly of the American Dream and left indelible impressions in the minds of its viewers for decades to come.

[Tom Holmberg]

Will & Grace (TV Milestones Series)
Tison Pugh
ISBN: 9780814349069

The sitcom Will & Grace (1998-2006, 2017-20) forever shifted the media landscape and its treatment of queer themes by starring an openly gay protagonist, Will Truman, on primetime network television. Will, along with his best friend Grace Adler and their constant companions Jack McFarland and Karen Walker, engaged in many stereotypical sitcom shenanigans imbued with decidedly queer twists. Despite the series' groundbreaking nature, its accuracy and responsibility in representing gay men-and of queer culture in general-has been questioned throughout its initial run and reboot. Author Tison Pugh places the sitcom in its historical context of the late 1990s and early 2000s, considering how it contributed to contemporary debates concerning queer life.

Will & Grace returned in the Trump era, offering viewers another chance to enjoy the companionship of these quirky yet relatable characters as they grappled with seismic shifts in the nation's political climate. Pugh demonstrates that while heralding a new age of queer representation, characters across the series were homogenized through upper-class whiteness to normalize queerness for a mainstream U.S. audience. In negotiating protocols of network television and the desires of audiences both gay and straight, this trailblazing series remains simultaneously haunted by and liberated from longstanding queer stereotypes.

[Tom Holmberg]

Mad Men (TV Milestones Series) 
Gary R. Edgerton
ISBN: 9780814345467

This one-stop primer offers a succinct analysis of one of the most skillfully produced, artistically innovative, and culturally resonant scripted series in modern television. It opens by explaining how Mad Men (AMC, 2007-2015) functions as a representative example of much deeper and more profound structural changes happening in television since the 2000s. Gary R. Edgerton highlights influences driving the creation of the show, including creator Matthew Weiner's personal connections to the subject matter and the development of the main character, Don Draper (Jon Hamm). Analysis of the show's story progression is delineated by a pivotal shift from a culturally relevant Zeitgeist phenomenon to a narrative more concerned with Draper's introspective and existential journey to reconciliation and self-awareness. Cultural reflections are also explored with interrogations of privilege and prejudice, the American Dream, ethnicity, race, gender politics, and class as witnessed through the program's complex and conflicted characters.

Following its debut, Mad Men quickly became a bellwether of contemporary culture. The award-winning series set the creative standard in drama over the span of its initial run and is now recognized as a milestone in the history and development of scripted television. Throughout its seven seasons, the series struck a delicate balance of being both complex and cerebral while also entertaining and accessible, a balance that Edgerton skillfully carries over to this book.

***

The Television Genre Book, 4th Edition
Glen Creeber
ISBN: 9781839022081

This key textbook on television genre brings together leading international scholars to provide an introduction to the debates, issues and concerns of the field. It introduces the concept of 'genre' and how it is understood in television studies, and then addresses the nine main televisual genres: drama, soap opera, comedy, children's television, news, documentary, reality television, animation and popular entertainment.

The Television Genre Book has expanded to reflect the ways in which TV has altered radically in recent years, particularly with the arrival of online streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max and Amazon Prime.

This 4th edition is now:
1. llustrated in colour throughout with international case studies of classic and contemporary programming from each genre.
2. Covering horror, political thrillers, Nordic noir, sadcom, historical documentaries, docu-drama, reality television and consumption in the age of streaming.
3. The sport section is significantly extended to include hybrid sport, professional wrestling and sports documentary.
4. Including case studies on Stranger Things, Killing Eve, The Crown, Chernobyl, Black Mirror and Fleabag.

 

Edited April 14, 2023 by Tom Holmberg

[Annber03]

11 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

Monsters on Maple Street: The Twilight Zone and the Postwar American Dream
David J Brokaw
ISBN: 9780813197845

Post-World War II America has often been mythologized by successive generations as an exceptional period of prosperity and comfort. At a time when the Cold War was understood to be a battle of ideas as much as military prowess, the entertainment business relied heavily on subtle psychological marketing to promote the idea of the American Dream. The media of the 1950s and 1960s promoted an idealized version of American life sustained by the nuclear family and bolstered by a booming consumer economy. The seemingly wholesome and simple lifestyles portrayed on television screens, however, belied a torrent of social, economic, and political struggles occurring at the time. By the late 1950s, television writers were increasingly constrained to distract audiences from confronting counternarratives to the Dream. Among the programs that railed against this trend was Rod Serling's television masterpiece The Twilight Zone. Now considered an enduring classic, the allegorical nature of the show provides a window into the many overlooked issues that plagued Cold War America.

In Monsters on Maple Street: The Twilight Zone and the Postwar American Dream, David J. Brokaw describes how the TV show reframed popular portrayals of white American wish fulfillments as nightmares, rather than dreams. Brokaw's close reading of the show's sociopolitical dimensions examines how the series' creators successfully utilized science fiction, horror, and fantasy to challenge conventional thinking – and avoid having their work censored - around topics such as sexuality, technology, war, labor and the workplace, and white supremacy. In doing so, Brokaw helps us understand how the series exposed the underbelly of the American Dream and left indelible impressions in the minds of its viewers for decades to come.

Oooooooooooh, okay, I am gonna have to get this one. 

[Tom Holmberg]

I'm really getting annoyed by all the cookbooks being published with tenuous ties to movies and TV show.  The Bettlejuice Cookbook? The Star Wars Cookbook? The Nightmare before Christmas Cookbook?  When's the Conan the Barbarian Cookbook coming out? Or the Silence of the Lambs Cookbook?

Edited April 20, 2023 by Tom Holmberg

[Tom Holmberg]

Surely You Can't Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane!
David Zucker, Jim Abrahams & Jerry Zucker
ISBN: 9781250289315

Surely You Can't Be Serious is an in-depth and hysterical look at the making of 1980's comedy classic Airplane! by the legendary writers and directors of the hit film.

Airplane! premiered on July 2nd, 1980. With a budget of $3.5 million it went on to make nearly $200 million in sales and has influenced a multitude of comedians on both sides of the camera.

Surely You Can’t Be Serious is the first-ever oral history of the making of Airplane! by the creators, and of the beginnings of the ZAZ trio (Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker) – charting the rise of their comedy troupe Kentucky Fried Theater in Madison, Wisconsin all the way to premiere day. The directors explain what drew them to filmmaking and in particular, comedy. With anecdotes, behind the scenes trivia, and never-before-revealed factoids – these titans of comedy filmmaking unpack everything from how they persuaded Peter Graves to be in the movie after he thought the script was a piece of garbage, how Lorna Patterson auditioned for the stewardess role in the backseat of Jerry’s Volvo, and how Leslie Nielsen’s pranks got the entire crew into trouble, to who really wrote the jive talk. The book also features testimonials and personal anecdotes from well-known faces in the film, television, and comedy sphere – proving how influential Airplane! has been from day one.

Four decades after its release, Airplane! continues to make new generations laugh. Its many one-liners and visual gags have worked their way into the mainstream culture. This fully organic expansion of the ZAZ trio’s fan-base, prompted solely by word-of-mouth, comes as no surprise to longtime fans. When all around us is in flux – laughter is priceless.

[Tom Holmberg]

The Essential Mayberry: Behind the Scenes of The Andy Griffith Show
Neal Brower
ISBN: 9781958888124

An encyclopedic behind-the-scenes look for fans of The Andy Griffith Show.

In October 1960, The Andy Griffith Show began its eight-year reign as one of the top-ten television shows in the country. Now, more than 60 years later, the original 249 episodes still remain among the most frequently watched television shows—and its stars, Ron Howard, Don Knotts, Jim Nabors, and of course, Andy Griffith, live on in popular culture. Neal Brower, long time superfan and show expert, has been writing and even teaching courses about The Andy Griffith Show for over thirty years. He has made it his mission to gather the lore about the show and especially about the writing and production of the scripts. Brower interviewed many of the show’s writers including Harvey Bullock, Everett Greenbaum, Sam Bobrick, and their partners and collected his findings in his 2011 book, Mayberry 101. As Goober would say, “Well, golly!”

In this second edition of this iconic and popular book, now called The Essential Mayberry: Behind the Scenes of The Andy Griffith Show, Brower has added the scripts written by Jack Elinson and his writing partner Charles Stewart and the rewrites of producer and story consultant Aaron Ruben, as well as material from the annotated show scripts donated by Andy Griffith to UNC Libraries. “Shazam!” Fans of The Andy Griffith Show will receive a long-awaited and more complete picture of the classic television show and its creation.

 

[Tom Holmberg]

* * *

We’re Not Worthy: From In Living Color to Mr. Show, How ‘90s Sketch TV Changed the Face of Comedy
Jason Klamm & David Wain
ISBN: 9781948221269

In the ‘70s and ‘80s Saturday Night Live, SCTV, and Monty Python ruled the television airwaves with sketch comedy. But then came the 1990s―and alongside grunge music and oversized denim, sketch comedy was turned up to 11. With the promise of low budgets, big laughs, more diverse cast members, and fresh content, an ever-expanding number of television stations each wanted their very own hit sketch show. Saturday Night Live was ‘dead’ anyway, right?

We’re Not Worthy is the definitive account of ‘90s sketch comedy, the decade that forever changed what we laugh at. Author and comedian Jason Klamm goes behind the scenes of more than 50 sketch shows that ruled the ‘90s, including groundbreaking staples such as In Living Color, MTV’s The State, Mr. Show, Kids in the Hall, The Ben Stiller Show, and Mad TV, along with several swiftly canceled gigs (The Dana Carvey Show, anyone?). Each show seemed to launch at least one big name into the stratosphere: The Wayans family, Ben Stiller, Jennifer Coolidge, Amy Poehler, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey, Will Ferrell, Judd Apatow, Janeane Garofalo . . . the list goes on and on.

Klamm brings readers back to the ‘90s comedy landscape like never before, through over 150 new and candid interviews with trailblazers such as Mike Myers, Bob Odenkirk, Carol Burnett, Tommy Davidson, Adam McKay, Dave Thomas, Patton Oswalt, Reno 911!’s Kerri Kenney-Silver, and a litany of additional favorites. Plus the producers, writers, directors, and other insiders that pulled it all together.

Steeped with hilarious stories, on-the-set antics, and head-turning television politics, We’re Not Worthy is a revealing trip back to the decade that placed comedy on the razor's edge.

 

[Tom Holmberg]

Cheers to TV: Cocktails Inspired by Iconic Television Characters
Will Francis
ISBN:  9783791388229

The duo behind Cocktails of the Movies returns with dozens of delicious and easy-to-prepare drinks that will elevate your next TV watch party.

The perfect pop culture pairing, this collection of drinks inspired by iconic television characters blends old and new, spicy and sweet, strong and mellow. 

Cheers to TV connects sixty cocktails to stars of the small screen. Some are invented specifically for that character, such as the Bloody Ending, inspired by Game of Thrones’ Daenerys Targaryen, or the Stringer Bell, an ode to The Wire. Others deliver a TV twist to an established cocktail—a Rusty Nail for Better Call Saul’s titular hero, for instance. Some are cocktails created by the show itself—Absolutely Fabulous’ Stoli-Bolli is sure to outlive its boozy inventor Patsy Stone. There are mocktails like the Banana Stand (honoring George Michael Bluth from Arrested Development), coffee-tinged drinks such as the Central Perk (for Friends’ Rachel), and even a rainbow slushie inspired by Pose’s Blanca Evangelista.

Along with clever, original illustrations, straightforward recipes, and engaging texts about the shows and characters, the authors cover the mixology basics: bar equipment; types of spirits, liqueurs, juices, and bitters; garnishes and glassware.

Whether you prefer appointment television or an hours-long stream-a-thon, this book will up the enjoyment factor. Just remember: sip the cocktail, binge the show.

 

[Tom Holmberg]

Maverick: A History of the Television Series
Linda Alexander, Steven Thompson & Martin Grams Jr.
ISBN: 9798887711928

One tenant of sociable poker players was “Never trust a man who sandbags (checks and then raises) in a friendly game of cards.” The basic premise of Maverick, a professional gambler who wandered the west avoiding trouble and finding himself caught up in life-threatening adventures, was televised for five seasons over ABC-TV, and spawned a number of comic books, collectibles and sequels. ABC was poised to fire its Sunday ammunition against the competing Ed Sullivan and Steve Allen, with heavy bets to the tune of a million dollars placed by the Kaiser Industries Corp. and Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corp., its sponsors.

The chief asset of the show was its sense of humor. If an adult Western was to be truly adult, it could not take itself too seriously. Rather than kiss the woman and ride off into the sunset, Maverick could be expected to win a bet by kissing his horse and fleeing out of the county by riverboat. Along the way he cleaned up corruption and disruption of law and order in the unsettled old West.

The goal was not to compete with other fast-drawing hotshot television Westerns, but rather to differentiate from them. That was the Roy Huggins formula. He created and produced the series, ensuring a refreshing take in an era when television Westerns were a variation-on-a-theme. Huggins wanted to avoid the clichés that populated other television Westerns.

This book has been a decade in the making, having consulted very possible avenue including production files. (Yes, that means the episode guide includes the dates of production, filming locations, budgets, and more.) Fans of Maverick will find themselves wanting to re-watch the episodes once again with all the new behind-the-scenes trivia brought to light.

 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Tom Holmberg