Book Description
"Today, we can be nostalgic about the passing of great local children's fare such as Bozo's Circus . . . and Garfield Goose. However, I believe that today's children have more and better choices in programming . . . .
What is missing is the localism, the heart and soul that emanated from these and other programs. Economics, regulation, and expectations for what a program should look like have altered children's television forever. As you read this book, perhaps you will not only find memories or curiosities from a bygone era, but inspiration to create children's television for today's audiences. A pie in the face is still funny, kids still like to dance, and the last time I looked, you could still buy six buckets and nail them to a board and call it a Grand Prize Game."
—from the foreword by Neal Sabin, WCIU-TV, Chicago
Behind-the-Scenes Stories of the Golden Age of Chicago Children's Television as Told by the People Who Lived It
At one time every station in Chicago—a maximum of five, until 1964—produced or aired some programming for children. From the late 1940s through the early 1970s, local television stations created a golden age of children's television unique in American broadcasting. Though the shows often operated under strict budgetary constraints, these programs were rich in imagination, inventiveness, and devoted fans. The mere mention of their names brings smiles to the faces of Midwestern Baby Boomers everywhere: Kukla, Fran, & Ollie, Super Circus, Garfield Goose, Bozo's Circus, Mulqueens' Kiddie-A-Go-Go, BJ & Dirty Dragon, Ray Rayner and Friends, and a host of others. In 1972 the FCC changed the regulations governing the relationship between sponsors and local programming, effectively bringing to a close this chapter of television history.
What Chicago kids' show had American Bandstand host Dick Clark dancing on T.V. for the first time ever? Why did one have to wait months and, more often, years to get tickets for Bozo's Circus? Which very popular and successful host never wanted to do a children's T.V. show? Who really made the puppet Garfield Goose (you may not have known it was a mystery)? Remember the "talent" that bit the head off a parakeet on live TV and the shocked emcee's reaction? What sent television executives into a quandary when Kiddie-A-Go-Go went on the air? Which show was almost forced off the air because a giant soft drink company opposed a so-called rival's use of the word sip? Now, discover the back stories and details of this special era from the people who created, lived, and enjoyed it—producers, on-air personalities, and fans.
Customer Reviews:
Mulqueen's Chicago Children's Television.......2007-05-07
I did not grow up in Chicago during the golden-age of children's TV there, but I did live there as a child during the early 70's (perhaps the late-silver, early-bronze age) and remember quite fondly Bozo's Circus, Ray Rayner, and Garfield Goose with Frazier Thomas on WGN channel 9. Also, Bill Jackson's "BJ and the Dirty Dragon" show on WFLD channel 32 was an afternoon staple of my early elementary school days. After reading previous reviews of this book and seeing its cover, I decided it would be well worth the money to get a copy and relive those glory days of my childhood living in the Chicago burbs. Unfortunately, what I encountered was a lot information about shows I had never even heard of, produced by people I also had never heard of, nor cared about. This book seemed to me to be an opportunity for some local TV producers/entertainers (The Mulqueens) to get their names out there and redeem the fact they had apparently been overlooked in all other sources of Chicago's television history. After reading The Golden Age of Chicago Children's Television, I am still at a bit of a loss to understand their self-importance in this era.
The book does contain some interesting factoids, and there are some other people who even local Chicagoans have probably never realized were instrumental in creating shows they watched as kids. But even with the little bites of information about such local celebrities as Frazier Thomas and classic shows such as Bozo, in the end it is probably only going to be a book of interest for folks who grew up in the area and watched as much or more television as I did. I found more useful and fun information about this topic and era on the internet. I give it barely 3 stars.
You don't have to be from Chicago to enjoy this book; a great read for TV historians.......2005-11-01
Like the other reviewers on this page, I enjoyed the Okuda-Mulqueen "Chicago Children's Television" book very much. Unlike those reviewers, however, I'm not from Chicago and I never saw the programs and personalities under discussion.
I think it's important to point out that this book is not a "you had to be there" exercise in local nostalgia. Chicago was a bedrock of children's television, some of it on a national network scale. There's a good chance that you'll recognize at least some of the luminaries discussed here.
The authors are careful to put the "golden age" in context. Many first-person accounts, from both sides of the cameras, illuminate the high-pressure, low-budget, anything-could-happen world of live TV. Statistically-minded readers will admire the research, with dates, places, and participants fully documented.
Viewers who grew up with the likes of Chicago's kid-TV icons Ray Rayner and Hardrock, Coco, and Joe are obviously the best audience for this book, but anyone interested in early television, popular culture, and biographical studies will find much to enjoy.
'Golden Age Is Wonderful Trip Down Memory Lane'.......2005-08-04
Ted Okuda and Jack Mulqueen's book, "The Golden Age Of Chicago Children's Television" is an incredible treasure chest of nostalgia for the beloved childhood memories of anyone who grew up in the Chicago Mid-West during the 1950's and 1960's.
Authors Okuda and Mulqueen cover the extensive and often elaborately produced Chicago area children's televison shows, along with their hosts, who became local stars of the first magnitude in the days before cable, sattelite dishes, and even UHF channels! These behind-the-scenes stories are both fascinating and riveting, and the reader can follow the rise and fall of such local, but famed legendary shows like "Garfield Goose And Friends", "Kukla, Fran & Ollie", "Ray Raynor And Friends", "B.J. And Dirty Dragon", "Bozo's Circus", "Elmer The Elephant", and "The Mulqueen's Kiddy-A-Go-Go', among many others! Readers will recall the wonderful stars of this long-gone era like Burr Tillstrom, Fran Allison, Frazier Thomas, Bob Bell, Ray Raynor, Roy Brown, Don Sandburg, John Conrad, Elaine (beautiful Pandora) Mulqueen, Bill Jackson, Mary Hartline, all the greats and many more!
Having grown up in Chicago during this era, I was unable to put down this book, and was astonished as to how many wonderful memories it brought back. The authors Ted Okuda and Jack Mulqueen have thankfully preserved for us some of Chicagoland TV's magic and history, before all traces of it vanish forever like the Buffalo!
Fond memories, fascinating information.......2005-03-17
For those of us who recall Chicago children's television, this book will bring back many wonderful memories about the shows and the performers. Bozo's Circus, Ray Rayner and Friends, and so many other great shows allowed kids to be entertained, to learn, and to free up our imaginations. Ted and Jack's book does a thorough job of tracing the history of Chicago children's television, with complete information about the shows, great illustrations, and many fascinating, amusing anecdotes. It is a book that no baby boomer should be without.
A wonderful trip through memory lane .......2004-11-09
The Golden Age Of Chicago Children's Television tells the true story of children's television produced or aired in Chicago from the 1940's to the 1970's. Even though these shows often operated under strict budget limits, the imagination that fueled them was boundless. Classic productions such as "Fran & Ollie", "Garfield Goose", "Bozo's Circus", and more, truly captivated the imagination of generations. Black-and-white photographs illustrate The Golden Age Of Chicago Children's Television, which delves deeply into the amazing history and trivia behind popular and beloved shows, from the lives of stars and hosts to what gave television executives sudden fits and much more. A wonderful trip through memory lane and fascinating repository of little-known facts.
Book Description
Based on an original animated short featured on the Cars DVD, this Little Golden Book is perfect for racing fans of all ages!
Book Description
Barbie(R) and her eleven sisters escape the rules of their harsh aunt for a magical world of dance in this retelling of the classic fairytale about the twelve dancing princesses. Every night the princesses descend into a magical realm where they dance the night away. In the morning, their shoes are worn through, but no one knows where they've been or what they've been up to! This mysterious and exciting fairytale will capture the imaginations of little girls everywhere.
Customer Reviews:
Time to Color!!!!.......2007-05-14
I loved this book, yeah judge me am a 23 year old who loves to color but only Barbie books i just love to color the different clothes they wear. This is a 64pages aprox and lots of very nice pages to color. Everything is a story and has NO activities. At the back of the book comes a little match game like memory.
A little girl's dream!.......2007-02-02
I bought this for my boyfriend's 5and a half year old daughter, who HAS to have everything 12 Princesses (and loves coloring). We couldn't pull her away from this coloring book for 3 days. Our fridge is covered (even more so than normal) with pictures. She was even ripping out colored pages and slipping them under our bedroom door for us at 6am.
I think she appreciated this coloring book more than the movie, or the dolls - which until this point were her favorite. I plan on buying another one, because this one is pretty much used up and she won't know what to do with herself after that.
Nice coloring book.......2007-01-26
This is a very nice coloring book that follows along with the 12 Dancing Princesses story line. My girls love the books I bought for them.
Deluxe Coloring Book.......2007-01-12
I bought this book for a five-year old girl who loves Barbie and the Princesses. I thought it was a good price for the value and Golden Books always have excellent products.
Customer Reviews:
Gave me the "Blues:.......2007-09-09
I was excited to find 'paint with water' books for my granddaughter, Lily. This book, however, was of very poor quality. The colors ran together into a muddy greenish brown... I don't think this is worth the cost.
Terrible!!.......2006-01-19
I bought this paint with water book because they are so hard to come by in my area. I had a few others (Care Bears) that were wonderful. This one is simply terrible. The colors disappear as soon as the water hits the paper. With the exception of the blue, which bleeds all over the surrounding areas. I wish I had read the other review first! SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!
Not as good as others - would NOT recommend.......2005-12-04
My daughter is 2 years old and we recently got her started on paint with water books. She loves to do them but they are very hard to find in the stores. We have bought the Little People books several times and they are very colorful. Since she had already done 3 of those books we wanted something different and bought the Blue's Clues paint with water book when we saw it. I was very disappointed because the colors were very bland and gray. I would not recommend this book.
Book Description
Lightning McQueen is a hot-shot young race car competing for the coveted Piston Cup. But when he gets lost on the way to a big race, he realizes that he still has a lot to learn about what it takes to be a true friend. This exciting retelling of the newest Disney/Pixar film is sure to be a hit with young speedsters!
Customer Reviews:
Character Reader for little ones.......2006-06-16
I really liked this review of the story cars. It is rather short, I wish it were longer, however, young children will get the meaning of the book or story pretty clearly. Take care of those who love you, it will come back to you. Learn not to be selfish and self serving. Really, is not that how we will all have a better life?
Average customer rating:
- Just OK
- Jungle Book
- Don't forget Kipling.
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The Jungle Book (Little Golden Book)
RH Disney
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Dumbo (Little Golden Book)
ASIN: 0736420967
Release Date: 2007-08-14 |
Book Description
YOUNG MOWGLI LOVES growing up in the jungle with his animal friends. But what happens when he is told that he must go live in the Man-village? Find out in this Little Golden Book retelling of the classic Disney movie The Jungle Book.
Customer Reviews:
Just OK.......2007-03-31
I think that this book is too condensed. I am trying to get my daughter familiar with the jungle book for the DVD release in October and this book was a start but it leaves a lot to be desired.
Jungle Book.......2004-09-22
I thought The Jungle Book is a great book for younger kids to read! The Jungle Book is about a little boy who has to go to a man village for his own safety, but he doesn't want to go. A mean tiger named Shere Khan,wants to get rid of the little boy and thats why he is recommended to go to the village. The Jungle Book is a great bed time story!
Don't forget Kipling........2004-04-28
The Disney version has of course the cute characters from the animated version. I'm a fan of Baloo and Louie but don't stop with just the Disney version.(...)
Book Description
32-page workbook that uses Pokemon characters and information in 3- digit addition and subtraction, mulitplication and begining division problems. Also has four sheets with 32 perforated flashcards. The back sides of these are decorated with Pokemon characters and divided into trainer and master level problems.
Customer Reviews:
A great way to get children to like Math!.......2000-09-28
Math was one of my children's hardest subjects, but I really talked him into learning math with this book. Using pokemon as the theme for a math book really made a difference and sparked some interest in improving his math skills. Although, this doesn't really stay too interesting for long, after all, learning everything in the book takes away difficulty. All in all, this book is worth a try for young children.
Average customer rating:
- Just right for little readers
- A princess dream come true
- Cinderella by Ron Dias
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Cinderella (Little Golden Book)
RH Disney
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ASIN: 0736423621
Release Date: 2005-08-23 |
Book Description
Disney’s Cinderella is the classic story of a beautiful girl, her evil stepmother and stepsisters, and the fairy godmother who helps her meet the prince of her dreams.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Customer Reviews:
Just right for little readers.......2007-03-22
This is a good, short adaptation of the Disney movie version of the classic "Cinderella" story. Keeps some of the new characters that the Disney crew created, including Lucifer the cat and the mice that Cinderella protects. Touches on all the main points of the movie, and sticks pretty closely to the movie's plotline. Perfect tool for encouraging kids who like the movie to also pick up a book and read.
A princess dream come true.......2006-11-25
We have this golden book and it is one of my 3 year old daughter's favorite books to have read to her. It is the perfect length (not too long of a story, and not too condensed). The illustrations are also nice. I highly recommend this book and your princess should not be disappointed!
Cinderella by Ron Dias.......2005-12-19
-Cinderella is the best young girl story there is! In my opinon it's better than snow white, jazmin's aladin, and the little mermaid. It's a classical story with young romance! It's a definite happily ever after story!
Average customer rating:
- not great for the littlest kids
- Cute for the purpose of introducing Disney characters
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The Lion King (Little Golden Book)
Disney
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ASIN: 0736420959
Release Date: 2003-09-09 |
Book Description
Disney’s The Lion King, an exciting tale of a young cub who earns his place in the Circle of Life, is retold in the classic Little Golden Book format.
Customer Reviews:
not great for the littlest kids.......2007-09-23
Of course this is a great story- but this abridged version doesnt quite flow if you dont already know the story.
The language is also a little 'old'. I have to censor it a bit for my 3 year old. The Disney pictures however are great, and if you have the energy to 'tell' the story rather than 'read' it then this works great.
Cute for the purpose of introducing Disney characters.......2006-05-06
This is a cute board book for the purpose of introducing Disney characters. It's a VERY condensed version of the Lion King story. My son is 2 & it's condensed to an age-appropriate level of words to listen to. However, the story is so condensed that it's really not that interesting as a story. My son does like it though... but you would only buy this book if you really want to introduce the characters to your child (especially if you were taking a trip to Disney soon). The story itself is not that fascinating. However, my son does like to see the zebras, giraffes, ostriches, etc.
Amazon.com
It's fashionable to assert that television is bad and is inherently doomed to be worse, even evil. However, every now and then, the rabbit ears capture spasms of glory -- and this book makes a reasonably convincing case that shows such as Hill St. Blues, Moonlighting, Twin Peaks, Northern Exposure, and ER are not only good television, but possibly even works of high culture. The flip side of the story is also compellingly reported: that in many cases, these anomalous movements towards quality will be suppressed or even suffocated by the industry, regardless of public sentiment. A good book -- possibly excellent.
Customer Reviews:
An essential book for understanding the development of TV in the past quarter century.......2006-06-23
This excellent book on the development of what is widely known as Quality TV remains one of the finest books published in the field of television studies. Although television has now been around for sixty years, good writing about television shows has only developed in the past twenty years. Not that there wasn't a great deal of writing about television before then; it is merely that most writing was about the medium of television in a somewhat sociological/anthropological mode rather than in a textual analysis mode. Many earlier television scholars were as or more apt to write about the interaction of shows and commercials embedded within them as the shows themselves. In fact, prior to the last fifteen years it is difficult to find many writers who wrote directly about the shows as artistic productions.
The book's greatest strength is in its identification of the qualities that make up quality television shows and the discussion of the development of a series of shows in the eighties and early nineties that encapsulated those qualities. These parts of the book are very, very good indeed and one will be hard pressed to find better discussions of why HILL STREET BLUES, ST. ELSEWHERE, and MOONLIGHTING were great shows. The lead-up chapters that detail the pre-history of quality TV are also outstanding. Most of my review is going to argue with several of Thompson's points, but I want to be explicit that one of the virtues of a good book is that it makes you want to argue with it. Ludwig Wittgenstein told one of his students that a mark of a great book was that it made you want to throw it across a room and yell at it. I think Thompson is very wrong at several points, but he is wrong in important ways, and a reader can learn a great deal by debating Thompson as he or she reads.
One of the parts I want to argue with he is characterization of what counts as a Quality TV show. I'm not quite sure he is correct in dismissing, for instance, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, as a quality TV show. I guess my complaint is that Thompson wants to establish a genre, one that would exclude unrealistic shows such as STAR TREK. But what of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER? This is very widely considered to be one of the truly great series of the past decade. Several of the television critics he quotes with approval--in particular David Bianculli and Ken Tucker--were both passionate admirers of BUFFY, lavishing praise on the show unequaled by any other show. Furthermore, Thompson seems to view the way that shows are received on college campuses as a mark of a show's quality. No show comes anywhere close to BUFFY in the way that it has been received by the academic community. In fact, academic papers on BUFFY come close to matching all papers written on all other shows combined in the past ten years. Yet, Thompson clearly states that two marks of quality shows are that they tend to win awards and that they are realistic. BUFFY received vast critical acclaim (and its reputation seems to grow with each passing year), but much to the consternation of the critics that praised it, it failed to receive any Emmys (apart from some minor ones) or even major nominations. And while it was a hybrid show (a blend of fantasy, drama, comedy, romance, and teen genres), one of the marks of a quality show as identified by Thompson, it was a show about vampires, which would clearly seem to violate the realism rule. Perhaps Thompson would have adjusted his criteria with the appearance of BUFFY (and perhaps he already has). My point is that the criteria of quality TV as outlined by Thompson describes no necessary or sufficient conditions, but more in the way of the "family resemblances" of which Wittgenstein (to refer to him again) wrote in his work. There are qualities that shows tend to have, though some will lack. But I suggest the "realism" criterion should be jettisoned entirely.
The book's greatest flaw is in more or less assuming that the age of quality television had ended. In fact, the group of shows that came after this book went to press far surpasses in literateness and intelligence the group of shows Thompson focuses on. If you watch an episode of THE SOPRANOS and then watch an episode of HILL STREET BLUES, you will immediately be struck by how much more complex and intelligent the former is. I recently started rewatching MOONLIGHTING and doing so confirmed how far television has come since that show, both in intellectual complexity and in production quality. The latter is an important point since as Thompson points out MOONLIGHTING was one of the most expensive shows ever produced. But my main point is this: I'll take THE X-FILES, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, THE SOPRANOS, FARSCAPE, SIX FEET UNDER, ANGEL, THE GILMORE GIRLS, DEAD LIKE ME, THE SHIELD, OZ, FIREFLY, SMALLVILLE, LOST, DEADWOOD, WONDERFALLS, THE WEST WING, ALIAS, 24, and VERONICA MARS over Thompson's group of shows any day.
I should note that in the final chapter Thompson does express some hope that the age of quality television has not ended, but there is definitely an overarching "rise and fall" tone to the book as a whole. The fact that he bizarrely finds such shows as TWIN PEAKS and NORTHERN EXPOSURE as harbingers that quality TV has pretty much exhausted its possibilities shows this. Thompson may hope that the era of quality TV is not over, but it is pretty clear that he fears that it is.
How did Thompson get it so wrong? I think the answer comes from his assessment of the effect that TWIN PEAKS had on television. Late in the book he writes, "TWIN PEAKS had an overall negative effect on quality drama." This is an absurd statement and I think it stems from Thompson's missing the overall effect that TWIN PEAKS had on television narrative. Although Thompson writes penetratingly and insightfully about most of the shows he takes up, he neglects one aspect of television that TWIN PEAKS changed. Thompson was a contributor to a book on the soap opera entitled WORLDS WITHOUT END: THE ART AND HISTORY OF THE SOAP OPERA. One thing all of the shows Thompson writes about except TWIN PEAKS is that none of them is structured around a master narrative. ST. ELSEWHERE and HILL STREET BLUES might contain six or seven or more lesser story arcs, but there isn't a real overarching story. There is a sense in which none of these shows is about anything in particular. The closest would be MOONLIGHTING with the ongoing flirtation between David and Maddie. What Thompson misses is that TWIN PEAKS introduced for the first time into a series an overarching master narrative. Although the show itself failed to produce a compelling long story arc in its second and disastrous season, the notion of a show being structured around a very long central story had been introduced. The first show that would profit from this would be THE X-FILES, with its seasons-long narrative dealing with alien colonization. The form would first be perfected in BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER with each of its seven seasons structured primarily around a single main narrative, although there were also a host of smaller arcs as well, some extending over several seasons. This narrative form has been taken to its logical extreme by LOST, which will in the course of its currently projected six seasons tell a single story, very much the way an epic novel would. A substantial number of the shows that I list in the previous paragraph have absorbed the formal structures developed by TWIN PEAKS, THE X-FILES, and BUFFY.
In fact, while Thompson was lamenting what he imagined to be end of television's second golden age, what he was writing about was a group of shows that laid the foundation for an even better group of shows in the nineties and our decade. I have searched to see what Thompson has written since the publication of this book to see if he has repented of his own prophecies, but without success. It is quite possible that Thompson disapproves, but hopefully he has been delighted that television not only did not regress to standards of a previous age, but has actually continued to improve.
The book is out of date in other ways as well. For instance, Thompson speculates that the reason the hour-long drama was fading from the airwaves (a fading away that turned out not to occur) was its poor performance in syndication. This is true, but Thompson was writing before the advent of the DVD and one thing that we have learned is that hour long shows excel on DVD. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER has dramatically out performed on DVD most half-hour shows (as well as most hour long shows) that out did it in ratings during that show's seven-year run. LOST with its enormously complex plot, has done exceptionally well on DVD. The economics of DVD packaging is still being worked out, but in conjunction with syndication quality shows have a economic life that continues to make them viable in the industry.
Despite my disagreements with the book, this remains essential reading for anyone interested in the development of television in the past twenty-five years. Unlike Thompson, I remain optimistic about the future of quality TV. I have had my heart broken by a number of asinine cancellations (especially on FOX, where I have had to witness the demise of such great shows as WONDERFALLS, FIREFLY, and ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT). I suffer a bit in reading this book about how networks would stick with shows that were doing poorly in ratings to develop and promote them. That happens so rarely now, though I am delighted that the new CW network has stuck with VERONICA MARS, a ratings failure despite being one of the most critically acclaimed shows on TV. But as excellent as the book is, it remains a cautionary tale about prognostication. The unstated theme of the book seems to be the rise and decline of quality TV, whereas actual history has proclaimed the rise and further rise of it.
Memories of Great Television.......2006-06-14
This book is great at enhancing the viewing pleasure of classic TV shows now coming out on DVD. I read this book after viewing the first season of Hill Street Blues and the first three seasons of Moonlighting. I loved reading this and learned a lot about my favorite TV shows.
The case for television dramas as the mediums high art form.......2003-06-26
The title of this book is provocative but something of a serious misnomer. Robert J. Thompson points out early on that the original "Golden Age of Television" took place in the Fifties and was built on the variety shows like "Texaco Star Theater" and "Your Show of Shows," the anthology dramas like "Playhouse 90" and "Studio One," and, of course, "I Love Lucy." Thompson also acknowledges that in the Seventies the situation comedy reached its "literate peak" with "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "All in the Family," and "M*A*S*H." However, the argument for "Television's Second Golden Age: From 'Hill Street Blues' to 'ER'" covers a period from HSB's debute in 1981 to the present, where "ER" continues to be one of the top dramas on television. That is a period of more than two decades and while Thompson devotes a chapter to "The Second Golden Age of Television: "Cagney & Lacy," "Moonlighting," "L.A. Law," "thirtysomething," and "China Beach," essentially focusing on the Eighties, it is hard to say that the following decade, with "Twin Peaks," "Northern Exposure," "Picket Fences," "NYPD Blue," "Law & Order," "Homicide," "The X-Files," "Chicago Hope," and "ER" was not at least as strong (feel free to add to the list). Even if we are talking about the first decade of the 21st century we have "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "24," "The Practice," "Ally McBeal" and short-lived series like "My So Called Life" and "Once and Again" (and that is without dipping over to HBO and talking about "The Sopranos," "Six Feet Under," and the rest of their kind), all of which speak to quality dramatic programming.
That is why in the final analysis I see Thompson's argument as being not so much for a specific time period of great television, but rather advancing the proposition that the hour-long dramatic television series is the chief art form of the medium (yes, even more so than the situation comedy). I would even extend this argument to the mini-series, from "Roots" and "Shogun" to "War and Remembrance" and "Lonesome Dove," because the guiding principle of the extended narrative form remains the common denominator. "24" takes the idea of season-long story arc a unique extreme, but "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" did all of its complete seasons have a first-half story arc (e.g., Spike & Dru in Season 2) that then merged with a second-half story arc (e.g., the return of Angelus) that provided a framework for all of the individual episodes. Then there was "Murder One," which rather successfully devoted an entire season to one sensational murder trial. When a series loses its driving story arc, as when Dave and Maddie consummated their love on "Moonlighting," or when what was supposed to be the hook becomes the line and sinker as well, as when the question of who killed Laura Palmer ultimately derailed "Twin Peaks," the demise of the show simply affirms the principle in the negative.
Thompson's starting point is January 1981 when prime-time television was about to make a sudden and dramatic turn towards quality because of "Hill Street Blues," the show that Steven Bocho did not want to make and that nobody wanted to watch, but which became "television's first true masterpiece." However, Thompson argues that it was "St. Elsewhere" that was "TV's greatest show, ever" (having to do with key notions of "intertextuality" and "self-reflexivity"). Ultimately he is not defining a particular time period (especially since the "golden age" in question is clearly not over), but explaining why in the "vast wasteland" that Newton Minnow bemoaned so many years ago "quality" television is flourishing in terms of hour-long dramatic programming. Within that context Thompson clearly makes his case for much of the best television ever made having appeared on the networks since 1980. The book is half critical evaluation of these programs and half insider's tour looking at the decision-making process as well as the social, economic, and artistic forces that ended up revolutionizing the medium. Thompson also more than adequately proves he knows his television history, which is necessary to help convince those of us who are true students of the medium. Consequently, the fact that the title of this book is not a fair representation of its most significant claim, is not to be held against the author, because he has made in public an argument I have been making in private (okay, in class as well), for several years.
the place to start.......2002-10-07
It's all too easy to assume that simply because we vegetate in front of the TV all day, that we have some kind of understanding of its history and how it works. This book summarises the importance of several landmark shows of the 1980s and 1990s, helping to show how a few select producers (chiefly refugees from The Mary Tyler Moore Show) were able to transform the quality of television, at least for a while. Note that the shows are discussed in their American context -- British viewers may be surprised to hear that anything was innovative about the "MASH without the laughter track", because MASH was always broadcast in the UK without a laughter track. But for placing the history of American TV in its natural home habitat, this remains an important and interesting introduction to quality television.
Required reading for students of television.......2002-02-20
This is a brief but entertaining and convincing argument for the artistic value of one of the most unfairly condemended media outlets -- television. Working from the hypothesis that the quirky dramas that dominated television from the '70s to the '90s (Hill Street Blues, St. Elsewhere, thirtysomething, ect.) actually made up television's second golden age, author Robert J. Thompson actually makes a pretty good argument for taking TV seriously. Each chapter provides detailed (and refreshingly witty) analysis of all the TV shows that we previously took for granted and shows how the writers and producers of those shows were able to create great art in the guise of great entertainment. Of particular worth was Thompson's long and informative chapter on St. Elsewhere, over the course of which he manages to break down a few of that show's intricate inside jokes and show how the show's controversial final episode actually served as a powerful and still-relavent statement on the state of television and American culture today. This book is a must read for anyone who sees television as more than just a distraction.
Books:
- The Kommandant's Girl
- The Myth Makers (Doctor Who)
- The Plug-In Drug: Television, Computers, and Family Life
- The Pythons
- The Savage Detectives: A Novel
- The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn
- The Tao of Willie: A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart
- The Television Sherlock Holmes
- The Tree of Life: A Phylogenetic Classification (Harvard University Press Reference Library)
- The Voice Actor's Guide to Home Recording
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Early Childhood Curriculum: Incorporating Multiple Intelligence Theory, Developmentally Appropriate
- When Generations Collide: Who They Are. Why They Clash. How to Solve the Generational Puzzle at Work
- The Art of Ratatouille
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- The Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture and Cabinet Construction
- Tropica: Color Cyclopedia of Exotic Plants and Trees for Warm-Region Horticulture in Cool Climate
- The Neighborhoods of Brooklyn
- Accounting for Managers: Interpreting Accounting Information for Decision-Making
- The Evolution of Markets for Water: Theory And Practice in Australia
- The Sadeian Woman: And the Ideology of Pornography
Riverview Amusement Park (IL) (Images of America)
Hi There, Boys and Girls: America's Local Children's TV Programs
Christmas on State Street: 1940's and Beyond (IL) (Images of America)
A Chicago Tradition: Marshall Field's Food And Fashion (Chicago Cultural Center Foundation)
Riverview Gone but Not Forgotten
