The Best & Worst Books about Television

[mleach]

Over the years I have had many of books about TV ( and radio ) in my collection. Some I can read over and over and never get bored while others I can look it at once and never again.

My favorite books about TV...

*The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television by Wesley Hyatt. ( everytime I picked it up..I would always learn somthing new ).

*The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows by Tim Brooks & Earle Marsh ( dittos but I never got that comment in regards to the syndicated Johnny Mann show "..Mama don't want no rock and roll here". I get the feeling that both Brooks & Marsh hated rock and country music but since the book was about TV and not one about their opinions, they try hard not to let it be obvious. )

*Please Stand By..written by Michael Ritchie. For those interested in TV pre-1948..this is it !!!

The worst book about TV IMHO...

*The Buyers Guide of 50 years of TV on video..by the late Sam Frank. The man point blank said in his book that he hated rock and roll except for the Beatles so of course his "reviews" of anything rock related..well he would slam them. Kinda surprised that he didn't "suggest" that the Monkees were secret child molestors. Frank also HATED Lucille Ball as well, so much so that he implied that if you like to watch I Love Lucy then you would enjoy seeing a husband beating his wife. The book was so full of hate that I actually trashed my copy.

What are you favorite and not-so favorite books about TV?

 

[bpatrick]

I have a feeling the comment about Johnny Mann's
show refers to its middle-of-the-road music; it had
the same kind of appeal as Lawrence Welk's show.
I don't think Brooks and Marsh hate rock or country,
but Mann studiously avoided both (and can someone
from Atlanta please tell me why Ch. 11 would drop
Welk and run Mann?).

As for favorite books, I'm with you on all three of
your choices, as well as "Total Television." I don't
like Vincent Terrace's books; too full of errors.

Although it's dated now (it covers one year, 1970),
if you want a behind-the-scenes look at how the networks
operate, especially in a year of vast change (1970 was
the year before the access rule was adopted and cigarette
advertising was banned), "Television: The Business Behind
The Box," by "Variety" columnist Les Brown, is worth a read,
especially his account of CBS's "Operation 100," wherein the
Eye Network pulled off a come-from-behind victory over NBC
by devoting the last 100 nights of the 1969-70 season largely
to "event" programming: specials and blockbuster movies.

 

[drt]

Over the years I have had many of books about TV ( and radio ) in my collection. Some I can read over and over and never get bored while others I can look it at once and never again.

My favorite books about TV...

*The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television by Wesley Hyatt. ( everytime I picked it up..I would always learn somthing new ).

*The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows by Tim Brooks & Earle Marsh ( dittos but I never got that comment in regards to the syndicated Johnny Mann show "..Mama don't want no rock and roll here". I get the feeling that both Brooks & Marsh hated rock and country music but since the book was about TV and not one about their opinions, they try hard not to let it be obvious. )

*Please Stand By..written by Michael Ritchie. For those interested in TV pre-1948..this is it !!!

The worst book about TV IMHO...

*The Buyers Guide of 50 years of TV on video..by the late Sam Frank. The man point blank said in his book that he hated rock and roll except for the Beatles so of course his "reviews" of anything rock related..well he would slam them. Kinda surprised that he didn't "suggest" that the Monkees were secret child molestors. Frank also HATED Lucille Ball as well, so much so that he implied that if you like to watch I Love Lucy then you would enjoy seeing a husband beating his wife. The book was so full of hate that I actually trashed my copy.

What are you favorite and not-so favorite books about TV?

Unfortunately, I don't have anything to contribute to this interesting thread; but I do have a question.

What, in your opinion(s) are the three or four best books on radio? (covering at least the 1940's through present or at least through 2001)

Thanks in advance,
drt

 

[mleach]

color=navy]Unfortunately, I don't have anything to contribute to this interesting thread; but I do have a question.

What, in your opinion(s) are the three or four best books on radio? (covering at least the 1940's through present or at least through 2001)

Thanks in advance,
drt[/color]

The best book on radio that I have ever read was called "the Airwaves of New York" by Frank Sulek & Peter Kanze. The book was all about the histories of every single AM station in the New York City area. From the biggest of the big ( WNBC, WABC, WCBS, 1010 WINS, WNEW, WMCA, WHN ) to the little ones that could only cover a few city blocks. Very very detailed !!! And full of very interesting things like William Paley, the man who gave us CBS was so in love with 1010 WINS and their then-brand new "all news all the time" format that he would listen to them much more than he did listening to WCBS..and of course his love for WINS paved the way for the news format for WCBS-AM..and there was a pic in the book of the entire WINS newsroom taken just days before the switch from rock & roll to all news.

There are a number of books out about old time radio even one done in an encyclopedia form and they were all good but those bios on Cousin Brucie and Wolfman Jack...those I am not sure how to take as I can remember both guys slamming each other over some of the stuff written in their books. Come to think of it I think Bruce Morrow actually went as far as calling Wolfman Jack a "god damn liar" over the Wolfman's story about how Cousin Brucie got the job at WNBC. As I recall I think Wolfman Jack had said that Brucie to WNBC was HIS idea and HE got him the job. I have to admit it has been years since Ihad read either book but I do remember Cousin Brucie was quite pissed.

 

[radioman148]

color=navy]Unfortunately, I don't have anything to contribute to this interesting thread; but I do have a question.

What, in your opinion(s) are the three or four best books on radio? (covering at least the 1940's through present or at least through 2001)

Thanks in advance,
drt[/color]

The best book on radio that I have ever read was called "the Airwaves of New York" by Frank Sulek & Peter Kanze. The book was all about the histories of every single AM station in the New York City area. From the biggest of the big ( WNBC, WABC, WCBS, 1010 WINS, WNEW, WMCA, WHN ) to the little ones that could only cover a few city blocks. Very very detailed !!! And full of very interesting things like William Paley, the man who gave us CBS was so in love with 1010 WINS and their then-brand new "all news all the time" format that he would listen to them much more than he did listening to WCBS..and of course his love for WINS paved the way for the news format for WCBS-AM..and there was a pic in the book of the entire WINS newsroom taken just days before the switch from rock & roll to all news.

There are a number of books out about old time radio even one done in an encyclopedia form and they were all good but those bios on Cousin Brucie and Wolfman Jack...those I am not sure how to take as I can remember both guys slamming each other over some of the stuff written in their books. Come to think of it I think Bruce Morrow actually went as far as calling Wolfman Jack a "god damn liar" over the Wolfman's story about how Cousin Brucie got the job at WNBC. As I recall I think Wolfman Jack had said that Brucie to WNBC was HIS idea and HE got him the job. I have to admit it has been years since Ihad read either book but I do remember Cousin Brucie was quite pissed.

I just happened to reread Wolfman's book and after he comments about Cousin Brucie he tried to make it alright by mentioning that "all in all Cousin Brucie is a nice guy". Clearly Bruce wasn't pleased by Wolfman's comments.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Under "best":

The Box (An Oral History of Television, 1920-1961)
by Jeff Kisseloff
published by Viking, 1995

Tons-o-interviews with the folks who worked in the early days of TV.

While Ball Four is a book I'll drag out and re-read each year during
spring training, The Box gets my repeat attention all through the year.

 

[bpatrick]

I like "The Box," too, for the same reasons: lots
of first-person reminiscences. If you're interested
in the quiz-show scandals, but weren't happy with
the depiction in "Quiz Show," I recommend Joe Stone's
"Prime Time And Misdemeanors," which, I think, is a
fuller account, since it doesn't limit itself just to Van
Doren, Stempel, and "Twenty-One."

As for radio, anything by John Dunning. He has
detailed descriptions of practically every show that
aired on network radio. Also, if you can find it (it
dates back to the early '70s), Jim Harmon's "The
Great Radio Heroes," which contains some loving
memories of the Lone Ranger, Superman, the Shadow,
the Green Hornet, and many more.

 

[Rob Jason]

Love “The Box”! One of my all-time favorite TV books.
I have these on my shelf:

**A Pictorial history of Television – Irving Settel and William Laas, 1969 (great photos)

**How Sweet It Was – Arthur Shulman and Roger Youman (its full of promotional stills more than anything else)

Tube of Plenty – Erik Barnouw

Television’s Greatest Year: 1954 - R.D. Heldenfels

**Watching TV – Podrazik & Castleman (EXCELLENT book. Combines technical, programming & political history)

Fifties Television: The Industry and its critics – William Boddy (another that combines technical, programming and political history)

**The Great TV Sitcom Book – Rick Mitz (only goes up to about 1980)

Three Blind Mice: How the TV Networks Lost Their Way, Ken Auletta

One Nation Under Television – J. Fred McDonald

**The Golden Years of Broadcasting: A Celebration of the First 50 Years of Radio and Television on NBC – Robert Campbell (excellent photos)

Behind the Tube: A history of broadcasting technology and business – Andrew F. Inglis (great for early color TV and videotape history buffs)

Tube: The invention of television – David Fisher and Marshall Jon Fisher (the race between Farnsworth & Zworykin)

The Expanding Vista: American television in the Kennedy years – Mary Ann Watson (great for UHF history, public TV, Newton Minow’s speech and the FCC, and what that speech and the quiz show scandals did to TV programming)

Of course, Brooks & Marsh…And the encyclopedia of Daytime TV….And Erik Barnouw’s 3-volume A history of broadcasting in the United States…And others I am sure I’ve forgotten…

I found Please Stand By a good book, but too general and even vague in some spots -- sometimes relying on “legend” and puffery…For example, it writes that John Cameron Swayze did newscasts on Kansas City TV in the 1930s, but was it a scanner TV station, or electronic? What were the call letters?

**”coffee table” book

 

[mleach]

**The Great TV Sitcom Book – Rick Mitz (only goes up to about 1980)

I have that book. It was OK but it had its share of errors. Example...Connie Hines who had played Carol on the TV show Mr Ed. In the book..To her the job was just for the paycheck and nothing else. Actually Connie for years had denied saying that while making the claim that she really did had a blast doing Mr. Ed.

 

[wiifm]

It's focused on a single market but "Broadcasting the Local News: The Early Years of Pittsburgh's KDKA-TV" by Lynn Boyd Hinds is tremendous.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

There was a very good biography of Ed Sullivan some years ago titled "Impresario", by James Maguire. Since radio was brought up, one book I enjoyed, despite a few minor factual errors, was "The Hits Just Keep On Coming" by Ben Fong-Torres.

 

[Tim L]

While I like the Brooks/Marsh book and The Wesley Hyatt book (I own both)..A more recent book, "Big Chuck" by Chuck Schodowski and Cleveland Plain Dealer Writer Tom Feran, has become a favorite..

It tells the story of Schodowski, a shy, lower middle class youngster from an Ethnic East Side Cleveland neighborhood who through hard work, determination and a little bit of luck, became one of the longest running TV personalites in Cleveland History, working at KYW (summer 1960) and WJW-TV from Fall 1960-June 2007..47 years..Well written in a very conversational style, Chuck tells of working with Ernie Anderson, Tim Conway, Linn Sheldon, Andy Griffith, Burgess Meredith and many others..Even if you arent from Cleveland, very entertaining read about some of the stories behind the TV screen from the 60's-90's and beyond..

 

[Kurt Toy]

I'd like to throw in "The TV Schedule Book" by Castleman and Podrazik [1984]. I've had the book since early '85, but falling apart. Definitely in need of updating, given how since it was published Fox and other broadcast webs have come into being [I would confine the update to over-the-air net skeds only]. I had Sam Frank's book too, but for a variety of reasons don't anymore.

 

[Tim L]

I'd like to throw in "The TV Schedule Book" by Castleman and Podrazik [1984]. I've had the book since early '85, but falling apart. Definitely in need of updating, given how since it was published Fox and other broadcast webs have come into being [I would confine the update to over-the-air net skeds only]. I had Sam Frank's book too, but for a variety of reasons don't anymore.

I'd like to second that. I've seen it at my local library before..

 

[FreddyE1977]

I can't think of a worst one offhand, but I did enjoy "Outfoxed" by Alex Ben Block.
It is a history of the founding and development of the Fox TV network, told from a business standpoint. It was very interesting to read about some the challenges of launching a 4th. TV network, some of which at the time were thought to be insurmountable. Some of the things that I found interesting:

- Sen. Ted Kennedy actually made an effort to change US immigration law to prevent Rupert Murdoch from becoming a US Citizen, thus barring him from TV station ownership (and presumably Fox). He must have seen Fox News coming down the road at a distance.

- They decided that the best way to attract talent to an unknown start-up network was to offer writers and producers "complete creative freedom". Then they found themselves having to censor the second script submitted for Married with Children.

- The original concept behind Married with Children was to do "the complete opposite of the Cosby Show", the #1 rated show at the time. Before the show had a title, internal documents referred to it simply as "Not the Cosby Show".

- Lots about the trials and travails of hiring Joan Rivers to spearhead a late night show.
They felt compelled to put up with her Prima Donna act (until Arsenio Hall filled in and ratings actually went up. Then they used a loophole in her contract to can her).

- After some disastrous early ratings, a raucous affiliates meeting where they came close to pulling the plug. (the GM of WPGH in Pittsburgh apparently saved them by pointing out that all of their alternatives were worse)

- Fox made a very strong attempt to lure Monday Night Football away from ABC in 1987. They failed because the head of the NFL Television Committee was Art Modell, owner of the Cleveland Browns. Modell was apparently too cheap to buy cable, and then-Fox affiliate WOIO 19 did not come in well at his home. He nixed the deal because he "did not want his team's games being on that crappy station with the fuzzy picture".

All in all a very enjoyable read.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

"Outfoxed" sounds like an awesome book...Bet Keith Olbermann has read it cover to cover.

Just thought of a pretty bad one from, I think, the early 80's: "TV Babylon" by Jeff Rovin. It focused, as you might guess, on the lurid side of TV, with chapters like "Mackenzie Phillips: Coke Is It" and "Ernie Kovacs: Driven To Death", that one complete with a picture of him at the scene of his fatal accident.

 

[NeilRattigan]

"Almost Golden," Gwenda Blair's book about Jessica Savitch, was a disappointment.

A lot of inaccuracies, and a few hatchet jobs on some good people who didn't deserve it.
I was especially offended by a characterization of Philly TV icon who was called an "off the rack" newsman.

 

[radiorob2.0]

There was a book at my local public library about television and for the life of me I can't remember the title, it's been 25 years. Among its offering were censored moments of Laugh In. One that comes to mind was out of the mouth of Henry Gibson when he played a preacher. The line that was censored, "Just because the Lord Givieth and the Lord Taketh doesn't mean the Lord is an Indian Giver". The other unique offering of the book was a Neo-Nazi's review of Hogan's Heroes, that was an amusing read as he points out the Germans were not that incompetent in real life. Anyone remember this book?

 

[mleach]

Just thought of a pretty bad one from, I think, the early 80's: "TV Babylon" by Jeff Rovin. It focused, as you might guess, on the lurid side of TV, with chapters like "Mackenzie Phillips: Coke Is It" and "Ernie Kovacs: Driven To Death", that one complete with a picture of him at the scene of his fatal accident.

I had forgot about that book...maybe that was a good thing ;D

Anyway pretty much all books with the word "Babylon" on it I try to avoid. Our local library has one of the "Hollywood Babylon" editions and it was bad. One day out of pure boredom I actually glanced through their copy. That one pic of a comic from the 30's shown in a barber chain after he had killed himself by slicing his own throat. I did NOT need to see that one. But I guess that is what at least some of the public wants. The woman at our library told me recently that there is a new "Hollywood Babylon" coming out soon and among one of their "stories"...James Dean and Paul Newman were "gay lovers " back in the 50s and once had a three-way romp on the beach with Sal Mineo. Let me guess...a sister of a friend's brother in law's next door neighbor's first cousin's best friend who lived down the street told that story LOL

Anyway I can't wait to see Joanne Woodward's reaction to this. I have a "feeling" this book will NOT see the light of day.

 

[adam95]

Three Blind Mice: How the TV Networks Lost Their Way, Ken Auletta

I am in the middle of Three Blind Mice right now. Excellent book so far.

Also, a couple of books by Bill Carter, "Late Shift", about the whole Carson, Letterman, Leno debacle and a more recent work of his, "Desperate Networks", which chronicles the business of TV early in this decades. Both great reads