Television Studies

The Citizen Machine is the untold political history of television's formative era. Historian Anna McCarthy goes behind the scenes of early television programming, revealing that long before the age of PBS, leaders from business, philanthropy, and social reform movements as well as public intellectuals were all obsessively concerned with TV's potential to mold the right kind of citizen. ...

A fascinating account of the era of live television. Compiled from the first-hand accounts of 21 members of the Directors Guild of America who were instrumental in shaping the medium during this formative phase, the book covers the development of network programming, technical advances, sponsor relations, and the blacklist.

Entertaining television challenges the idea that the BBC in the 1950s was elitist and 'staid', upholding Reithian values in a paternalistic, even patronising way. By focusing on a number of (often controversial) programme case studies - such as the soap opera, the quiz/ game show, the 'problem' show and programmes dealing with celebrity culture - Su Holmes demonstrates how BBC television surprisingly explored popular interests and desires. She also uncovers a number of remarkable connections with programmes and topics at the forefront of television today, ranging from talk shows, 'Reality TV', even to our contemporary obsession with celebrity. ...

The 20th century might be accurately described as the television century. Perhaps no technological invention in recent history has so vastly affected the American public. An involving mixture of scholarship and nostalgia, this volume offers an intelligent examination of the many ways that American society has shaped_and been shaped by_television. Roman provides thematic chapters on all of television's major genres. James Roman, author of Love, Light, and a Dream: Television's Past, Present, and Future (Greenwood, 1996), traces the evolution of American television programming from its beginnings as an experimental spinoff of radio broadcasting to its current role as an omnipresent and, some would say, omnipotent force of media and culture.

James Schwoch presents a unique retelling of the Cold War period by examining the relationship of global television, diplomacy, and new electronic communications media. Beginning with the Allied occupation of Germany in 1946 and ending with the 1969 Apollo moon landing, this book explores major developments in global media, including the postwar absorption of the International Telecommunications Union into the United Nations and its impact on both television and international policy; the rise of psychological warfare and its relations to new electronic media of the 1950s; and the role of the Ford Foundation in shaping global communication research concepts.

The 1950s was one of the most turbulent periods in the history of motion pictures and television. During the decade, as Hollywood's most powerful studios and independent producers shifted into TV production, TV replaced film as America's principal postwar culture industry. This pioneering study offers the first thorough exploration of the movie industry's shaping role in the development of television and its narrative forms. Drawing on the archives of Warner Bros. and David O. Selznick Productions and on interviews with participants in both industries, Christopher Anderson demonstrates how the episodic telefilm series, a clear descendant of the feature film, became and has remained the dominant narrative form in prime-time TV. ...

Originally broadcast on American television between 1952 and 1969, the 30 situation comedies in this work are seldom seen today and receive only brief and often incomplete and inaccurate mentions in most reference sources. Yet these sitcoms (including Angel, The Governor and J.J., It's a Great Life, I'm Dickens ... He's Fenster and Wendy and Me), and the stories of the talented people who made them, are an integral part of television history. ...

Ever wonder how American television came to be the much-derided, advertising-heavy home to reality programming, formulaic situation comedies, hapless men, and buxom, scantily clad women? Could it have been something different, focusing instead on culture, theater, and performing arts? In Same Time, Same Station, historian James L. Baughman takes readers behind the scenes of early broadcasting, examining corporate machinations that determined the future of television. ...

Small Screens, Big Ideas brings together specially commissioned writings from British and American contributors to explore themes of diversity in the formative period of the 1950s. With radical changes taking place in terrestrial television, this is a timely moment to revisit the decade when television's very novelty was its most striking feature. ...

Often regarded as the first golden era of television, the 1950s was a decade when many classic programs from I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke to The Honeymooners and Perry Mason, among others made their debuts.

Tracing public and critical responses to TV from its pioneering days, this book gathers and gives context to the reactions of those who saw television's early broadcasts_from the privileged few who witnessed experimental and limited-schedule programming in the 1920s and 1930s, to those who bought TV sets and hoisted antennae in the post-World War II television boom, to still more who invested in color receivers and cable subscriptions in the 1960s. ...

This collection includes 12 episodes from television programs that originally aired in the 1950s.

Master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock presents several short stories. The stories are invariably surprising, often containing elements of horror, comedy, suspense, and the supernatural. From 1955.

One hundred episodes from the Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet television show from 1952-1966.

Television series about a "typical" mid-century, middle-class, Midwestern American family living in Springfield, Ohio: Jim Anderson, insurance salesman and father, his wife Margaret, and their children Betty, Bud and Kathy.

A collection of damatic, anthology television shows aired during the 1950's, originally made by a variety of production companies with generally one named star leading the cast.

Recapture the spirit of the American frontier with plain-talking Marshal Matt Dillon, kindly saloon-keeper Miss Kitty, irascible Doc Adams and tender-hearted but gullible Deputy Chester Goode as they uphold the law and bring respectability to the rough and tough town of Dodge City, Kansas.

H.G. Wells' classic tale of suspense and murder. A scientist accidentally makes himself invisible, then, deciding to make the best of his mishap, becomes the ultimate crimestopper for British Intelligence.

Contains gems such as "Job switching" in which Lucy and Ethel do unforgettable battle with a chocolate factory conveyor belt; and "The operetta" in which Lucy's money problems bring down the curtain on her role as "Queen of the gypsies". This collection also includes the groundbreaking "pregnancy shows", including the touching moment at the Tropicana when Lucy breaks the news to Ricky that they are going to have a baby, and "Lucy goes to the hospital" the record-setting episode that garnered the highest ratings in 1953.

Join the Cleavers, America's quintessential family. Theodore 'Beaver' Cleaver can't seem to avoid trouble, and his older brother Wally and his pal Eddie Haskell, aren't any help.

Different television pilots from the 1950's and 1960's.

Twelve episodes of "My Little Margie," the 1950s television series about a father and daughter.

Long before TV's American Idol became a mega-hit, there was one radio and television series that started the talent competition craze. It was called The Original Amateur Hour. Almost 50 major stars of movies, records, stage, screen and television got their start on this series.

In every episode, defense attorney Mason matches wits with his courtroom adversary D.A. Hamilton Burger. Every time, Mason--aided by devoted secretary Della Street and loyal private eye Paul Drake--uncovers evidence that clears his client of murder.

The tale of Gil Favor, the trail boss, as he drives cattle across the old West. Along the way they meet up with adventure and drama.

Follows the exploits of Vint Bonner, a retired gunfighter and restless drifter who wanders the Southwest in search of adventure.

A compilation of television programs from the 1950's. The first program is Nixon's "Checkers" speech. The second program is the 1951 Christmas show of See It Now. In the third program, Edward R. Murrow interviews Senator Keefauver from his Washington home and interviews a Chinese-American man who was chased from his San Francisco home by white bigots. In the final episode, Dwight Eisenhower is interviewed and there is a simulated Russian attack on an American skyscraper.

... Studio One presented a wide range of memorable dramas and received 18 Emmy nominations and five wins during its prestigious 9-year run on CBS. Showcasing some of the greatest talent of the era, this groundbreaking series created an enormous impact and still remains a treasured part of America' broadcasting history.

Special Agent Eliot Ness and his elite team of incorruptable agents battle organized crime in 1930s Chicago.

Sammy Glick is a Jewish boy born in New York's Lower East Side. He decides to climb the ladder of success by any mean necessary. Through backstabbing and double-crossing, Sammy fights to become the motion picture industry's top screenwriter. A rags to riches story about the world of 1930s Hollywood.