Sitcoms: The 101 Greatest TV Comedies of All Time
by Ken Bloom, Frank Vlastnik
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Book Summary Information
Author: Frank Vlastnik, Ken BloomForeword: John Lithgow
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-11-01
ISBN: 1579127525
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
Book Reviews of Sitcoms: The 101 Greatest TV Comedies of All Time
Book Review: Good stuff
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm not a huge situation comedy fan. I saw my unhealthy share of them growing up, just like anybody else. Some good, some bad, some better than others, they were all aimed at entertaining, occasionally just plain amusing.
Filled with stars-of-the-moment each subesequent sit-com added something unique to Americana. Whether it was the Cramdens locking horns in their apartment, the Clampetts marveling about their see-ment pond, Alex P. Keaton reminding us of fiscal responsibility courtesy his investing and losing the family fortune in VIP (Video Industries of the Philippines) after a typhoon, or the Fonz spouting Aaaays and jumping sharks in his leather jacket, we were, for the moment, glued to the set.
Me, I was pretty selective about the sit-coms I watched. There were lots of sit-coms that I thought should have thrived, but didn't (the Amazing Teddy Zee for one), while others exploded to unreasonable proportions (Friends and The Brady Bunch). Either way my taste was not in sync with mainstream Americana. Well, mostly anyway.
Either way this book reminded me of the sit coms that were born and bread here in the USA, and occasionally borrowed from Britain, to bring laughter to the small screen. It's also a very sharp and full of whit to point out the foibles of some of those same photo-plays. One of the long overdue in-your-face moments being the hammer drop on "The Facts of Life" and their over concern for 80s female kind. Anyone remember the episode where the actress who played Blair refused to appear in an episode about abortion? Yeah, me too. I think it was a two-parter, of which I saw the last 10 minutes of the second half.
The book also reminds us in a very non-didactic way of what comedies were actually funny, and which ones weren't, and why the flops flopped. It also helps remind us of some of the author's opinionated personal favorites and potential greats that should have stuck around. Examples elude me, but they're there.
In a sense it's a trip down memory lane. A flash back of comedic television in regards to the photoplay (video-play). A trip filled with insightful commentary and some artistic explanations. Sam and Darrin from Bewitched subversively portraying a gay couple? Who knew? Or Alex P. Keaton potraying the state of Reagan America in the 80s? Okay, that one's not so subtle, unless of course you were a Reaganite. Or Archie Bunker showing us what used to be the dominant working class alpha male at the time; i.e. the white-elephant-sized illiterate gullet that knew only what it saw and read even less.
Ayup, it's all there. Well, mostly. There are loads of sit-coms that lasted longer than the choices put in here. I think Empty Nest, Who's the Boss, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Love Boat, and loads of others didn't make the cut. But, whatever. Even though they lasted longer than a number of the shows selected for this tome, they didn't have enough of what Woody Allen calls "heaviosity".
An entertaining read, and also insightful. Buy and enjoy.
Summary of Sitcoms: The 101 Greatest TV Comedies of All Time
The most beloved, most groundbreaking, and most entertaining TV comedies of all time are celebrated in words and pictures?many of them rare?by the award-winning authors of Broadway Musicals.In 101 lively chapters and lots of special features, the authors of Broadway Musicals explore our favorite form of popular entertainment?the TV situation comedy. Of the many hundreds of shows that have debuted over TV's 60-year history, the authors have carefully selected the most influential, popular, and enduring ones, from Gilligan's Island to Seinfeld, I Love Lucy to Will and Grace, creating a history of the medium that goes beyond stats and trivia to reveal all that goes into the creation of classic television, from the writing and all-important casting to the directing and, of course, the acting.
Each chapter of Sitcoms features numerous photos, many rare and behind-the-scenes, along with cast lists, artists' biographies, "off-set" tidbits, critical commentary, and all of the relevant statistics. Special features cover such topics as famous unseen characters, sitcom pets, spin-offs, sitcoms made from movies, and many more. It's a visual and informative feast for TV lovers, from nostalgia buffs to the TV Land generation.
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