Storytellers to the Nation : A History of American Television Writing

by STEMPEL TOM

• ISBN13: 9780815603689
• ISBN10: 0815603681
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1996-07-01
• Publisher: Syracuse Univ Pr

Summary

Rich with humor and insight, Tom Stempel's book showcases the behind-the-scenes writers of the best and worst American television shows. Writers from Paddy Chayefsky to Steven Bochco recount their experiences of working and fighting with network producers, censors, and the stars. The shows include I Love Lucy, All in the Family, and thirtysomething, as well as others that never made it past a failed pilot. Using interviews and informal anecdotes, Stempel has compiled the first in-depth historical account of the making of television's most renowned moments.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	7	(2)
Introduction	9	(4)
Radio to Television	13	(10)
Early Filmed Television	23	(10)
Early Live Television	33	(11)
A Golden Age	44	(13)
Enter the Major Studios	57	(13)
Reality/Documentary	70	(8)
Cowboys and Other Sixties Professionals	78	(16)
Small Towns, Talking Horses, and Related Galaxies	94	(14)
Comedy/Variety	108	(11)
Movies and Miniseries: The Early Years	119	(13)
Police Story	132	(11)
Lear and Marshall	143	(14)
MTM and M*A*S*H	157	(12)
Coroners and Other Seventies and Eighties Professionals	169	(14)
Movies and Miniseries: The Later Years	183	(12)
Professional Status	195	(16)
Unsold Pilots and Flops	211	(14)
Hill Street Blues	225	(12)
The Children of Hill Street	237	(9)
Yet Another Perspective	246	(14)
Maturity	260	(18)
Conclusion	278	(1)
Afterword	279	(2)
Notes	281	(18)
Index of Names and TV Shows	299