Storytellers to the Nation: A History of American Television Writing FROM THE PUBLISHER
Jam-packed with hundreds of anecdotes and quotes from in-depth interviews with over forty television writers, this is the first comprehensive history of writing for American television. These writers tell, often in wonderfully funny tales, of their experiences working with, and often fighting with, the networks, the censors, the sponsors, the producers, and the stars in trying to create shows that millions of Americans love (and sometimes hate - the flops are here, too). Not only do we learn about the inside workings of such famous TV writers as Paddy Chayefsky, Rod Serling, Gore Vidal (yes), Norman Lear, and Steven Bochco, but about the many less famous who have written for countless comedy, variety, and dramatic shows over the years. Here are wide-ranging firsthand accounts of writing I Love Lucy, Your Show of Shows, Maverick, The Defenders, Laugh-In, Police Story, All in the Family, Shogun, M*A*S*H, Hill Street Blues, thirtysomething, China Beach, and many others. Among the stars wandering through the writers' dreams (and sometimes nightmares) are Lucille Ball, James Garner, Carroll O'Connor, Suzanne Somers, Jack Lord, Penny Marshall, and many more. Rich with insight into American television, Storytellers to the Nation puts TV into a wider perspective to show how it, and the writers who have written for it for over forty years, have helped to change and open up American society.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
Stempel's (cinema, Los Angeles City Coll.) subtitle is no idle boast: He tries to provide the first comprehensive view of TV from the writer's perspective. Because much of the early history of the medium is becoming harder to research as its pioneers age and die, this largely chronological book is stronger in its later chapters. The author provides lengthy stories on the making of China Beach (1988-91), Hill Street Blues (1981-87), and thirtysomething (1987-91); would that he could have done the same for the live dramatic anthologies of the 1950s. Stempel covers not only prime-time comedy and drama, but variety and documentary shows; one notable omission: soap operas. Stronger for its anecdotal material than its analytical content, this volume is a worthy attempt to cover a subject much in need of further research.-- Thomas Wiener, formerly with ``American Film''
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