Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
"If you grew up glued to a TV set, as I did, you won’t be able to put this book down. Bloom and Vlastnik have done their homework well, providing not just facts and figures but anecdotes and lore about television’s most enduring half-hour comedies" -Leonard Maltin, Leonard's Picks
Review
"I am very proud to be included in your new book. I know the whole Brady Bunch is thrilled."–Florence Henderson
About the Author
Ken Bloom is the author of American Song, Hollywood Song, and Tin Pan Alley. His Broadway: An Encyclopedic Guide to the History, People and Places of Times Squarewas named one of the top reference books of the year by the New York Public Library and was recently reissued in a new edition. Most recently, he published an illustrated book celebrating the career of Jerry Herman and a two-volume history of Twentieth Century-Fox music. Bloom is also a playwright, a theatre director, a radio host, an arts consultant, and the president of Harbinger Records. He lives in New York City.Frank Vlastnik is an actor who appeared in the original cast of the Broadway musicals Big, Sweet Smell of Success, and A Year with Frog and Toad. He did the photo editing and research for Ken Bloom's Jerry Hermanand Richard Norton's A Chronology of American Musical Theatre. He lives in New York City.