The Golden Age Of Boston Television

There are some two hundred TV markets in the country, but only oneÑBoston, MassachusettsÑhosted a Golden Age of local programming. In this lively insider account, Terry Ann Knopf chronicles the development of Boston television, from its origins in the 1970s through its decline in the early 1990s. During TVÕs heyday, not only was Boston the nationÕs leader in locally produced news, programming, and public affairs, but it also became a model for other local stations around the country. It was a time of award-winning local newscasts, spirited talk shows, thought-provoking specials and documentaries, ambitious public service campaigns, and even originally produced TV films featuring Hollywood stars. Knopf also shows how this programming highlighted aspects of BostonÕs own history over two turbulent decades, including the treatment of highly charged issues of race, sex, and genderÑand the stationsÕ failure to challenge the Roman Catholic Church during its infamous sexual abuse scandal. Laced with personal insights and anecdotes, The Golden Age of Boston Television offers an intimate look at how BostonÕs television stations refracted the cityÕs culture in unique ways, while at the same time setting national standards for television creativity and excellence.

The Golden Age of Television is the period in the United States between the late 1940s and 1960s, a time when many hour-long anthology drama series received critical acclaim, sit coms and variety shows.As a new medium, television introduced many innovative programming concepts, and prime time television drama showcased both original and classic productions, including the first telecasts of Walt Disney's programs, as well as the first telecasts of Mary Martin in Peter Pan, MGM's classic The Wizard of Oz and Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. Critics and viewers looked forward to new teleplays by Paddy Chayefsky, Horton Foote, Tad Mosel, Reginald Rose, Rod Serling, Gore Vidal and others.Yes, people commonly refer to the 1950s and 1960s as TV's golden age, which are the decades when Americans embraced television and the networks responded with a rapid expansion of programming. Critics still hail the programs of the golden age to be the most innovative programming in television history. It was during this decade that anthology programs such as Kraft Television Theatre, Playhouse 90, and Studio One made live drama part of the nightly fare on prime-time television. The other cornerstone of 1950 television programming was the variety show-also done live. Comedians Jack Benny, Red Skelton, Jackie Gleason, George Burns, Sid Caesar, and "Mr. Television" Milton Berle thrived in the format.

“Tells the story of Boston’s growth in the 19th century, a time of immense cultural and physical expansion in the city.” —The Patriot Ledger Venture back to the Boston of the 1800s, when Back Bay was just a wide expanse of water to the west of the Shawmut Peninsula and merchants peddled their wares to sailors along the docks. Witness the beginning of the American Industrial Revolution; learn how a series of cultural movements made Boston the focal point of abolitionism in America, with leaders like William Lloyd Garrison; and see the golden age of the arts ushered in with notables Longfellow, Holmes, Copley, Sargent and Isabella Stewart Gardner. Travel with local historian Ted Clarke down the cobbled streets of Boston to discover its history in the golden age.

Radio and television broadcasting were as important to the growth and popularity of boxing as it was to the reshaping of our very culture. In The Golden Age of Boxing on Radio and Television, Frederick V. Romano explores the many roles that each medium played in both the development and the depiction of the sport. Principal among the topics covered are the ever-changing role of technology during the four-decade-plus period, how it impacted the manner in which the sport was presented to its public audience, the exponential growth of those audiences, and the influence radio and television had on the financial aspects of the sport, including the selective use of radio and television and the financial boom that the mediums created. The Golden Age of Boxing on Radio and Television also assays radio and boxing during World War II, the role of organized crime, and the monopolistic practices during the television era. Romano also presents a detailed account of announcers such as Don Dunphy and Ted Husing who brought the action to the listeners and viewers, the many appearances that boxers including Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, and Rocky Marciano made on radio and television when they were not in the ring, and the mediums’ portrayal of the sport in an array of programming from drama to comedy. This is a must-have for all serious boxing fans.

This is an insider's tour, touching on the network's dizzying decision-making process, and the artists who have revolutionized the medium.

"Hold on to your tray tables, boys and girls!" This was the Saturday lunchtime rally cry from legendary Channel 5 sportscaster Don Gillis. Every week for nearly four decades, families slurped tomato soup and crunched on grilled cheese sandwiches while the world's best candlepin bowlers performed otherworldly feats for over 200,000 TV viewers. Candlepin Bowling, often the top-rated Boston sports show of the week, made names like Czernicki, Olszta, and Jutras as familiar as Bird, Yastrzemski and Orr. Mike Morin's new book, Lunch With Tommy and Stasia: TV's Golden Age of Candlepin Bowling, is the very first behind-the-scenes look at what made these pop-up stars tick. Morin watched hundreds of hours of classic TV matches and then sought out the bowlers to uncover what really happened on (and off) the lanes.As a TV co-host of nearly 300 candlepin bowling episodes in Boston and New Hampshire, Morin got to know the players personally. They didn't hold back as they shared their stories, many never heard before. Stories like:Mike Sargent wins a big-money purse match but instead gets paid with something he never expected.Tom Olszta's discarded, muddy bowling balls make a surprise appearance courtesy of Santa.Hollywood celebrities love candlepins. Just ask Eve "Jan Brady" Plumb, Will Ferrell, and Simpson's executive producer Matt Selman.The highs and lows are all laid out, accompanied by a photo gallery that will bring back memories of Saturday lunches with Tommy, Stasia, and hundreds of other candlepin bowling stars. Finally, their stories are told.

Chronicles the birth and demise of genres, stars and starlets, and America's response to early television.

The 10th anniversary edition, now with a new preface by the author "A wonderfully smart, lively, and culturally astute survey." - The New York Times Book Review "Grand entertainment...fascinating for anyone curious about the perplexing miracles of how great television comes to be." - The Wall Street Journal "I love this book...It's the kind of thing I wish I'd been able to read in film school, back before such books existed." - Vince Gilligan, creator of Breaking Bad and co-creator of Better Call Saul In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the landscape of television began an unprecedented transformation. While the networks continued to chase the lowest common denominator, a wave of new shows on cable channels dramatically stretched television’s narrative inventiveness, emotional resonance, and creative ambition. Combining deep reportage with critical analysis and historical context, Brett Martin recounts the rise and inner workings of this artistic watershed - a golden age of TV that continues to transform America's cultural landscape. Difficult Men features extensive interviews with all the major players - including David Chase (The Sopranos), David Simon and Ed Burns (The Wire), David Milch (NYPD Blue, Deadwood), Alan Ball (Six Feet Under), and Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) - and reveals how television became a truly significant and influential part of our culture.