Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 248
•
Trim: 6¼ x 9½
978-1-4422-6834-0 • Hardback • August 2016 • $56.00 • (£43.00)
978-1-4422-6835-7 • eBook • August 2016 • $53.00 • (£41.00)
Vincent Terrace is a television historian for BPOLIN Productions, a film-TV production company. He has written more than thirty books, including Television Series of the 1950s: Essential Facts and Quirky Details (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016), Television Introductions: Narrated TV Program Openings since 1949 (Scarecrow, 2013), and Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed. (2011).
Television historian Terrace offers readers a fun and informative look into the world of classic TV. The basic facts of year and cast and a one-line plot description are included for 75 shows from the 1950s, and 100 shows from the 1960s. An incredibly detailed listing on each of the main characters follows (for example, Bewitched’s Samantha Stevens gets a full profile, including eye color, addresses, favorite eateries, and a list of her relatives), but the meat of each entry is the entertaining narrative Terrace provides. It’s obvious he knows (and loves) these shows inside and out, and readers will have a good time learning wacky facts about The Brady Bunch (Greg and Peter were the only kids to not wear braces on the show); Lost in Space (Penny Robinson had an IQ of 147); Father Knows Best (Jim Anderson’s specialty is annuities); and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (Maynard G. Krebs was turned down 46 times for his driver's license). [This volume] should have broad appeal; give [it] to diehard fans of the show as well as those with a general interest in the eras or in television trivia in general.
— Booklist
Over the past 40 years, Terrace has to his credit more than three dozen reference books on television and radio history, including such works as the Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2007 and Internet Drama and Mystery Television Series, 1996–2014. This volume continues his decade-by-decade exploration of ‘quirky details’ covering more than 80 network television series of the 1960s. Terrace notes that he excluded shows that lacked sufficient data, and his typical entry includes the network, years in production, cast members, and the show's ‘basis’ or brief summary of the premise. The bulk of entries include a character-by-character listing of details calculated to delight TV buffs. For example, an entry on Rob Petrie of The Dick Van Dyke Show offers readers details of the fictional character's backstory, shoe size, allergies, and cemetery plot location. Such treatment might continue with notes on origins and updates, including further productions within the franchise. Occasionally, even more details are provided under the heading ‘Overall Series Information.’ There are black-and-white (and a few color) publicity stills scattered through the book. The target audience for this volume is trivia buffs and nostalgic fans, so this is a solid purchase for public libraries serving that demographic.
Summing Up:Recommended. General readers.
— Choice Reviews
Sprinkled throughout [the] book are archival photos, airdates and so much nostalgic goodies that even the most diehard of TV fans will be thrilled and excited turning each and every page.
— Boyce McClain's Collectors' Corner