TV's Grooviest Variety Shows (of the '60s and '70s)
Telly R. Davidson
TV's Grooviest Variety Shows (of the '60s and '70s) is an irresistible page-turning account of TV's greatest and goofiest variety shows of the psychedelic 1960s and '70s. With the nostalgia trend kicked off by Boogie Nights and Austin Powers and VH1's I Love the '70s specials, combined with the phenomenal success of shows like American Idol and the Carol Burnett reunions, now is the perfect time for this book—the first of its kind.
Designed to be browser-friendly, the book covers the main shows of the era—Ed Sullivan, Lawrence Welk, Dean Martin, the Smothers Brothers, Laugh-In, Flip Wilson, Sonny and Cher, Midnight Special, classic Saturday Night Live (1975-80), SCTV, and The Muppets. Each of these key chapters is fast-moving and fun, with quick, easy-to-skim sidebars like "Memorable Moments," "Quotable Quotes," and "Bloopers & Breakups," plus a brisk narrative of a show's behind-the-scenes dramas, cast, and history. Including the main shows, Telly R. Davidson covers more than fifty shows in all, making for a volume that is neither too comprehensive and exhaustive nor too short and superficial.
In addition, other shows chosen primarily for their camp appeal and retro quality are grouped together by genre. For example, "Definitely Not Ready for Prime Time," features campy classics like the Brady Bunch Hour and Pink Lady. "Black & Blue" showcases the curious cancellations of the Pearle Bailey, Leslie Uggams, and Richard Pryor shows. And "The Mod Squad" details ABC's embarassing late-'60s efforts to get stars like Tom Jones and the Lennon Sisters installed in their own shows.
This straightforward, fun-to-read account of the campy, funny, popular, and well-remembered TV variety shows of the 1960s and 1970s covers everything from Elvis and the Beatles to the Brady Bunch and Pink Lady, from Dean Martin and Laugh-In to Saturday Night Live and SCTV. It's all here.
Review:
"Rewind to some of the tube's greatest, goofiest and guadiest programs of the 1960s and '70s, an almost-anything-goes era when Ed Sullivan, Rowan and Martin, Lawrence Welk, Johnny Cash, the Smothers Brothers, Carol Burnett, Flip Wilson, Sonny and Cher and dozens of others filled living rooms across America with a pop-cultural kaleidoscope of evolving styles and sounds." —Neil Pond, Amerian Profile magazine, July 2007
| TELLY R. DAVIDSON has been a regular contributor to Los Angeles' Entertainment Day magazine, where he wrote the popular "TV Talk" column. He also contributes his own column regularly to FilmStew magazine. His television work includes research consultant on the top-rated NBC specials Most Outrageous Game Show Moments (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) and many other creative projects. He lives in Santa Fe Springs, California. |
$9.99, Paperback
ISBN-10: 1-58182-550-1 (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 978-1-58182-550-3 (Paperback)
Paperback Currently Available
