TV GUIDE: The First 25 Years

by Jay S. & Eds. of TV Guide Harris ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 1978

This spectacular, marking TV Guide's silver anniversary, is for those 20 million people out there in video land who have been buying the magazine every week just for the listings. The listings, however, are here too. So--reprinted--are covers, editorials, close-ups, and, bulking largest, some 125 articles. These range from a 1953 piece on ""Dragnet"" to a profile of Farrah Fawcett-Majors, with heavy emphasis on the top personalities: Ed Sullivan, Jack Benny, Jackie Gleason, Lucille Ball, et al. One can find, say, an unforgettable essay by William Saroyan on a forgettable series called ""Mannix""; quondam video critic John Crosby mourning for a TV age that really never was; a jingoistic Bob Hope complaining about taxes and the Watergate probe; Bill Davidson admitting he wrote those sports whoppers Bill Stern used to tell. There is a rich lode here for trivia fanciers (name the guests on Johnny Carson's ""Tonight Show"" premiere) and, just for fun, there is Abbott and Costello's memorable ""Who's on First?"" sketch. But, since losers don't make the book, it fails to reflect the transient nature of the medium. And since there are no updates, Farrah Fawcett-Majors and Fred Silverman remain as--or where--they were when these articles were written. Of course, if you really want to know how they're doing today, you can find out at your nearest newsstand--in 94 regional editions.

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1978

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1978

Categories: NONFICTION