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TV Guide: Fifty Years of Television
Imagine the greatest week of television ever. In celebration of its 50th anniversary, TV GUIDE has done just that. Picking and choosing from classic programs, unforgettable characters, hilarious moments and broadcast-interrupting tragedies, TV GUIDE has created in this deluxe and nostalgic history the ultimate week of programming. Here are fifty years of riveting innovation distilled into one unforgettable book.
From Saturday morning cartoons through prime time and late night, Fifty Years of Television pays tribute to hundreds of the most important shows of all time. More than 250 color and black-and-white photographs capture the giants of TV in their prime—from "The Great One," Jackie Gleason, to his latter-day descendant Homer Simpson, from Jack Webb of Dragnet to James Gandolfini of The Sopranos. The exciting, graphic covers of TV GUIDE offer a fantastic voyage through generations of pop culture. More than 400 collectible covers are included, featuring the work of artists such as Charles Addams, Salvador Dalí, Al Hirschfield, Norman Rockwell and Andy Warhol. Landmark essays from the pages of TV GUIDE by Oprah Winfrey, John F. Kennedy, Alex Haley and other American icons shed light on the seductive power of the medium. In original interviews, some of TV's best known and most beloved personalities reminisce about the shows that made the country tune in. A sweeping appreciation of TV, this is the ultimate book of its kind.
From Saturday morning cartoons through prime time and late night, Fifty Years of Television pays tribute to hundreds of the most important shows of all time. More than 250 color and black-and-white photographs capture the giants of TV in their prime—from "The Great One," Jackie Gleason, to his latter-day descendant Homer Simpson, from Jack Webb of Dragnet to James Gandolfini of The Sopranos. The exciting, graphic covers of TV GUIDE offer a fantastic voyage through generations of pop culture. More than 400 collectible covers are included, featuring the work of artists such as Charles Addams, Salvador Dalí, Al Hirschfield, Norman Rockwell and Andy Warhol. Landmark essays from the pages of TV GUIDE by Oprah Winfrey, John F. Kennedy, Alex Haley and other American icons shed light on the seductive power of the medium. In original interviews, some of TV's best known and most beloved personalities reminisce about the shows that made the country tune in. A sweeping appreciation of TV, this is the ultimate book of its kind.
- GenresTvNonfiction
272 pages, Hardcover
First published October 29, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 18, 2024
"Things certainly have changed . . . " -- from the introduction by actress Mary Tyler Moore
You can say THAT again, Laura Petrie / Mary Richards. Originally published in late 2002 on the eve of the magazine's 50th anniversary - born from humble origins in the Philadelphia suburbs of Pennsylvania (woot-woot!), and for many years THE top-circulated periodical in America - this coffee-table tome now seems a bit like a quaint period piece reading it twenty-odd years later. Ubiquitous cable-television and/or streaming services (not to mention that never-ending scourge of 'reality TV') in the 21st century have made prodigious inroads into providing a plethora of viewing options, often leaving traditional commercial network broadcasting - whether it's hour-long dramas, half-hour sitcoms, news programs, or sporting events - in the dust. However, the notable series and events from the 50's to the 90's are mentioned here with brief synopses and some great full-page and (sometimes rare) full-color photographs. I really don't mean to make this sound like a bad book, because if you lived through some of that time period as a TV watcher and/or have a sincere interest in the pop-cultural history aspect this is some extremely pleasant and lightweight reading fare.
You can say THAT again, Laura Petrie / Mary Richards. Originally published in late 2002 on the eve of the magazine's 50th anniversary - born from humble origins in the Philadelphia suburbs of Pennsylvania (woot-woot!), and for many years THE top-circulated periodical in America - this coffee-table tome now seems a bit like a quaint period piece reading it twenty-odd years later. Ubiquitous cable-television and/or streaming services (not to mention that never-ending scourge of 'reality TV') in the 21st century have made prodigious inroads into providing a plethora of viewing options, often leaving traditional commercial network broadcasting - whether it's hour-long dramas, half-hour sitcoms, news programs, or sporting events - in the dust. However, the notable series and events from the 50's to the 90's are mentioned here with brief synopses and some great full-page and (sometimes rare) full-color photographs. I really don't mean to make this sound like a bad book, because if you lived through some of that time period as a TV watcher and/or have a sincere interest in the pop-cultural history aspect this is some extremely pleasant and lightweight reading fare.
December 21, 2010
This is a VERY heavy coffee table book for all T.V. fans out there. It covers 50 years of T.V. guide, shares some of the interviews and most of the covers from the first to the 90's.
December 31, 2024
A very well made coffee table book that made me rethink what I thought of TV Guide. I thought TV Guide was more fillery content, but their quotes about (new at the time) shows from old articles made me realize that they had depth, and seeing the names of articles on the magazine covers included in the book made me want to find them.
As someone who was only born for the last fifth of TV covered in the book but familiar with a lot of older pop culture, I got a kick out of learning about a lot of 1950s shows (I never realized Romper Room was a real show. Go Figure), such as the variety shows and westerns.
I liked the paired themes they would do for sequencing the shows, as well as dividing the book by sections in the TV Guide (Daytime, Evening, Morning, Primetime, Weekend, etc). The book taught me about how news broadcasting changed through the years, as well as how sports changed over time.
As someone who was only born for the last fifth of TV covered in the book but familiar with a lot of older pop culture, I got a kick out of learning about a lot of 1950s shows (I never realized Romper Room was a real show. Go Figure), such as the variety shows and westerns.
I liked the paired themes they would do for sequencing the shows, as well as dividing the book by sections in the TV Guide (Daytime, Evening, Morning, Primetime, Weekend, etc). The book taught me about how news broadcasting changed through the years, as well as how sports changed over time.
May 1, 2014
Coffee table book highlighting significant TV programs from the second half of the 20th Century (according to TV Guide). Fun to flip through the pages and be nostalgic about shows I used to watch as a kid--or even a young adult. As it was published in 2002, I'm selling it on eBay.
Didn't read it cover to cover, there are plenty of other similar books out there that are better written and presented than TV Guide.
Didn't read it cover to cover, there are plenty of other similar books out there that are better written and presented than TV Guide.
January 9, 2008
I always feel these books aren't long enough...this one is a pretty good overview.
October 4, 2016
This is a great coffee table book with tons of photos, interviews and nostalgic views. I hope they come up with an updated version.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews