Above & Below: The Unofficial 35th Anniversary Beauty and the Beast Companion

by Edward Gross

Beauty and the Beast may be a tale as old as time, but never has it been more imaginatively told than in the 1987-90 live action television series created by Ron Koslow.

The concept has a noble lion-man, Vincent (Ron Perlman), member of a vast, wondrous community located beneath the streets of Manhattan, who saves the life of New York socialite turned assistant district attorney Catherine Chandler (Linda Hamilton). As he nurses her back to health, a connection is formed between them that drives the rest of the series as their worlds intertwine, exploring their love as well as the darker underpinnings of society.

Now as the show celebrates its 35th anniversary, Above & The Unofficial 35th Anniversary Beauty and the Beast Companion looks back at the making of the series with profiles of Hamilton and Perlman and continuing with a behind the scenes look at every episode produced through the eyes of the show’s various writers and directors, including Game of Thrones’ George R.R. Martin and Homeland’s Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa. New to this edition is an interview with Perlman from a convention appearance, an in depth conversation with makeup maestro Rick Baker, who designed Vincent’s incredible look; an essay about the show’s transition from Season 2 to Season 3, an expanded look at The Unseen Beauty and the Beast, a guide to different filmed versions of the Beauty and the Beast story, and a brand new interview with series creator Ron Koslow looking back at the show’s history and his feelings about its incredible journey.

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 20, 2023

About the author

Edward Gross is a veteran entertainment journalist who took his childhood passion for film and television and turned it into a career. As a student at Hofstra University, while most of the staff of The New Voice was interviewing the likes of student senators and faculty members, he was speaking to people like playwright Neil Simon (awarded an honorary degree by the school), Curtis Sliwa of New York’s Guardian Angels, Dr. Daniel Schwartz, the police psychiatrist who interviewed both David Berkowitz and Mark David Chapman; and James Bond director John Glen. Early on he sold pieces to New York Nightlife, Starlog and Filmfax magazines and was on his way.
Over the years he would not only become a correspondent for Starlog, but part of the editorial staff of Fangoria, Cinefantastique, SFX, Cinescape, Sci-Fi Now, Not of This Earth, RetroVision, Life Story, Movie Magic, Film Fantasy and TV Magic. Online he was Executive Editor, US for Empire Online, Film and TV Editor at Closer Weekly, Life & Style, and In Touch Weekly, and Nostalgia Editor for DoYouRemember? Currently he is senior editor at Geek magazine, and editor and podcast host for Voices from Krypton (devoted to the superhero genre), TV RetroVision (classic television) and Vampires and Slayers (the name says it all).
In addition to the oral history books he’s written with Mark A. Altman, Gross’ other titles include Secret File: The Making of a Wiseguy and The Unofficial 25th Anniversary Odd Couple Companion; X-Files Confidential; Spider-Man Confidential; Planet of the Apes Revisited with Joe Russo and Larry Landsman; Rocky: The Ultimate Guide; and Stargate: SG1 — In Their Own Words.

Reviews

[Jennifer Thompson-Thalasinos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve collected Edward Gross’ books on Beauty and the Beast since the get. This is the 35th anniversary edition of the original companion that came out in 1990 I believe. What I love about this one is it has commentary from the writers about each episode, information about unaired episodes (and ideas that weren’t fleshed out), interviews with Ron Koslow, Ron Perlman, and Rick Baker, as well as artwork by my dear friend Kevin Barnes. If you are a fan of the show this is a must have!