The View from Highway 1: Essays on Television

by Michael J. Arlen, Robert J. Thompson (Editor)

A collection of essays on television styles, specific shows, and news coverage, originally appearing in The New Yorker between September 1974 and December 1975, and first published in book form in 1976 by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. A trip back in time for those who grew up watching during the Recession, and background for those who don't remember life before Saturday Night Live . No index. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

283 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Michael J. Arlen is an Anglo-Armenian writer and former television critic of the The New Yorker. The son of the prominent Anglo-Armenian writer, Michael Arlen. He is the author of Exiles and the critically acclaimed Passage to Ararat, both of which are autobiographical narratives of Arlen's Armenian ancestry. He is also the author of Living Room War, a book on the Vietnam War's portrayal and the social culture of America in the media in the USA.

Reviews

[Tom Leland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously dated, but still many interesting observations on television's role in and effects on our culture. I watched tons of TV in the 70s, so some parts, such as essays on All in the Family, Rhoda, Saturday Night Live had a particular interest for me. As for the writing, exactly where my intellectual failings leave off and Arlen's (to my mind) overly cerebral analyses begin, I can't say; but he spends plenty of time deep in the weeds.