American Science Fiction Television Series of the 1950s: Episode Guides and Casts and Credits for Twenty Shows - Hardcover

Lucanio, Patrick; Coville, Gary

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0786404345 ISBN 13: 9780786404346

Publisher: McFarland Publishing, 1998

Synopsis

From Adventures of Superman to World of Giants, this reference work covers all science fiction television series of the 1950s. A lengthy essay details character development, technical innovations, critical commentary and other matters. The episode guides that follow provide primary cast and production credits for the entire season and then coverage of each individual episode, with title, airdate, writer, director, and plot synopsis. Much of the information was derived from actual viewing, and many errors from other works are corrected here.

About this title

About the Author

Patrick Lucanio is a college professor in Springfield, Oregon. Gary Coville is a reference librarian in Dallas, Oregon.

From Booklist

McFarland seems to attract writers both knowledgeable and passionate about their subjects. This is certainly true for this reference work on the early days of sci-fi TV.

The two authors share a strong historical research bent as well as philosophical respect for this then-experimental genre. They have carefully reviewed the current literature on the 1950s sf series, dug deeply into primary documents, and apparently viewed every extant episode. While they sometimes overemphasize the high quality of the programs, the authors adequately justify their belief in the significance and social relevance of this TV genre, particularly in light of contemporaneous culture. Their basic tenet, explained in a lengthy introduction, is that science fiction television series demonstrated the moral and scientific ideals of the decade.

The main body of the text describes, in alphabetical order, 20 nationally syndicated series. The greatest coverage (about 60 pages) is given to Adventures of Superman. The introduction to the Superman chapter explains the writing/production history and the leading characters, and offers a little technical and syndication information. The authors do not sugarcoat the series, asserting that episodes from seasons three through six (at that point transitioning to color) are "witless and rather simple tales of little consequence." Rather, they try hard to provide an objective view of the program--occasionally disparaging the cuts and changes that syndicators have made over the years (e.g., eliminating the ending previews of the succeeding episode, coloring B/W shows, cutting scenes in order to fit in advertising time). The production staff and casts are then enumerated as are the plots of each episode (in chronological order).

The other series' entries range in length from three to 13 pages. They too include production and plot information. In some cases, only the episode titles are offered, mainly because no copies or descriptions of the episodes exist. In most cases, a picture of the opening screen or leading actor accompanies the series entry. The episode "signature" opening narrative is usually included as well. Surprisingly, little space is dedicated to the directors or actors themselves; the producers receive the most attention.

An extensive bibliography of source material follows the A^-Z entries. Two indexes conclude the volume, one listing all the episode titles, and a general index principally of names. Writing is clear and competent, if sometimes opinionated.

American Science Fiction Television Series of the 1950s offers in-depth and inside information about a specialized television age and genre. Because of the later impact of such shows as Star Trek and The Twilight Zone, information about the programs of an earlier age can be very enlightening. Thus, for academic and large public library collections with TV and sf collections, this volume makes a significant contribution.

Edition details

• Publisher: McFarland Publishing
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0786404345
• ISBN 13: 9780786404346
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 252