Dictionary of Teleliteracy: Television's 500 Biggest Hits, Misses, and Events - Softcover

Bianculli, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0815605056 ISBN 13: 9780815605058

Publisher: Syracuse Univ Pr, 1997

Synopsis

The television critic for the New York Daily News and National Public Radio's Fresh Air analyzes in half a page or so 500 programs and televised events that highly impacted American culture for good or ill. The programs include ER, Cheers, All in the Family, Sesame Street, and Zorro. The public events include the Watergate hearings, the Kennedy funeral, the moon landing, and the O. J. trial. First published by Continuum in 1996. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

About this title

From Booklist:

The launch of Nickelodeon's new cable channel, TV-Land, makes this a very timely book. Many of its subjects can be seen on either TV-Land or Nick at Nite, which this work frequently mentions. This book's subtitle defines its subject quite well, and the author, a TV critic for the New York Daily News, approaches his topic with passion, humor, and terrible puns.

Bianculli begins by noting that this is a companion volume to his 1992 book, Teleliteracy: Taking Television Seriously (Continuum). What is lacking in this new book, though, is a suitable definition of teleliteracy that would allow it to stand alone. The author uses the word a great deal, leaving the reader with the implication that the shows are those that have entered the American collective memory.

Arranged alphabetically, the subjects range from news (the coverage of the Kennedy assassination, the moon landing, the O.J. Simpson trial) to American television icons (MASH, Dallas, The Honeymooners) and British imports (Doctor Who, Fawlty Towers, Monty Python's Flying Circus). The author has chosen what he feels are "the most memorable" programs of postwar American TV. "Most memorable," he notes, does not necessarily mean good.

For the most part, the annotations note what channel or network originally carried the show and the years in which it originally ran. For British imports, he notes when they first ran in America. His sometimes humorous annotations present information on the show, and also his own choices of the best and the worst of the episodes. There is no consistent use of plot synopses, but complementary publications, such as The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (5th ed., Ballantine, 1992) or Total Television (3d ed., Penguin, 1991), have covered this. The author's opening remarks for his Star Trek entry ("Yeah, like America needs more words written about Star Trek" ) could be used for almost any entry.

Though it lacks a suitable method of cross-referencing, this book is wonderfully nostalgic reading. With its 1992 companion volume, it will provide any collection with an interesting examination of the cultural significance of TV in America.

From Library Journal:

The idea of compiling the 500 biggest television shows is unique?but is it necessary? Bianculli, a New York Daily News writer and NPR TV reviewer, aims to present the most meaningful and popular events and shows from television history, but he concedes that the selections are subjective and hardly exhaustive. They do cover a wide spectrum of television history, however, and highlights or unique plot twists are mentioned. The selections include news events (the O.J. Simpson low-speed chase), mini-series (Rich Man, Poor Man), classic TV shows (The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis), sitcoms (Newhart), dramas (The Waltons), game shows (Jeopardy!), and even foreign television shows (Absolutely Fabulous). Bianculli offers lengthy commentary on each show or event, but one looks in vain for a straightforward cast list at the end of each selection (though cast members are sometimes mentioned). If you need to add an up-to-date television history for browsing to your collection, consider this book, but if you are looking for a good TV reference, check out Alex MacNeil's Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (Penguin, 1995).?Judy Hauser, Oakland Schls. Lib. Svces., Waterford, Mich.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Syracuse Univ Pr
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0815605056
• ISBN 13: 9780815605058
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416