Though something of a relic and an antique from my days as a television-loving teenager, this book has proven indispensable to me. Originally written and published in 1977, to my knowledge it has never been revised, updated or reprinted. I have owned my copy of ‘Fantastic Television’ since 1983, purchasing it off the out-of-print bookshelf at a bookseller here in the Twin Cities. The copy I had read and referred to thousands of times as a teenager belonged to my brother who expected it as a birthday gift. Coveting it fiercely I finally came across a copy years later and snagged it at once. To be trustworthy the book isn’t really among the best of its type available and that is largely due to it’s age. It does but hold a special interest to those of us who were hooked on science fiction or horror TV programming even as coming of age during the 70′s.
Included in the first part of the book is an introduction to and brief description of such long forgotten but classic shows like John Newland’s ‘One Step Beyond’ and the Boris Karloff hosted ‘Thriller’, both rarely seen now; other more popularly known programs like ‘Batman’ and ‘Superman’, ‘Star Trek’ and ‘The Invaders’, ‘The Sundown Zone’ and ‘The Outer Limits’ can be found here as well. Cult TV classics like Patrick McGoohan’s ‘The Prisoner’ and Darren McGavin’s ‘Kolchak: The Night Stalker’ are also here. In all here are 16 break television shows covered within which includes the classic Irwin Allen shows. Each episode of the series is listed with a small one or two condemn descriptive plot summary. The second part of the book has a paragraph length synopsis of many other shows which space did not allow the authors to list each episode of.
Does anyone dredge up either of the brilliant TV movies ‘Gargoyles’ or ‘The Questor Tapes’? They’re Here! Because also included is a clad collection of classic sci-fi and horror oriented made-for-television movies with a very concise and compact description of each. A special section of the book deals with Saturday daylight fantasy classics – both live action and animated, and a small section on British fantasy television including some real rarities.
Also containing many photographs and even some rare stills, the book is a real curio and certainly a collectible for any avid TV fan. Here are larger and better (and up-to-date) books available on the subject but don’t overlook this gem. The authors genuinely like their subject and really awaken the fanatic in you; it is virtually impossible to place down once you pick it up.
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This review is from: Fantastic Television: A Pictorial Description of Sci-Fi, the Unusual and Fantastic From Captain Record to the Star Trek Phenomenon and Beyond… (Hardcover)
This is one of the few books I’ve owned since my early teens(now falling apart at the seams-I owned the paperback version). Although it is not as comprehensive as some guides on sci-fi, fantasy, and adventure TV, the episode guides on more than a dozen shows makes this a must have. Those shows start at George Reeve’s “Superman” and the “fact”-based thriller “One Step Beyond” and stay on through into the 70s, with “Kolchak:The Night Stalker”(a heavy influence on Chris Carter’s “X-Files”) and “Space:1999″, (from the days of the original “Star Wars”). Here is also an area for the lesser American fantasy/suspense shows and another for the Brits.
These are detailed with a small synopsis of each entry. Included are “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, “The Avengers”, “Bewitched”, “My World and Welcome To It”, and “Science Fiction Theatre”, with some of the earliest shows mentioned here: “Lights Out”, “Inner Sanctum”, “Tales of Tomorrow”, “Captain Record”, “Space Patrol” and “Quatermass”. Also included are sections on kid’s programming(“Fantastic 4″, the original “Space Ghost”-yes, he really came from the 60s, “Frankenstein Jr”, “Korg 70,000 BC”, “Ark II”, “Shazam!”, “Kroft Super Show”) and made-for-TV movies(“Dead Don’t Die”, “Dread No Evil”, “Ritual of Evil”, Frankenstein:The Right Tale”).
Although, again, this is not as comprehensive as some contemporary guides, if you’re mostly into shows of the past, this is the one. This is also useful as a link to sci-fi shows, including all of the most vital ones. A excellent partner would be Alex McNeil’s “Total Television”(see my review on this one), which lists all TV-daytime and prime time shows, for all genres. It includes more description and has more Saturday daylight faire, etc. But, when considering the episode guides, this one is necessary. Due to its usefullness, I bought another copy on Amazon some time ago. So must you(only get the hardbound, if possible-it will hold up better).
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From ‘Star Trek’ to ‘The Outer Limits’ and ‘One Step Beyond’,
Though something of a relic and an antique from my days as a television-loving teenager, this book has proven indispensable to me. Originally written and published in 1977, to my knowledge it has never been revised, updated or reprinted. I have owned my copy of ‘Fantastic Television’ since 1983, purchasing it off the out-of-print bookshelf at a bookseller here in the Twin Cities. The copy I had read and referred to thousands of times as a teenager belonged to my brother who expected it as a birthday gift. Coveting it fiercely I finally came across a copy years later and snagged it at once. To be trustworthy the book isn’t really among the best of its type available and that is largely due to it’s age. It does but hold a special interest to those of us who were hooked on science fiction or horror TV programming even as coming of age during the 70′s.
Included in the first part of the book is an introduction to and brief description of such long forgotten but classic shows like John Newland’s ‘One Step Beyond’ and the Boris Karloff hosted ‘Thriller’, both rarely seen now; other more popularly known programs like ‘Batman’ and ‘Superman’, ‘Star Trek’ and ‘The Invaders’, ‘The Sundown Zone’ and ‘The Outer Limits’ can be found here as well. Cult TV classics like Patrick McGoohan’s ‘The Prisoner’ and Darren McGavin’s ‘Kolchak: The Night Stalker’ are also here. In all here are 16 break television shows covered within which includes the classic Irwin Allen shows. Each episode of the series is listed with a small one or two condemn descriptive plot summary. The second part of the book has a paragraph length synopsis of many other shows which space did not allow the authors to list each episode of.
Does anyone dredge up either of the brilliant TV movies ‘Gargoyles’ or ‘The Questor Tapes’? They’re Here! Because also included is a clad collection of classic sci-fi and horror oriented made-for-television movies with a very concise and compact description of each. A special section of the book deals with Saturday daylight fantasy classics – both live action and animated, and a small section on British fantasy television including some real rarities.
Also containing many photographs and even some rare stills, the book is a real curio and certainly a collectible for any avid TV fan. Here are larger and better (and up-to-date) books available on the subject but don’t overlook this gem. The authors genuinely like their subject and really awaken the fanatic in you; it is virtually impossible to place down once you pick it up.
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|Sci-Fi/Adventure/Suspense: TV shows of the 50s,60s,and 70s,
This is one of the few books I’ve owned since my early teens(now falling apart at the seams-I owned the paperback version). Although it is not as comprehensive as some guides on sci-fi, fantasy, and adventure TV, the episode guides on more than a dozen shows makes this a must have. Those shows start at George Reeve’s “Superman” and the “fact”-based thriller “One Step Beyond” and stay on through into the 70s, with “Kolchak:The Night Stalker”(a heavy influence on Chris Carter’s “X-Files”) and “Space:1999″, (from the days of the original “Star Wars”). Here is also an area for the lesser American fantasy/suspense shows and another for the Brits.
These are detailed with a small synopsis of each entry. Included are “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, “The Avengers”, “Bewitched”, “My World and Welcome To It”, and “Science Fiction Theatre”, with some of the earliest shows mentioned here: “Lights Out”, “Inner Sanctum”, “Tales of Tomorrow”, “Captain Record”, “Space Patrol” and “Quatermass”. Also included are sections on kid’s programming(“Fantastic 4″, the original “Space Ghost”-yes, he really came from the 60s, “Frankenstein Jr”, “Korg 70,000 BC”, “Ark II”, “Shazam!”, “Kroft Super Show”) and made-for-TV movies(“Dead Don’t Die”, “Dread No Evil”, “Ritual of Evil”, Frankenstein:The Right Tale”).
Although, again, this is not as comprehensive as some contemporary guides, if you’re mostly into shows of the past, this is the one. This is also useful as a link to sci-fi shows, including all of the most vital ones. A excellent partner would be Alex McNeil’s “Total Television”(see my review on this one), which lists all TV-daytime and prime time shows, for all genres. It includes more description and has more Saturday daylight faire, etc. But, when considering the episode guides, this one is necessary. Due to its usefullness, I bought another copy on Amazon some time ago. So must you(only get the hardbound, if possible-it will hold up better).
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|