Customer Reviews

The ABC Movie of the Week Companion: a loving tribute to the classic series

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

Growing up during the seventies, my mom's favorite programs were these ABC Movies of the Week. I often wound up watching the movies with her, if they were somewhat to my liking (surprisingly, there were quite a few horror/thriller varieties). A while back, my mom and I started to discuss some of those old movies, and we got them a bit confused. I found this book online, and it's been a great help. We can read a synopsis or summary, it's a case of, "Oh yeah, I remember THAT one!" My mom particularly loves the book, it really brings back a lot of memories for her.

It's interesting to note how many ABC TV series got their starts as pilot movies run on the ABC Movie of the Week-- The Six Million Dollar Man, Starsky and Hutch, The Rookies, etc.

The format and presentation is well-laid out; with a history and year-by-year listing, and air dates and a summary/synopsis of each movie. The only thing that could "punch it up" would be more graphics-- perhaps a still or shot from selected movies could help. After all, the TV movies were a visual medium.

I've been waiting for this book (as, I'm sure, were many others!). I used to watch the ABC Movie of the Week every Tuesday and Wednesday -- it was must-see TV in our house -- and I remember some of them so vividly it's scary (like Karen Black and that horrible killer doll). Since very few of these flicks have been released on video or DVD, this is the next best thing: an entertaining, often very funny, look back at almost all the movies in the series, with lots of trivia thrown in for good measure. The author has done all movie fans a service by getting the stats on these films down in print. A must for any movie-lover's personal library!

Being the rabid TV Movie nut I am, this book is a godsend. A short, concise guide to some of my favorite titles from that golden era of TVMs, "The ABC Movie of the Week Companion" also includes some interesting facts about the program, like salaries and ratings, as well as a fun introduction by the lovely Denise Nickerson (who DIDN'T have a crush on Scott Jacoby in the 70s?!?). And I thought I was the only one who remembered "Isn't It Shocking?"!!! A must for nostalgia buffs...

This is an excellent subject and the book is fine... it's just too short! Longer reviews would be nice but there is a bigger problem... finding these movies! "The Night Stalker/Night Strangler", "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark", "Trilogy of Terror", "Tribes", "Bad Ronald"... okay, these are out there but the majority ov these films don't even come up on Amazon's movie database or any other purchasing outlet! If your like me you'll wanna track 'em all down (even the cheese) and it's going to be hard. I collect sleaze, obscure classics and junk from the around the world but movies made in my own country for the mainstream (good ones if you can believe it) remain to be unearthed as ov this writing. Ironically, a few ov the titles pop up in the dollar DVD bins... grab 'em while they last.

Update 2010: Warner Archives has started to release many of these films. Anyone purchasing any of these are asked to comment on their quality.

This very short book lists all of the ABC television networks movies of the week from the 1970s. A good number of these are classics that have lodged themselves firmly in the memories of those who were (perhaps rashly) allowed to watch them as impressionable youngsters. If you go to any "What was the name of that movie?" site on the Internet, you'll find a few of these popping up again and again as repeat offenders.

I was hoping for a bit more than what I got in this book. The entries for most movies consist of the title and original air date, a high-level listing of notable cast and crew members, and a description consisting of one or two sentences. Occasionally the author might throw in a wry remark or two, or a personal reminiscence, but unless the movie had a great deal of meaning to him, few of them merit more than a paragraph. This is a bit frustrating, because it makes it appear that the book was put together in one afternoon of surfing through [...]. I would've preferred rather more information and some reviews.

Still, it's an adequate resource for film buffs, and certainly will bring back fond memories for those who grew up in front of the TV back in the day.

I had hoped for a book on the ABC movies of the week for almost 30 years. This slim volume is nice, but hardly comprehensive. There are no photos, limited cast lists, no crew lists, and only 101 pages. The author says some of the films, "really don't merit any further consideration" and you won't find those in this book. With over 200 films to review, the author had to "focus by necessity on (his) favorite films in the series".
Still, this book is a lot of fun, brings back loads of memories, and provides an index of titles, a "selected bibliography", and just enough info to help you find additional material, and photos, for some of the films on the internet. I would have liked to have seen a synopsis and review of every film in the series, and at least one photo from each title, along with complete cast and crew listings (at least director, screen writer, special effects, etc). I would like more info on source material, such as "Haunts of the Very Rich" was based on a short story of the same name by T.K. Brown and can be found in "The Years Best Horror Stories Series II" edited by Richard Davis in a DAW paperback edition, 1974. Readers might like to know which films are available on DVD, or were ever released on home video. Or that the original opening title sequence to the series can be found on YouTube.
This book is great fun, and is written in a warm, friendly style. It is worth the price to me, and I'm glad to have it. However, the definitive ABC movie of the week book has yet to be written.

This "companion" work was an unexpected pleasure, and as Bruce calls it, trip down memory lane.
As a pre-cable boomer, I was taken by so many of these ABC films: some I've never forgotten, i.e., "When Michael Calls", "Duel", "That Certain Summer"; others, like "Crowhave Farm" & "Go Ask Alice", had forgotten 'til reading this.
Sadly, few I've ever seen re-broadcast in recent decades.
I think the author did an excellent job & suceeded in what he set out to do: compile an informative re-cap of these movies with interesting tidbits for those of us who lived & watched them when they originally aired.
That being said, I think it's fairly obvious this was not meant to be a stuffy, thesis-like reading as T.P. apparently expected. And the author's "bare bottom" comments are not w/out merit: nudity of any kind, male or female, was unheard of on television at this time. Even material considered suggestive was scandalous; anyone remember when "Peyton Place" first aired??? I do, & I was only a young teenager . . . you would have thought from the media hype that it was an orgie-fest!
Well done, & thank you, Mr. Karol . . .

Having grown up with these films, its pure joy to see them so lovingly recalled by a fellow 70s child. Karol's book brings back such fond memories - I've already read it three times (with a pile of other books growing by my nightstand).

There are a few errors - Christie Love was famous for saying, "You're under arrest, Sugar," and "The Stranger Who Looks Like Me (a film that is quite offensive to we adoptees who appreciate the true parents who raised us) didn't star unknowns, but rather Beau Bridges and Meredith Baxter Birney. However, occasional missteps aside, this book is a heartwarming ride down Memory Lane.

A charming and nostalgic look at the height of tv movie making of the 1970s, The ABC Movie of the Week Companion is a delightful trip down memory lane for anyone who grew up in the 70s during the "golden age" age of tv movies. An easy read with great photos, you can tell the author loves the subject of his book and the affection is contagious for the reader. A refreshingly delightful book!!!

such a lovely read down memory lane. mr. karol certainly has a firm grasp on the spirit of this tv genre. anyone who watched these films will find themselves smiling broadly as they recognize each "classic" film from this era. and mr. karol's writing style is equally entertaining.