Animals on Screen and Radio [Hardcover]

Jean L. Kauppila (Author), Ann C. Paietta (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Devoted to film, TV, and radio animals from Rin-Tin-Tin to Mister Ed, this annotated sourcebook covers from the beginnings of animals in media through 1993. The 1,515 entries include films from other countries as well as the U.S. The book is meant for researchers and animal lovers as well as for buyers for video stores or other collections.

Organized in three sections, the bulk of the entries cover theatrical and television films, followed by additional entries for television and radio series. Each entry is alphabetized by title and notes producer, actors (including animals), country, date, length in minutes, animal trainers, whether black and white or color, and a descriptive annotation of the film's content. If the film is available on videotape, this is indicated. The introduction describes the criteria for inclusion. For example, documentaries are not listed, nor are insect or dinosaur films. Animals are classified as either central to the plot, supportive, or unnamed but still with an impact on the film or radio show. A bibliography and subject and animal-name indexes conclude the book.

This accessible reference source could easily be carried into a film library or video store as an on-the-spot selector. However, many of the entries are for films released between 1905 and 1950. Additionally, materials are not identified for intended audiences. The omission of some children's favorites such as The Amazing Bone, a film made from a popular book by William Steig, is striking. Finally, while this book claims to be for animal lovers, some titles seem inappropriate. For example, the annotation for How Father Killed the Cat reads "A father attempts to kill a cat by drowning and mangling it but fails. He finally ends up killing it with a violin."

Invaluable for film researchers as well as public library patrons who are fascinated by this subject, students of filmmaking and artists specializing in animal drawings might also find a use for this work. School library media specialists would be better served by the growing number of books and professional journals that review educational media.

Review

This work covers unusual territory and will be welcomed at public and school libraries, and at academic sites with curriculum or interest in popular culture. (Arba )

Invaluable for film researchers as well as public library patrons who are fascinated by this subject. (Reference Books Bulletin )

This is one of those Scarecrow Press books that looks as if it will last for centuries. (Reference Reviews )

Product Details

• Hardcover: 397 pages
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press; annotated edition edition (June 28, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810829398
• ISBN-13: 978-0810829398
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,419,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Director of Deep River Public Library in Connecticut since 1999. Previously held positions at Yale University, University of Illinois at Chicago, and The New York Academy of Medicine.