Customer Reviews

Close-Ups

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Close-Ups is the kind of book you can breeze through it a day or two. It is written in a laid-back style and basically the chapters are transcripts of conversations the author has had with various TV personalities (mostly character actors) from some of the classic TV shows of the '50s '60s and '70s. There are some interesting tidbits here and there but those looking for behind-the-scenes "dirt" will be disappointed.

Being a big fan of Alice Ghostley, I was delighted to hear from her but wish there were more details, although she was rather ill when the interview was given and passed away not long after.

It was also nice to hear from Stanley Livingston, Kaye Ballard, Peter Lupus, Lynn Borden and Ray Fulmer (who both had nothing but good things to say about "Hazel" star Shirley Booth).

Some of the stars I was not that familiar with (Jon Provost, the fellow from the Waltons, and the western stars) but this was a fun read and I would recommend it to fans of Classic TV who hunger for more details about their favorite old stars/shows that aren't going to be found elsewhere.

If you have fond memories of the classic TV shows of the 1950s to 1970s, you're going to love Eddie Lucas' interview collection. Lucas' book makes you feel as if you're sitting down for a cozy chat with stars like FATHER KNOWS BEST's Elinor Donahue, MY THREE SONS' Stanley Livingston, THE JEFFERSONS' Marla Gibbs, and more. Because Lucas knows the shows so well, he doesn't have to rely on generic or vague questions. The author's respect and affection for these shows and their stars is evident, and the actors respond to his sincere interest with thoughtful and lively answers to his questions. If the list of actors and TV shows covered piques your interest, by all means pick this up. You won't be disappointed.

Eddie Lucas has assembled a collection of interviews with past television personalities that is both easy-to-read and fun. From Peter "The Big Valley" Breck's candid and humorous recollections to Elinor "Father Knows Best" Donahue's pleasant yet revealing insights, CLOSEUPS is a great way to learn some behind-the-scenes details about some of TV's best-loved shows and personalities. Eddie asks important technical questions related to work schedules, location shoots, filming techniques, but he also concentrates on his subjects' memories of those performers no longer with us, like Robert Young, Liz Montgomery, Shirley Booth, and Don Knotts.

But Lucas also succeeds as an interviewer when his subjects share personal information about themselves. The interviews with Peter Lupus, who offers great, detailed autobiographical information, and Alice Ghostley, whose tender interview would become her final one, are favorites of mine. Particularly, I was happy to read the origin of her "Black Man! Black Man!" song from "Designing Women."

This book also reveals the reasons behind the terminations of some series---I never knew the Shirley Booth pulled the plug on "Hazel"---I thought it ended because the final season ran without Whitney Blake and Don DeFore. You'll learn other facts like that, including cast changes, relationships among actors, and the subjects' favorite episodes from their own series. There's even the actors from "What's Happenin'" for those with an interest in shows later than the 1950s and 60s golden era. What a fun read!