Happier Days: Paramount Television's Classic Sitcoms 1974-1984 [Paperback]

Marley Brant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2006

Happy Days is here again... and so are Mork & Mindy, Cheers, and the other Paramount greats



Ah, the golden age of television sitcoms. Remember the first time we saw Robin Williams...on Mork & Mindy? Remember how funny Laverne & Shirley was? Remember settling down to watch Cheers every Thursday night for years? Here’s the inside scoop on all of those shows and more--the behind-the-scenes stories, the intricate interactions between cast and crew, the stories of how these shows were the springboard for dozens of great careers, for such stars as Tom Hanks (dressed as a woman! on Bosom Buddies!), Penny Marshall, Andy Kaufman, Kelsey Grammar, Ted Danson, Henry Winkler, Judd Hirsch, Bebe Neuwirth, and so many more. Each chapter focuses on a specific hit series and is packed with intriguing details and interviews. Anyone who’s ever stayed up late to watch reruns of Taxi (or any of the other great Paramount sitcoms) will want a copy of Happier Days to read during the commercials.




• Baby boomers everywhere will love this book

• Exclusive interviews with big stars who started in sitcoms

• Appeal for film buffs, celebrity followers, TV historians, and nostalgia fans

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Marley Brant is the author of Southern Rockers and Tales from the Rock ‘n’ Roll Highway, as well as Freebirds: The Lynyrd Skynyrd Story, which Booklist praised, saying, “Brant names the names and tells the tales...Long overdue, this is the most complete chronicle of Skynyrd.” The author lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Billboard Books (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823089339
• ISBN-13: 978-0823089338
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,250,295 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marley Brant has been employed in the entertainment industry as a biographical writer, publicist, music and television producer and artist development executive. Marley's books have been used as the primary research resource for programs aired by A&E, VH1, CMT, TBS, Biography and The History Channel. Her work has been featured in People Magazine, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, Publisher's Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist and many other popular publications.

Marley's entertainment affiliations are extensive and she has worked with a wide variety of music artists, actors, and directors as well as numerous television, radio and film productions. Marley co-produced the album "Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels, Live 1973" and served as Co-Creator, Associate Producer and Historical Consultant on the TBS production "Outlaws, Rebels & Rogues"("The Untold West").

Marley is a member of the Recording Academy and writes biography and fiction.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From Happy Days to Angie to Family Ties to Cheers, October 25, 2007

By 

Laurance Ulisse Bardo "TVLander" (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Happier Days: Paramount Television's Classic Sitcoms 1974-1984 (Paperback)

Excellent choice to go behind the scenes of Paramount's 1970's and 1980's powerhouse of sitcoms that was produced by Garry Marshall, along with his team of Miller-Milkis-Boyette on ABC--many of whom worked behind the scenes with Marshall on The odd Couple--the most interesting to me is the series Angie because it shows how a network can screw up their own destiny. I remember Angie started as a hit, but ABC made the mistake of giving Laverne & Shirley its own night and shuffled their whole schedule around to do this, which in return put many of the other Marshall produced shows in jepordy, which many got canned because of it in the long run. Angie was a great show because Doris Roberts really got her fame from this show and I am surprised that Paramount has not released it on DVD since her popularity on Everybody Loves Raymond reached iconic status. Paramount is like Universal--they are rather slow on releasing TV on DVD. They are missing the boat and the money. This book does go into detail about these shows for the first time and it's a great reference to depend on.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Insight!! Great Days!!!, October 11, 2006

By 

William Olmstead (Banning, Ca.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Happier Days: Paramount Television's Classic Sitcoms 1974-1984 (Paperback)

I remember the shows so well but had hardly any knowledge of the production background and the casting. I especially like the short bios on all the personalities and where they are now feature. Brant did an excellent job as always. I've read all of her books on various subjects. This is another subject that the author actually "lived." Good work.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Entertaining Insider's Guide to Hit Paramount Sitcoms!, September 24, 2007

By 

Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Happier Days: Paramount Television's Classic Sitcoms 1974-1984 (Paperback)

During the period from 1974 to 1984 Paramount Television fielded a series of classic sitcoms ranging from "Happy Days" to "Cheers." Author Marley Brant, who worked in Paramount Televsion's Publicity Department during that period, takes us for a behind-the-scenes guided tour to some of television's funniest programs and the people that created them.

Paramount owed its success during the period in question to talented producers and directors like Garry Marshall, James Brooks, Stan Daniels, David Davis, Ed Weinberger, Jim Burrows, Glen & Les Charles, Gary David Goldberg and others. Alone and together they created the classic shows listed above plus "Laverne & Shirley," "Mork & Mindy," "Taxi" and "Family Ties" along with other promising shows that failed to score with the public.

Brant covers each show in turn, relating its genesis, high-points, low-points, critical acclaim and bios of the cast and crew. The collective cast includes Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Robin Williams, Penny Marshall, Judd Hirsch, Danny DeVito, Ted Danson, Michael J. Fox - a veritable who's who of '70s comedy. Brant's insider views of the various shows and who the stars related - or didn't - in the case of "Laverne & Shirley" makes for fascinating reading.

HAPPIER DAYS packs a great deal of information within its 282 pages. It's an absolutely first-class and FUN guide to classic Paramount sitcoms. Highly recommended.