Harry and Wally's Favorite TV Shows [Paperback]

Harry Castleman (Author), Walter J. Podrazik (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

From the title, you might expect the ramblings of a couple of couch potatoes, but this book has a higher purpose in mind. It's an attempt at a critical encyclopedia of prime-time TV series and miniseries, from F Troop to Jewel in the Crown . In reality, then, these are not the authors' "favorite" shows, although they do provide critical rankings (zero to four stars), as well as cast lists, character names, descriptions, and numbers of episodes produced. The most valuable feature of the book is an index of programs available on videocassette, with distributors and their addresses. Otherwise, this volume adds little to the growing shelf of TV reference books.
- Thomas Wiener, formerly with "American Film," Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 628 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall Trade; 1 edition (November 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0139332502
• ISBN-13: 978-0139332500
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,326,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Far better than that "Complete Directory" book, October 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Harry and Wally's Favorite TV Shows (Paperback)

Why is it that that "Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows" is now in an 8th edition, while "Harry and Wally" has been out of print for years? The "Complete Directory" is nothing but a dry, boring recitation of shows' premises, whereas "Harry and Wally" is like a roundup of well-written short essays on whether some obscure show would be worth your time. (I refered to it recently when Trio did a special run of "East Side/West Side.") The more classic the show, the better and longer the write-up, too. They also score extra credit with me, as an original series "Star Trek" die-hard, for a great write-up on my favorite series.

I've hoped for years for an updated edition of Harry and Wally. C'mon guys, where did you go? What gives?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique and valuable reference work, November 1, 2002

By 

Joseph A. Blevins (Arlington Heights, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Harry and Wally's Favorite TV Shows (Paperback)

It's a shame this book isn't in print anymore. It's an even BIGGER shame that there was never an updated edition. The book came out in the late 1980s, and so much has happened in television since then. Harry and Wally, if you're out there, how about writing a sequel?

Even though it's more than a decade out of date, "Harry and Wally's Favorite TV Shows" is still a valuable reference work for students of pop culture or just fans of classic TV. It covers a great many series that other TV books skip over, including series on PBS and shows imported from the UK. The idea of giving each series a rating from zero stars to four stars also sets "Favorite TV Shows" apart from other similar books. Better yet, the reviews are usually right on the money.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ...and my favorite TV book by far!, June 24, 2001

By 

Mister Chris (Peekskill, New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harry and Wally's Favorite TV Shows (Paperback)

Forget the light-hearted cover and title. No matter who "Harry" and "Wally" are, rest assured they are not "Beavis and Butthead" but two brilliant television critics who I believe have crafted for coach potatoes the best guide to living room entertainment.

Working as both an encyclopedic reference and a highly opinionated tour guide, the book manages to give television history the same sort of readable pop cultural analysis usually reserved for the movies.

In fact Roger Ebert came to mind when I read Mr. Castleman's and Mr. Podrazik's take one everything from the classics like "I Love Lucy" or half season duds like "The Brady Brides." They clearly love television from a refreshing middle brow point of view and are able to convey that to the reader with both humor and intellect. While the authors do tend to turn their backs on some interesting shows (70's cop shows, in particular, are greeted with a yawn), their reviews of "All In The Family, M*A*S*H, and even "The Lone Ranger" are dead on target and illuminating.

I hope someday Harry and Walter pursuade the puplishers give this out of print title another go around. Besides, I wonder what would these two remote control sages think about other TV obsessions such as "Seinfeld" or "The Sopranos?"