NICK AT NITE'S CLASSIC TV COMPANION: The All Night, Every Night Guide to Better Living Through Television [Paperback]

Tom Hill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 1996

Brought to you by the ultimate authority on Our Television Heritage -- here is the definitive entertaining reference to some of TV's enduring classics.

With a flip of the page, the inside scoop on America's favorite TV sitcoms is at your fingertips. Nick at Nite's Classic TV Companion offers capsule descriptions of every episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Love Lucy, Bewitched, The Bob Newhart Show, I Dream of Jeannie, The Munsters, Taxi, and Welcome Back, Kotter. Featured are such vital nuggets as:

• Classic guest stars: cameos by famous actors

• Classic quotes: TV's classic catchphrases and unforgettable one-liners

• Awards and critical comments

Plus, the answers to all the important questions, such as:

• Did Lassie really appear on an episode of Taxi?

• Why did Lucy's fight in the chocolate factory look so real?

• Which episode of Welcome Back, Kotter was written by Garry Shandling?

Nick at Nite's Classic TV Companion is the most delightful way to explore the hidden secrets of your favorite series and a book you'll want to keep as handy as your remote control.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

TV junkies and basic couch potatoes will love this book, unusual in its focus on classic TV shows. The editor has picked nine shows and provided episode synopses, cast lists, and interesting trivia, classic quotes, or classic scenes from those episodes. The shows included are Bewitched, The Bob Newhart Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Dream of Jeannie, I Love Lucy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Munsters, Taxi, and Welcome Back Kotter. The book nicely jogs one's memory of TV history, just as watching Nick-at-Nite does. The only flaws are the failure to include the original broadcast dates (for both the original network and Nick-at-Nite), to identify the original networks that aired these shows, and to indicate how each episode ended. Considering the age of the shows, it wouldn't be giving anything away. Still, this book is fun to read and will serve as a good reference in public libraries.?Judy Hauser, Oakland Schs. Lib. Svcs., Waterford, Mich.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Situation comedies have been a major element in TV programming from the medium's inception, but the cable channel Nick at Nite has made the genre its mainstay. Its programming consists almost entirely of reruns of fondly remembered sitcoms. This well-researched guide to the nine vintage series currently airing on the network is the perfect couchside companion for Nick-addicted viewers. It provides plot synopses and lists casts, directors, and other credits, such as guest appearances that have become renowned--for instance, Raquel Welch, prestardom, as a stewardess in an I Dream of Jeannie episode. Editor Hill is responsible for Nick's on-air promos, and he adopts their smart-alecky yet affectionate tone here, especially in sidebars on such topics as the variations of the Dick Van Dyke Show's opening sequence. Unfortunately for sitcom connoisseurs, the book's scope is limited to Nick's current schedule, featuring as many schlock shows (The Munsters, Welcome Back, Kotter) as classics. It is entertaining and useful, nonetheless, for reference purposes as well as circulation. Gordon Flagg

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Fireside (April 4, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684815931
• ISBN-13: 978-0684815930
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,586,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I believe in Better Living Through Television!, September 30, 2000

By 

Greg Taylor (Chicago, in the fertile crescent of TV Land (running from MTM's Minneapolis to WKRP's Cincinnati)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: NICK AT NITE'S CLASSIC TV COMPANION: The All Night, Every Night Guide to Better Living Through Television (Paperback)

This is a fine volume, although I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, and the Munsters hardly merit inclusion in such august company as Mary Tyler Moore, or the Bob Newhart show, and perhaps not even with WKRP, Taxi, or Kotter. But don't let that editorial error keep you from seeking out this influential work in the study of the Golden Age of Television (1970-79).

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic TV, April 6, 2003

By 

D. Allen "meeko_2003" (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: NICK AT NITE'S CLASSIC TV COMPANION: The All Night, Every Night Guide to Better Living Through Television (Paperback)

A must-have for any Classic TV fan, this book tells you everything you need to know to better enjoy episodes of sitcom favorite such as "I Love Lucy", "Mary Tyler Moore", "The Dick Van Dyke Show", and others. Each show includes classic quotes, listing of guest stars, and awards, and information on how the series effected "Our Television Heritage". The book also features a number or humorous features for each series, including chronicling Mary Richard's failed dinner parties or the number of times cast members greet Bob Hartley by saying "Hi Bob!" in the series (256, if you were wondering). If you're looking for plenty of information or trivia about your favorite shows, this is the book for you.

5.0 out of 5 stars all night, every nite, April 27, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: NICK AT NITE'S CLASSIC TV COMPANION: The All Night, Every Night Guide to Better Living Through Television (Paperback)

this is a really fun and entertaining guide to classic television. for all who consider themselves true television gourmands, this is a must read!
also, i think tom hill is hot!