Customer Reviews

No Retakes

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Sandra Grabman has written a concise and wonderful book about television's infancy. Ably assisting her is veteran actor Wright King, who was part of that burgeoning industry. The stories (told by both authors) are touching and funny (I especially loved the Blooper involving Raymond Massey in "Abe Lincoln in Illinois"!) Several other survivors of live television (including Bill Erwin, Jack Klugman, Don Grady, Rance Howard, and Betsy Palmer) weigh in on this fascinating subject. The entire book has an inviting feel to it; it's as though you're sitting with these talented people and looking through their personal scrapbooks from a better time. It made me long for the days of live television.

Wrigth King played leads and character roles for everything from THE ODD COUPLE, THE TWILIGHT ZONE, STUDIO ONE, CAPTAIN VIDEO AND THE VIDEO RANGERS to TOM CORBETT. Tahnks to Sandra Grabman, King's story can be told and the stories are superb. It's like listening to an actor talk for four hours all about the good ol' days of television and the people he worked with such as James Arness and Robert DeNiro.

Grab this one today!

What fun! This book, with ample pictures of people in front of the camera and behind the scenes who paved the way for this new medium, is like listening to a panel discussion between great actors who were the Pioneers of Television. With Sandra Grabman as the anchor she primarily interviews the great actor of stage, TV, and movies, Wright King, but there are also many quotes from other actors of that era, and adds memories of viewers of early television. It's nostagic, entertaining, and informative, a fast read, and fun to read the bloopers. Any thing could happen and did! You get a deep repect for these brave actors who put themselves on the line when television was filmed LIVE.

In 1950, when I was five years old, I excitedly welcomed into our home a 17-inch Philco television set. This large "window to the world" allowed my family to watch local programs and those from networks such as ABC, NBC, CBS, and DuMont. Local stations often featured old films, kid shows, local news, and cooking shows, while the networks featured national news, sports, game shows, upscale kid shows, and more sophisticated fare, such as plays.

Some plays were 30 minutes long, similar to the popular radio shows. Some examples are Casey, Crime Photographer, Danger, and Rocky King, Private Eye. Other, more serious, plays had major sponsors and lasted as long as 90 minutes. These were offered by some of the finest actors and directors in the business; some examples are Studio One and Playhouse 90.

Almost every program presented during the late 1940's and early 1950's was live, usually performed before a studio audience. It was not long before I realized that "live performance" meant that the actors had to memorize their parts from start to finish and perform them flawlessly, I was awed by the talent of these actors. There was no videotape; they had no second chance to redo a scene marred by a fluffed line or an accidental walk-on. What the viewer saw was the first and, often the only, take; there were no retakes.

It is this marvelous period in television history that Sandra Grabman and Wright King have chosen to revisit in their book, No Retakes. Theirs is an enjoyable, insightful trip back to a simpler time when only a few opportunities existed in the new medium, and only the best of the best survived to move on to greater achievements.

I first became interested in Wright King in 1953; he had gone on to star in his own "kid" show, Johnny Jupiter. This program was engaging fare for a very smart, nine-year old, who had been tested by good-quality movies and television. Johnny Jupiter did not disappoint me. King was a marvelous comedy actor - a talent underutilized in subsequent years - and I followed his career to the present day.

Today, even in his 80's and remembered mostly for his role as Dr. Galen in Planet of the Apes and for two episodes of Twilight Zone, Wright King retains his marvelous memory; he is very articulate and maintains a genuine enthusiasm about his long career. He and Sandra Grabman have put together a wonderful and easily-read tale of the successes and difficulties of working in early television. The reader will learn much and enjoy the experience.

Sandra Grabman, the popular biography writer, has produced another wonderful read - this time with the assistance of character actor Wright King. King and Grabman take readers back to the era of live television when actors and actresses didn't have the benefit of shooting retake after retake to deliver the perfect scene.

The book is formatted in such a way that it's easy to differentiate between King's voice and Grabman's. There are a variety of shows covered, and lots of different actors and actesses are heard from.

The book contains over 70 photos and many humorous examples of what happens when an actor doesn't get a second chance. You'll enjoy going back in time and reliving these moments with those who lived them. I know I did!

BearManor Media presents "NO RETAKES!" (Actors & Actresses Remember The Era Of Live Television) (Paperback), by Sandra Grabman & Wright King.

This book reads "like being there" when all of this was happening. Very well laid out, each chapter gives us an insight of what it was like to have only one chance to get it right --- because it was live and that was that.

What a nostalgic look at the 'Pioneers of Television', through the eyes of fellow actors, producers and directors who gave us live entertainment that was taken for granted. Am a big fan of Sandra Grabman, have read her biography books, she nails each chapter with colorful exuberance --- this time she shares her memories with the assistance of the wonderful character actor Wright King.

Another plus, is all of the photographs personal and studio stills. Many faces you haven't seen for years, now you recollect with the good memories you have tucked away in your subconscious. I was lucky enough to be around when all of this was coming from New York and other cities into our living rooms --- on the new invention we now know as 'TELEVISION'.

Special footnote: ~ To distinguish Wright King's words from those of Sandra Grabman, his memoires are set in 'BOLD TYPE'.

Very reasonable and a good value for the price --- For product description and editorial review check this out on the Amazon site above my review.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Acknowledgments --- 5
Introduction by Sanda Grabman --- 7
Introduction by Wright King --- 9
The Development of Television --- 17
Getting The Job --- 35
Air Time! --- 45
For All You Kiddies Out There --- 69
Stay Tuned For News --- 77
It's Game Time! --- 81
And Now A Word From Our Sponsor --- 87
Bloopers --- 91
The Audience --- 109
Memorable People Of The Live TV Era ---115
Good-Bye To The Golden Age --- 123
Bibliography --- 129
Index --- 131

Another good book published by Ben Ohmart and his staff, BearManor Media, a small press that publishes BIG books. They pride themselves on publishing quality entertainment biographies, so they often put out the first book on unique subjects -- plus specializing in books with nostalgic themes and keeping classic Hollywood alive not only thru his publishing house, but thru his own books --- a Big Thank You!

A must read ~ Highly recommend as your new 'coffee table book'.

If you enjoyed this book by Sandra Grabman check this out -- Pat Buttram: The Rocking-Chair Humorist ... also ... Lloyd Nolan: An Actors Life With Meaning

Total Page: 140 Pages ~ BearManor Media #ISBN-13: 978-1593931476 ~ (April 30, 2008)