Please Stand By: A Prehistory of Television [Paperback]

Michael Ritchie (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA?A history of television mainly in North America, but also in Europe during the years 1920-1948. Its strength is in the descriptions of early program production, specifically the physical conditions of the cramped, crowded studios; the extreme heat of the lights (Betty Furness kept a thermometer in her studio during her 15-minute show and it regularly registered 130 degrees Fahrenheit); the lack of rehearsals; and the often-sketchy scripts. Ritchie also chronicles the advent of televised sports and advertisements and the effects of World War II on broadcasting. The index is good on names of persons and companies, but weak on subjects.?Clodagh Lee, Chantilly Regional Library, VA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Written by the director of such movies as The Candidate, Downhill Racer, and The Bad News Bears, this interesting and readable book is about the "prehistoric" days when television was in its birth and infancy. Included are all sorts of firsts from the 1920s to 1940s, such as the first TV systems and their inventors, the first TV shows (even before shows were scheduled to appear regularly), the first TV celebrities, the first commercial, and the first TV networks. Chapters on the race to build a workable TV system and difficulties producing the early TV shows in the minuscule, hot studios are especially interesting. Ritchie writes in an entertaining manner and bases his book largely on personal interviews with a number of men and women who were there. Recommended for public libraries.
Judy Hauser, Oakland Sch. Lib. Svcs., Waterford, Mich.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Overlook TP (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879516151
• ISBN-13: 978-0879516154
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,723,455 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book, focusing on the people and programs, November 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Please Stand By: A Prehistory of Television (Paperback)

Much ink has been spilled describing the early battles, both political and technological, to get television off the ground. But the story of what actually went before the camera during the thirties is almost lost. It is truly amazing just how much broadcasting was going on in these days when a well off amateurs could start their own low fidelity television stations. You'll learn many fun facts too. Such as-- Who was the first person to write, direct, and star in a television drama? Eddie Alpert!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sloppy history, but uniquely fun, May 26, 2006

By 

Paul Lindemeyer "jazzman and cranky old grad ... (Ames, IA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Please Stand By: A Prehistory of Television (Paperback)

Michael Ritchie was a good director (The Candidate, Fletch, Bad News Bears, et al.) but a pretty sloppy writer and historian. Nevertheless the fun and adventure of pre-mass media television shine through in a book that's full of errors (and probably wasn't even copyedited). You'll get a vivid idea of what it might have been like tuning into NBC's or General Electric's pioneering stations in the late '30s and early '40s, working with trailblazers like Dennis James and Anthony Mann, and of course, goof-up after amusing goof-up as a new technology finds its feet and defines what makes a good program in ways that we can still appreciate today.

Ritchie makes one point that I've never seen anyone else comment on. He believed that TV's delayed 1948 "debut" as mass entertainment was due mostly to the American Federation of Musicians, who had banned all live music from TV for several years previous. It's an intriguing thesis - no variety shows, musicals, concerts, etc. certainly limited TV's programming and appeal. But I've never seen it discussed since. Of course, that may be because most of the events related in this book officially "never happened"...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll be shocked with so much curious info about early TV!, November 2, 2001

By 

Carlos E. Sicilia H. "Carlos Sicilia" (Caracas, DF, Venezuela) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Please Stand By: A Prehistory of Television (Hardcover)

This book is just incredible. The author (who also directed the Chevy Chase Fletch movie series), goes waaaaay back into an era of surprising TV struggle! Please, order it, buy it, get it used, new, hardcover, paperback or whatever. BUT GET IT. Almost every paragraph is and eyebrow raiser, every paragraph reveals some incredible detail! (For instance, Steve Allen was NOT the first talk show host in TV history!). It's perfectly written. It covers almost every area (Sports TV, Drama TV, Contest TV, etc.). It tells everything on the subject, and makes you gain hopes regarding the starting difficulties of any new project you may be trying to implement! Hold on to your idea! Hold on to your dream! These old time dreamers kept going, and made TV possible for everyone today!. It's the best book I've read this year (2001). Please. DON'T stand by and rush to get Please Stand By! You'll be really glad to know how many amazing things happened between 1928, when TV really began, and 1948, twenty years later, when they have made us BELIEVE everything started.

Carlos Sicilia, Caracas, Venezuela.