Prime Time Blues: African Americans on Network Television [Hardcover]

Donald Bogle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2001

Primetime Blues is the first comprehensive history of African Americans on the network series. Donald Bogle traces the changing roles of African Americans on primetime -- from the blatant stereotypes of television's early years to the more subtle stereotypes of recent eras. Bogle also reveals another equally important aspect of TV history: namely, that television has been invigorated by extraordinary Black performers -- from Ethel Waters and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson to Cicely Tyson, Flip Wilson, Redd Foxx, and those mighty power brokers Cosby and Oprah -- who frequently use the medium to make personal and cultural statements, and whose presence on the tube has been of enormous significance to the African American community. Bogle's exhaustive study moves from the postwar era of Beulah and Amos 'n' Andy to the politically restless sixties reflected in I Spy and the edgy, ultra-hip characters of The Mod Squad. Bogle comments on the short-lived East Side, West Side, the controversial Julia, and the television of the seventies, when a nation still caught up in Vietnam and Watergate retreated to the ethnic humor of Sanford and Son and Good Times; and on the politically conservative eighties, marked by the unexpected success of The Cosby Show. He explores die-hard Bonded Buddies on such series as Spenser: For Hire, and those Teen Dream heroes of Miami Vice. Finally, Bogle turns a critical eye to the television landscape of the nineties -- when Black and white viewers often watched entirely different programs -- with shows such as The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, ER, and The Steve Harvey Show. He also examines TV movies and miniseries such as The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and Roots. Ultimately, this important book gives us a history rich in personalities and tensions as well as paradoxes and achievements.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From its earliest days, television has always had a problem with color. The advent of Technicolor didn't change the fact that most actors on TV were white. Even in the mid-1970s, when African-American actors began appearing more regularly on network shows, the roles open to them were rigidly circumscribed. In this thoroughly researched, witty and often shocking social history, media scholar Bogle fashions an in-depth chronicle of the way television has mirrored and influenced the politics of race in the U.S. His analysis remains attuned to how the earliest black performersD"Eddie" Rochester on The Jack Benny Show; Ethel Waters, Hattie McDaniel and Louise Beavers playing the indefatigably cheerful black maid Beulah; and Alvin Childress and Spencer Williams in Amos n' AndyDmanaged to communicate authentically with African-American viewers, despite often finding themselves "cast in parts that were shameless, dishonest travesties of African American life and culture." Situating its critique within a broad economic and industry analysis, the book addresses such major issues as the pressure of sponsors and the advent of cable on the portrayal of African-American subject matter. The author of Dorothy Dandridge and Toms, Coons, Mulattos, Mammies, & Bucks, Bogle pulls no punches (e.g., chastising the popular Sanford and Son for what he sees as its anti-Asian racism and homophobia). This major new work in television and media studies will be welcomed by both academics and general readers. 60 b&w photos. Agent, Marie Brown. 5-city author tour. (Feb. 24)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The history of network television is filled with examples of talented black actors tackling memorable roles in noted primetime television series. In scholarly yet accessible fashion, Bogle (history, New York Univ.; Dorothy Dandridge: A Biography) brings these examples together. His book is particularly notable as perhaps the first complete chronicle of the evolution of black television from its inception in the 1940s to the present. The author, who has covered the exploits of black TV and media personalities before (he recently appeared on an E! Entertainment Network biography of Josephine Baker), here shows us that people of color have helped define network television as we know it today and continue to contribute creatively to the medium. His illuminating and entertaining study is recommended for all popular TV and media sections.
-DDavid M. Lisa, Wayne P.L., NJ
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux; 1 edition (February 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374127204
• ISBN-13: 978-0374127206
• ASIN: 0374237204
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,308,009 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Television History Lesson for All Interested, July 10, 2002

By 

Reginald D. Garrard "the G-man" (Camilla, GA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Primetime Blues: African Americans on Network Television (Paperback)

Although I initially intended on simply reviewing Bogle's masterwork, I feel that along with a personal reflection on the book, it is necessary to contradict statements made by an earlier reviewer.

Yes, the book is "exhaustive" but never is it boring. Every profile of African-American actors on the tube is carefully detailed and extensively covered, with little asides that make for intriguing reading. To this reader, it is clear that Bogle feels that there have been significant improvements in the representation of Blacks on television, but there are still some significant inroads, in front of and behind the camera, that need to be made. By covering as thoroughly as he has the entirety of those African-American pioneers and trendsetters, the author satisfies those that have longed to see such a mammoth undertaking published.

I, for one, savor the profiles of such underrated performers as Rosalind Cash, Joe Morton, Shirley Hemphill, Juano Hernandez, James Edwards, and a slew of others that labored with many less-than-distinguished parts and managed to create something memorable. It is further refreshing to see the author give the backgrounds of the more familiar African-American superstars like Bill Cosby, Cicely Tyson, and Diahann Carroll.

While I do not particularly care for the programs that have a "monochromatic cast" (Friends, Martin, and the various UPN "black-block" shows), I understand and appreciate Bogle's belief that television shows have a responsibility to inform and present a realistic portrayal of society, be that program a sitcom or a drama.

It is true that television is primarily entertainment; however, in that entertainment, thought-provoking writing and occasional commentary on society is warranted. That is one of Bogle's premises that he eloquently expresses.

This is a top-notch historical/editorial reference that makes for great reading and a worthwhile addition to the library of any fan of the "boob tube."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A CLASSIC,BUT WITH A FEW FLAWS, September 28, 2001

By 

J. Johnson "capricornrising1" (CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prime Time Blues: African Americans on Network Television (Hardcover)

PRIMETIME BLUES is an excellent history of African-Americans
on primetime television,from the days of "Beluah" to "The Parkers".Smart,honest,and very,very,very insightful,PRIMETIME
BLUES makes you want to read even more.But if I had to put in
some complaints,it'd be Donald Bogle's political bias.Suggesting
that all Blacks live rough and that any Black show that wants to
show a normal,calm Black family is phony.And at times,PRIMETIME
BLUES comes off a textbook as well.But anyway,buy this book
for excellent coverage of Blacks on your TV screen!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The" book of African Americans in the history of television, September 18, 2001

By 

L. Hunter (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prime Time Blues: African Americans on Network Television (Hardcover)

Just a splendid, engrossing work that details the history of African Americans in television. More than just a cursory glance, Bogle unearths all sorts of African Americans who have made contributions, no matter how small their part.
For everyone who wants to see a reference for 1) where we have been as far as minority representation on tv 2) where we are now and most importantly 3) where we SHOULD BE.
Essential for anyone who has a real passion for the medium!