25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
BLOOM & VLASTNIK DO IT AGAIN !, November 1, 2007
This review is from: Sitcoms: The 101 Greatest TV Comedies of All Time (Hardcover)
Bloom & Vlastnik's "Broadway Musicals: The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time" is arguably the most gorgeous, luxurious book which tells and, more importantly, shows you onstage and backstage at what the authors consider to be the greatest shows on earth. The photographs are unbelievably exciting, obviously chosen with such care that they give the viewer not just joy but inspiration, too.
Well, Ken Bloom and Frank Vlastnik have done it again. For every reader who loves good television "Sitcoms" is the finest book of its kind that I have ever found. The first, and to me most important feature, is the inclusion of magnificent color photos for shows like "I Love Lucy," "The Honeymooners" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show" that have never ever been seen before.
But this is not just a picture book. The research that has gone into "Sitcoms" is staggering and Bloom & Vlastnik are endlessly entertaining in the way they write and how they have chosen what is included in this PERFECT Christmas gift.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great t.v. retrospective with rare color photos, July 19, 2010
This review is from: Sitcoms: The 101 Greatest TV Comedies of All Time (Hardcover)
This book provides a nice retrospective of t.v.'s greatest and most memorable sitcoms. Although fans of individual series will learn little, if nothing, new, the text is fun and readable. By far the best feature of this volume are its striking color photographs. Fans will finally get to see what the Petries' living room and bedroom looked like in color, as well as the casts of The Addams Family and Father Knows Best, among others.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Top TV Sitcoms Endure as Cultural Milestones in an Entertaining Coffee Table Book, December 1, 2007
This review is from: Sitcoms: The 101 Greatest TV Comedies of All Time (Hardcover)
Few baby boomers could possibly resist the immediate familiarity of the classic TV situation comedies highlighted in this well-crafted coffee table book by co-authors Ken Bloom and Frank Vlastnik. They have chosen 101 shows, most of which have penetrated our collective subconscious in the past sixty years. Granted some have become obscure, the list reflects due consideration for enduring popularity and cultural influence, although there are some intriguing omissions from my perspective, e.g., RHODA, MAD ABOUT YOU, and
SEX AND THE CITY among others. Whereas most such entertainment reference books stick with mainly the facts of the production, Bloom and Vlastnik go beyond the relevant statistics about each show and inject a hearty amount of behind-the-scenes information along with a surprisingly sharp level of critical commentary on how such shows would stack up against what is offered today.
The list of sitcoms is alphabetical according to title so as not to encourage argument over which ones are the most beloved. Clearly, some have an inarguable place on the pantheon (
I LOVE LUCY,
ALL IN THE FAMILY,
M*A*S*H,
THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW). A few were surprisingly short-lived (e.g., only 39 episodes of
THE HONEYMOONERS exist), while others far outlasted the critical lambasting they richly deserved. An example of the latter is THE FACTS OF LIFE, a hopelessly misbegotten show that somehow endured despite a palpable lack of quality and an ever-changing premise. The most recent shows featured include the still-running
SCRUBS and
CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, as well as THE 70'S SHOW, MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE, and
WILL & GRACE, all of which ended their long runs last year.
A lot of great trivia is also included, such as how NEWHART used outtake footage from
On Golden Pond for their opening credits or how Fred MacMurray filmed all his scenes for a season of MY THREE SONS in just sixty-five days (thus forcing the other actors to be filmed talking to his stand-in the rest of the time). There are great little features focusing on subjects like sitcom pets and familiar character actors whose names we never knew, as well as pieces like "Brilliant But Canceled" where critically acclaimed but woefully mistreated shows like HE & SHE and ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT are highlighted. Each of the 101 sitcoms includes at least one or two informative profiles of the key actors. Another nice surprise is the number of color, on-set photos presented of shows that are familiar only in black-and-white. This book is great fun to peruse as you spend an evening watching the reruns on Nick-at-Nite.
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