Stay Tuned: Television's Unforgettable Moments [Hardcover]

Joe Garner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2003

For over 50 years, we have watched as television has entertained, informed, comforted, and thrilled us. We watched as sitcoms evolved from I Love Lucy to All in the Family: at first merely amusing, then becoming reflections of society and pushing the cultural boundaries. We watched President Kennedy, the first-born of television and politics, unite us in the optimism of his "new frontier" and in the grief of his assassination. Television has taken us to the scene of mass celebrations, such as the wedding of Lady Diana to Prince Charles, to calamities in Munich and New York, and into frightening fields of battle in Vietnam and Iraq. Television exposed the imperfections of the jurors' box in the trial of O.J. Simpson and the ballot box in Election 2000. Television put us in the front row when Hank broke Babe's record, when the U.S. hockey team beat the Soviets in Lake Placid, and when the NFL spilled over from Sunday afternoons to Monday nights. Over 50 years of memories-the stars, the programs, and the events stored in our hearts and imaginations like treasured heirlooms-are found in this new hardcover multimedia book from veteran New York Times best-selling author Joe Garner. In Stay Tuned, he has gathered 36 landmark moments from news, sports, and entertainment in a riveting anthology. Each story comes to life through detailed, behind-the-scenes accounts and firsthand anecdotes, and is illustrated with hundreds of poignant black-and-white and color photographs. The book's accompanying CDs and DVD feature the corresponding clips, narrated by Walter Cronkite for news, Bob Costas for sports, and (TK) for entertainment.TV's Unforgettable Moments is certain to become an important and lasting chronicle of the medium-and a best-seller in the process.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Garner, a 20-year broadcasting veteran, has penned numerous multimedia books (We Interrupt This Broadcast; And the Crowd Goes Wild; Echoes of Notre Dame Football; etc.). Here, he channel-surfs through decades of television productions, focusing on 36 landmark moments in news, sports and show business. Each event or show gets four to six pages, and the book is illustrated throughout with hundreds of photos and stills. Opening with Lucille Ball's 1952 comedic commercial for Vitameatavegamin, the fun continues in the entertainment section with Elvis's debut and famous final episodes of shows, from M*A*S*H to Survivor. Among the television news coverage is Nixon's "Checkers" speech and resignation, the JFK/Nixon debates, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the O.J. Simpson case, the 1997 Baby Jessica rescue and, of course, September 11. In the sports arena, Garner covers the Bobby Riggs/Billie Jean King tennis match, Muhammad Ali with the 1996 Olympic torch and Tiger Woods shattering golf records. The accompanying DVD and two audio CDs contain slickly edited clips and interviews, plus informative narrations by Walter Cronkite (news), Bob Costas (sports) and Dick Van Dyke (entertainment). The package is neatly stitched together by a clever contents page that cross-references the book's page numbers with specific DVD and CD tracks. Few will be disappointed by this anecdote-laden compilation, although readers with good memories are certain to have their own key missing moments from television history.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-A compilation of 35 landmark moments from more than 50 years of television, this book is divided into three sections: entertainment, news, and sports. Entertainment highlights 12 shows, from the I Love Lucy "Vitameatavegamin" episode to the first season of Survivor. The news coverage includes the Kennedy Assassination, the marriage and funeral of Princess Diana, and the events of September 11. Sports ranges from the first "thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" of Wide World of Sports to Tiger Woods's triumph at the Masters in 1997. While most students will consider three-quarters of these events ancient history, Garner includes a clear, concise historical context for each piece. For most of the segments, he provides information and anecdotes through original interviews with the writers, producers, or stars. Each section is filled with stills and photographs, many in color. The accompanying DVD and CDs provide clips from the actual programs, hosted by Dick Van Dyke, Walter Cronkite, and Bob Costas. An entertaining overview of television and its effect on the second half of the 20th century.
Jane S. Drabkin, Chinn Park Regional Library, Woodbridge, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing; Har/DVD edition (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740740148
• ISBN-13: 978-0740740145
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 10.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,154,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling chronicle!, October 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Stay Tuned: Television's Unforgettable Moments (Hardcover)

STAY TUNED is bound to be another success from Joe Garner. The addition of the DVD is incredible--it features 2 1/2 hours of actual clips, narration by Bob Costas (sports), Dick Van Dyke (entertainment), and Walter Cronkite (news), AND behind-the-scenes interviews with producers, newscasters and more. This is far more than a coffee table book.

STAY TUNED has such broad appeal, covering moments from I Love Lucy to Survivor, Comaneci's perfect 10s to Tiger's Masters win, and Princess Diana's wedding (and death) to the 2000 election debacle.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Class Act, November 16, 2002

By 

RoseMary Aguayo (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stay Tuned: Television's Unforgettable Moments (Hardcover)

Much as I've enjoyed some of Joe Garner's previous books, this one is in another class altogether. Not only are the stories in "Stay Tuned: Television's Unforgettable Moments" laid out elegantly with photographs and commentary, but the DVD which accompanies the book contains something like two and a half hours of original TV and film footage, with the story of each 'moment' arranged in the form of a mini-documentary. In addition, there are 'behind the scenes' type interviews with people who were directly involved with each episode. And the narration by Bob Costas, Dick Van Dyke, and Walter Cronkite is top notch. It's especially amazing to see Mr. Cronkite talking about events that he was so deeply involved in when they occurred. I liked the news pieces best, but watching the highlights and discovering the odd hidden nuggets behind classic TV shows like "I Love Lucy" and "The Fugitive" was a lot of fun, too. Both my dad and my teenage daughter liked watching it - that's saying something.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stay Tuned, December 26, 2002

By 

E. Batica (MN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stay Tuned: Television's Unforgettable Moments (Hardcover)

Another great one from Joe Garner! Stay Tuned is a very good coffee table book (if you will) covering more than 50 years in TV from great shows like "I Love Lucy" and "Survivor" to Sports with Tiger Woods Win at the Masters and the beginning of Monday Night Football to the tragic events of the death of Princess Diana and 9/11.

From cover to cover, it's a great book and the DVD that comes with the book is great as well! It also comes with 2 audio CD's with naration as well. Now some people (including myself at first) might not like this one because this book doesn't cover a somewhat important part of TV. The book does not cover anything from the long running cartoon "The Simpsons". Garner's reason was that there isn't that "one marquee" episode of the Simpsons. So again, you Simpsons fanatics might be a little mad at that.

This is a great gift for all ages and all TV Viewers alike will enjoy this one as well. I will say there is a lot of narration on the DVD but even so, I think anyone can still appreciate the simplistic history of TV. Also, check out WE INTERUPT THIS BROADCAST. This is another great Garner book about radio and Tv and the shocking bulletins that have made us all go "what?" for example, the Kennedy assasination. Either way, a great buy and a great gift for anyone. Highly recommended!