Customer Reviews

Turning Points In Television

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Larry Brody has TV welded to his brain. In a good way. This book has been criticized for being too narrowly focussed and singularly anecdotal. I agree that it's focussed, but if I want one person's perspective and anecdotes, it's his.

The earlier reviewer is right--there are many factual errors in this book; so many that it becomes merely a collection of opinion pieces. Frequently the author digresses so far from his stated subject--the essay on I Spy hardly says anything about I Spy--that you wonder if he even remembers what the subject is. The book is pretty much a waste of time.

This is an entertaining read and, if you can trust the author, very informative. Unfortunately, you can't trust him. It's very difficult to gauge what is factual and what isn't, since Mr. Brody couldn't be bothered to do simple fact checking. For a man who proclaims to have loved I Spy and Star Trek, he certainly gets his facts wrong. I Spy lasted lasted three years, not four, and Howie Horowitz had nothing to do with Star Trek; he was over at Fox producing Batman and The Green Hornet, and later the Paramount series The Immortal. The third season producer was Fred Frieberger (a man who is seldom mentioned by name these days), and the "monsters" Mr. Brody complained about were prevalent during Roddenberry's tenure. In fact, the "monsters" as he calls them, were few and far between during the third year.

Once you realize the facts regarding two famous and very easy to research series are wrong (especially his favorites), it becomes difficult to accept anything else as fact. A shame, really, because this could have been an amazing book. Luckily, I got it from the bargain bin at my local bookstore, so for $3.99, it was a good deal.

In one point the author refers to Jack Lord's character of Hawaii 5-0 whose name was actually Steve McGarrett as Jimmy McGarrett! Also, the author writes of Barretta as if it was after Starsky and Hutch. But Barretta actaully debuted before Starsky and Hutch did--no?