Covering the years 1945-2018, this alphabetical listing provides details about 2,923 unaired television series pilots, including those that never went into production, and those that became series but with a different cast, such as The Green Hornet, The Middle and Superman. Rarities include proposed shows starring Bela Lugosi, Doris Day, Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck, Orson Welles, Claudette Colbert and Mae West, along with such casting curiosities as Mona Freeman, not Gale Storm, as Margie in My Little Margie, and John Larkin as Perry Mason long before Raymond Burr played the role.

On November 27, 1937, NBC presented TV's first pilot film, Sherlock Holmes (then called an "experiment"). Thousands of pilot films (both unaired and televised) have been produced since. This updated and restyled book contains 2,470 alphabetically arranged pilot films broadcast from 1937 to 2019. Entries contain the concept, cast and character information, credits (producer, writer, director), dates, genre and network or cable affiliation. In addition to a complete performer's index, two appendices have been included: one detailing the pilot films that led to a series and a second that lists the programs that were spun off from one series into another. Never telecast pilot films can be found in the companion volume, The Encyclopedia of Unaired Television Pilots, 1945-2018. Both volumes are the most complete and detailed sources for such information, a great deal of which is based on viewing the actual programs.

There were, between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2022, 1,559 television series broadcast on three platforms: broadcast TV, cable TV, and streaming services. This book, the second supplement to the original Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925-2010, presents detailed information on each program, including storylines, casts (character and performer), years of broadcast, trivia facts, and network, cable or streaming information. Along with the traditional network channels and cable services, the newest streaming services like Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus and pioneering streaming services like Netflix and Hulu are covered. The book includes a section devoted to reality series and foreign series broadcast in the U.S. for the first time from 2017 to 2022, a listing of the series broadcast from 2011 through 2016 (which are contained in the prior supplement), and an index of performers.

Read professional, fair reviews by practicing academic, public, and school librarians and subject-area specialists that will enable you to make the best choices from among the latest reference resources. This newest edition of American Reference Books Annual (ARBA) provides librarians with insightful, critical reviews of print and electronic reference resources released or updated in 2017-2018, as well as some from 2019 that were received in time for review in the publication. By using this invaluable guide to consider both the positive and negative aspects of each resource, librarians can make informed decisions about which new reference resources are most appropriate for their collections and their patrons' needs. Collection development librarians who are working with limited budgets—as is the case in practically every library today—will be able to maximize the benefit from their monetary resources by selecting what they need most for their collection, while bypassing materials that bring limited value to their specific environment.

Joan Crawford: the name has an enduring fascination. Forty-five years after her death, Crawford remains a familiar icon in pop culture and the entertainment world. Certainly the camp bathos of Mommie Dearest has played a part in her continued relevance. But it is ultimately her work and career themselves that account for her remarkable longevity in the culture. From her first film in 1925, to her rise to stardom in 1928, and on to the hit films she appeared in through the 1960s, she continually molded and remolded herself, crafting an indelible image and ensuring her place in the American pantheon. STARRING JOAN CRAWFORD is a rollicking exploration of the powerful women Joan Crawford vividly brought to life in her films—and the lasting, ever-evolving impact she has had on popular culture.Having carved out a revolutionary path through the entertainment industry while relying on men as little as possible—whether her studio bosses or her many husbands—she created a gallery of strong, assertive women who outsmarted men and refused to conform to gender expectations. In movies like Mildred Pierce, The Damned Don't Cry, Johnny Guitar, and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, among many others, she played to win, becoming a lodestar to LGBT audiences, a model of feminist self-determination for women, and an unforgettable icon for everyone.

Unsold Television Pilots is a detailed compilation of all the unsold television series concepts that, from 1955 through 1988, reached the development stage at the networks--but didn't sell. Pilots are listed by year and title and include production credits, plot synopsis and when applicable, air dates. The Introduction explains what a pilot is, and how the television marketplace works now and has worked in the past. An exhaustive index (actors, writers, directors, producers and pilots) and separate lists of pilots that are based on movies, pilots that are continuations of cancelled series, and pilots that are spin-offs of characters from other series are also included.

Any episode of a crime or mystery series involves some or all of the following: the perpetration of a crime; its investigation; the analytical process which involves the determination of the villain; the arrest and trial of the culprit; and the handing out of the appropriate punishment. Such series involving the exploits of a wide variety of courageous heroes and heroines were very popular during the 1950s, and they featured a host of actors and actresses, including famous television detectives (e.g., Raymond Burr), those famous in other genres (e.g., Boris Karloff, Charles Bronson), and over 250 other players with recurring roles. This reference work lists every player who had a regular role in a crime or mystery series during the early era of television. All covered series offered live or filmed episodes of a crime or mystery nature, and all were shown on American television. All series had either regular stars or a recognizable host. Entries cover the player's real name, family information and education; how the player originally broke into show business; the player's career preceding the series; and his or her marriage, children, death date, and film and television credits. Appendices provide a catalog of American mystery series and a list of regular mystery series players whose roles began after December 31, 1959.

THE BEST TV SHOWS THAT NEVER WERE"The Best Bathroom Reading EVER," - San Francisco Chronicle"A must-browse for media freaks." -USA Today"Irresistible and enthralling." -Hartford Courant"Full of fool's gold and genuine TV treasures." -The New York Post This lively and entertaining book looks at the three hundred best and worst TV series ideas-known in the industry as "pilots"-that never made it to primetime from 1955-1990. From the adventures of a Samurai D.A. to the antics of an invisible alien baby, Lee Goldberg reveals the most astonishing, funny, and bizarre shows that never were. "You'll slap your head in disbelief-try not to hurt yourself-at the idea of John Denver as a singing FBI agent. You'll wonder whether Joe Penny as a samurai district attorney would have been funnier-unintentionally-that John Belushi's 'Saturday Night Live.' For tube-historians, this is a must see." - People MagazineThis book was previously published as "Unsold TV Pilots: The Greatest Shows You Never Saw" and "Unsold TV Pilots: The Almost Complete Guide To Everything You Never Saw on TV"

The Encyclopedia of Television, second edtion is the first major reference work to provide description, history, analysis, and information on more than 1100 subjects related to television in its international context. For a full list of entries, contributors, and more, visit the Encyclo pedia of Television, 2nd edition website.