For director Alan Rafkin, television is probably the silliest and most volatile business in the world. Yet whether he was catching a pie in the face or working with an array of eccentric and talented stars, Rafkin was addicted to television from day one. In this autobiography, Rafkin recounts his behind-the-scenes experience working in over 80 different television series. Some of the most beloved sitcoms of all time, such as The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, M*A*S*H, Murphy Brown, and Coach adorn his directorial resume and illuminate Rafkin's ability to change with the times and persevere in the young world of show business. He recounts how directing strung-out actors and dodging their blows made life on the set a world unto itself. Rafkin further describes how having a good sense of humor helped him survive three divorces and three open-heart surgeries.

BLACK AND BLUE: THE REDD FOXX STORY

"Jennifer Keishin Armstrong's deft weave of social history and sharp entertainment reporting explains how [The Mary Tyler Moore Show] made the world safe for Lena Dunham" (Peter Biskind, author of Easy Riders, Raging Bulls)—the making of a classic and groundbreaking TV show, as experienced by its producers, writers, and cast. When writer-producers James L. Brooks and Allan Burns dreamed up an edgy show about a divorced woman with a career, the CBS executives they pitched replied: “American audiences won’t tolerate divorce in a series’ lead any more than they will tolerate Jews, people with mustaches, and people who live in New York.” Forty years later, The Mary Tyler Moore Show is one of the most beloved and recognizable television shows of all time. It was an inspiration to a generation of women who wanted to have it all in an era when everything seemed possible. Jennifer Keishin Armstrong’s Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted tells the stories behind the making of this popular classic, introducing the groundbreaking female writers who lent real-life stories to their TV scripts; the men who created the indelible characters; the lone woman network executive who cast the legendary ensemble—and advocated for this provocative show—and the colorful cast of actors who made it all work. James L. Brooks, Grant Tinker, Allan Burns, Valerie Harper, Cloris Leachman, Betty White, Gavin MacLeod, Ed Asner, Ted Knight, Georgia Engel—they all came together to make a show that changed women’s lives and television itself. Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted is the tale of how they did it.

Inspired by the real life post-divorce experiences of television comedy writer Danny Simon, The Odd Couple has touched multiple generations of fans. Playwright Neil Simon embellished his brother Danny's pseudo-sitcom situation and created an oil-and-water twosome with memorable characters showcasing the foibles of mankind. The original Broadway production enjoyed a run of 964 performances. The story of the cohabitation of Felix Ungar and Oscar Madison translated extremely well to the silver screen, and then in 1970 to television, where it brought weekly laughs and mirth to an even larger audience for five seasons in prime time. This thorough history details The Odd Couple in all its forms over the decades. It provides capsule biographies of the stage, film and television casts and crew, as well as an episode guide and a wealth of little-known information.

This sequel provides yet another dozen of today's most acclaimed writers and producers an open, uncensored forum in which they discuss everything from their work ethic to the political, social, and economic issues affecting the television industry. The West Wing, C.S.I., and Judging Amy are just a few of the dramas that launched a new era of television at the turn of the millennium. TV Creators gives scholars and fans alike an exclusive, firsthand account of the lives, philosophies, and contributions of some of the best television scribes of the past two decades. TV Creators: Volume Two includes revelations such as Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing) admitting that he is not a natural storyteller, and Martha Williamson (Touched by an Angel) announcing that "There is nothing more gender blind than an executive producer who desperately needs a good writer." Glenn Gordon Caron (Moonlighting, Now & Again) confesses, "I always think that disaster is an inch away," while Paul Haggis (Family Law) reveals, "I always like to do something that I think I can fail at." Also interviewed are: Aaron Spelling (Charmed, Beverly Hills 90210); Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer); Roy Huggins (The Fugitive); Clifton Campbell (Profiler); Barbara Hall (Judging Amy); Anthony Zuiker (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation); John McNamara (The Fugitive); and Don Bellisario (JAG, Magnum P.I.).

Although some scholars credit Shakespeare with creating in Henry IV’s Falstaff the first “second banana” character (reviving him for Henry IV Part Two), most television historians agree that the popular co-star was born in 1955 when Art Carney, as Ed Norton, first addressed Jackie Gleason with a “Hey, Ralphie-boy,” on The Honeymooners. The phenomenon has proved to be one of the most enduring achievements of the American sitcom, and oftentimes so popular that the co-star becomes the star. Twenty-nine of those popular co-stars get all of the attention in this work. Each chapter focuses on one television character and the actor or actress who brought him or her to life, and provides critical analysis, biographical information and, in several instances, interviews with the actors and actresses themselves. It includes people like Art Carney of The Honeymooners, Don Knotts of The Andy Griffith Show, Ted Knight of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Max Baer of The Beverly Hillbillies, Vivian Vance and William Frawley of I Love Lucy, Ann B. Davis of The Brady Bunch, Jamie Farr of M*A*S*H, Ron Palillo of Welcome Back, Kotter, Jimmie Walker of Good Times, Tom Poston of Newhart and Michael Richards of Seinfeld, to name just a few.

Ever since John Logie Baird first publicly demonstrated this now all-pervasive medium in his small Soho laboratory, the history of television has been littered with remarkable but true tales of the unexpected. Ranging from bizarre stories of actors’ shenanigans to strange but true executive and marketing decisions, and covering over one hundred shows, series and episodes from both behind and in front of the camera in British and American television studios, 'Television's Strangest Moments' is the ultimate tome of TV trivia. Why did the quintessential English sleuth The Saint drive a Swedish car? What happened when Michael Aspel met Nora Batty on the set of the 1960s drama-documentary 'The War Game'? Why is the Halloween chiller 'Ghostwatch' still unofficially banned by the BBC? From live TV suicide to Ricky Martin's disastrous candid camera-style episode involving a young female fan and several cans of dog food, 'Television's Strangest Moments' will keep you hooked when there's nothing worth watching on the box.