Review (PDF) The ABC Movie Of The Week Companion: A Loving Tribute To The Classic Series
You are invited to the birth of the TV Movie!In 1969, ABC came up with a novel idea: a weekly series of original films made exclusively for TV. The ABC Movie of the Week became a cultural touchstone for a generation of Americans. This fond look back reviews more than 200 films that touched our hearts and blew our minds, including:Duel...Tribes...The Cat Creature...The Six Million Dollar Man...Gidget Grows Up...Go Ask Alice...Wonder Woman...Brian's Song...The Night Stalker...The Point...Kung Fu...When Michael Calls...KilldozerThat Certain Summer...Bad Ronald...Starsky & Hutch...Trilogy of Terror...Call Her Mom...and many more!
Paperback: 138 pages
Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (June 20, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0595358365
ISBN-13: 978-0595358366
Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.4 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 7.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #1,179,486 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #523 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Television > Guides & Reviews #1076 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Television > History & Criticism #2009 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Performing Arts > Film & Television
Growing up during the seventies, my mom's favorite programs were these ABC Movies of the Week. I often wound up watching the movies with her, if they were somewhat to my liking (surprisingly, there were quite a few horror/thriller varieties). A while back, my mom and I started to discuss some of those old movies, and we got them a bit confused. I found this book online, and it's been a great help. We can read a synopsis or summary, it's a case of, "Oh yeah, I remember THAT one!" My mom particularly loves the book, it really brings back a lot of memories for her.It's interesting to note how many ABC TV series got their starts as pilot movies run on the ABC Movie of the Week-- The Six Million Dollar Man, Starsky and Hutch, The Rookies, etc.The format and presentation is well-laid out; with a history and year-by-year listing, and air dates and a summary/synopsis of each movie. The only thing that could "punch it up" would be more graphics-- perhaps a still or shot from selected movies could help. After all, the TV movies were a visual medium.
I had hoped for a book on the ABC movies of the week for almost 30 years. This slim volume is nice, but hardly comprehensive. There are no photos, limited cast lists, no crew lists, and only 101 pages. The author says some of the films, "really don't merit any further consideration" and you won't find those in this book. With over 200 films to review, the author had to "focus by necessity on (his) favorite films in the series".Still, this book is a lot of fun, brings back loads of memories, and provides an index of titles, a "selected bibliography", and just enough info to help you find additional material, and photos, for some of the films on the internet. I would have liked to have seen a synopsis and review of every film in the series, and at least one photo from each title, along with complete cast and crew listings (at least director, screen writer, special effects, etc). I would like more info on source material, such as "Haunts of the Very Rich" was based on a short story of the same name by T.K. Brown and can be found in "The Years Best Horror Stories Series II" edited by Richard Davis in a DAW paperback edition, 1974. Readers might like to know which films are available on DVD, or were ever released on home video. Or that the original opening title sequence to the series can be found on YouTube.This book is great fun, and is written in a warm, friendly style. It is worth the price to me, and I'm glad to have it. However, the definitive ABC movie of the week book has yet to be written.
Being the rabid TV Movie nut I am, this book is a godsend. A short, concise guide to some of my favorite titles from that golden era of TVMs, "The ABC Movie of the Week Companion" also includes some interesting facts about the program, like salaries and ratings, as well as a fun introduction by the lovely Denise Nickerson (who DIDN'T have a crush on Scott Jacoby in the 70s?!?). And I thought I was the only one who remembered "Isn't It Shocking?"!!! A must for nostalgia buffs...
This very short book lists all of the ABC television networks movies of the week from the 1970s. A good number of these are classics that have lodged themselves firmly in the memories of those who were (perhaps rashly) allowed to watch them as impressionable youngsters. If you go to any "What was the name of that movie?" site on the Internet, you'll find a few of these popping up again and again as repeat offenders.I was hoping for a bit more than what I got in this book. The entries for most movies consist of the title and original air date, a high-level listing of notable cast and crew members, and a description consisting of one or two sentences. Occasionally the author might throw in a wry remark or two, or a personal reminiscence, but unless the movie had a great deal of meaning to him, few of them merit more than a paragraph. This is a bit frustrating, because it makes it appear that the book was put together in one afternoon of surfing through [...]. I would've preferred rather more information and some reviews.Still, it's an adequate resource for film buffs, and certainly will bring back fond memories for those who grew up in front of the TV back in the day.
This is an excellent subject and the book is fine... it's just too short! Longer reviews would be nice but there is a bigger problem... finding these movies! "The Night Stalker/Night Strangler", "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark", "Trilogy of Terror", "Tribes", "Bad Ronald"... okay, these are out there but the majority ov these films don't even come up on 's movie database or any other purchasing outlet! If your like me you'll wanna track 'em all down (even the cheese) and it's going to be hard. I collect sleaze, obscure classics and junk from the around the world but movies made in my own country for the mainstream (good ones if you can believe it) remain to be unearthed as ov this writing. Ironically, a few ov the titles pop up in the dollar DVD bins... grab 'em while they last.Update 2010: Warner Archives has started to release many of these films. Anyone purchasing any of these are asked to comment on their quality.
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