Although it has often been derided as the "boob tube" or the "idiot box," that hasn't stopped TV from bringing entertainment and information to living rooms everywhere, expanding viewers' horizons and bringing the world closer together. Arranged in top-ten lists, TV's Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Crazy Casting, Off-Camera Clashes, and Other Oddities runs the gamut from the sublime to the ridiculous. After examining the best and worst shows, actors, and moments in the history of television, it will make couch potatoes everywhere reach for their remotes.
When it comes to longevity, the television newsmagazine 60 Minutes holds the record for the most network broadcasts in prime time, while South of Sunset, which starred former Eagle Glenn Frey as a down-on-his-luck detective, was canceled in 1993 after just one episode. Not quite an overnight sensation, George Clooney had already been a series regular in seven different shows, including such widely watched programs as Roseanne and The Facts of Life, before he hit the big time with ER. Bob Denver, Gilligan on Gilligan's Island, has a degree in political science and was a teacher before breaking into show business. Honeymooner Jackie Gleason was a professional high diver. The colorful villains on Batman often had impressive acting pedigrees--Shelly Winters (Ma Parker), Cliff Robertson (Shame), and a number of other villains were Oscar winners or nominees. Gene Hackman as the father of the Brady Bunch? It could've happened--the show's creator said Hackman was his first choice for the role. And William Frawley and Vivian Vance, so cute together as Fred and Ethel Mertz on I Love Lucy, absolutely detested each other off camera. This is only some of the fun trivia included in this book. Whether it's revisiting famous moments or revealing esoteric facts, TV's Most Wanted has something for everyone.
TV's Most Wanted is published by Potomac Books, Inc., and is available from bookstores, online, or from the publisher. Check out some of the other books in the Most Wanted series: Country Music's Most Wanted, Baseball's Most Wanted, Rock & Roll's Most Wanted, and many others.
*The answers are "The Ballad of Davy Crockett"; yes, several in addition to South of Sunset; Dick Clark. Back to text.
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