This is the first book-length treatment of one of television's oldest and most fascinating genres. This guide provides readers from casual viewers to die-hard fans with behind the scenes stories fo how their favourite shows came to the screen and why they succeededor failed.
Spy Television (The Praeger Television Collection)
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*Starred Review* Here, for all television addicts, is a much-needed, long-overdue, in-depth exploration of one of the medium's more enduring genres: spy TV. Britton begins before the beginning, with radio and movie serials depicting spies, but moves on quickly to early spy television in the 1950s and then to the show that brought the genre into the mainstream, The Man from U.N.C.L.E, which debuted in 1964. From there, the hits just keep coming, from Mission: Impossible, I Spy, Wild Wild West, Get Smart, and The Avengers to the new millennium with Alias and 24. All of these classic series are discussed in considerable detail, but what makes the book such a resounding success for fans of the genre is the coverage of the forgotten show or the curious fact, stuff other books miss but devotees love. For example, until now, readers could look in vain for any substantive discussion of the terrific British series The Sandbaggers; similarly, no discussion of the genre would be complete without a mention of Patrick McGoohan's late-sixties series The Prisoner, but how many other writers take the trouble to point out that, nearly a decade after the show left the air, McGoohan did a riff on his Prisoner character in an episode of Columbo? It is Britton's broad knowledge, and his commitment to packing as much detail as possible into his book, that makes this an indispensable addition to any television buff's reference shelf. If you love spy TV, this book is, well . . . thrilling. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"Here, for all television addicts, is a much-needed, long-overdue, in-depth exploration of one of the mediuM's more enduring genres: spy TV....All of the classic series are discussed in considerable detail, but what makes the book such a resounding success for fans of the genre is the coverage of the forgotten show or the curious fact, stuff other books miss but devotees love....Britton's broad knowledge and his commitment to packing as much detail as possible into his book, that makes "Spy Television" an indispensable addition to any television buff's reference shelf. If you love spy TV, this book is, well...thrilling." -
Booklist, Starred Review
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In 1966, author Leslie Charteris claimed he worried about issuing new editions of his Saint books capitalizing on the growing fame of Roger Moore, whose picture would adorn the new paperbacks. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
In 1966, author Leslie Charteris claimed he worried about issuing new editions of his Saint books capitalizing on the growing fame of Roger Moore, whose picture would adorn the new paperbacks. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
Format:Hardcover
I sat down with Spy Television intending to skim a few chapters about the handful of spy shows I remembered. Then I got completely wrapped up in this fun and readable book. I even read the parts about shows I'd never seen and shows I had seen, but didn't like.
If you are a fan of these shows, you probably already know a lot of the trivia that Wesley Britton has included here. But I'll bet that there are still some nuggets that you haven't come across. For instance, Diana Rigg quit The Avengers because she found out she was earning less than the camerman. The first thing the Beatles wanted to do when they arrived in Los Angeles was to visit the cast of their favorite show, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The chapter on I Spy tells about the difficulty producer Sheldon Leonard had in selling the show and the discussions about how the characters would deal with race. Another chapter discusses the relationship among the three Patrick McGoohan series: Secret Agent, Danger Man, and The Prisoner. Semi-spy shows like Wild, Wild West and spoof shows like Get Smart are treated as fully as the real spy shows like Mission: Impossible and The Saint.
Spy Television is a thoroughly enjoyable book. It left me wanting to search for videos of many of these old shows to see what I missed.
By Tatia Loring
Format:Hardcover
What an excellent book on the entire genre of spies and their depiction on television. Written with style, this in-depth book begins at the "Roots of the Family Tree" in 1900 and continues on through the current selection of spy shows on television today. Along the way, it discusses, analyzes, and puts into historic and social perspective - such wonderful spy television favorites as I SPY, MAN FROM UNCLE, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, WILD, WILD WEST, GET SMART, DANGER MAN, SECRET AGENT MAN, and the PRISONER among many other more obscure offerings that captured our imaginations and kept us watching week after week.
Dr. Britton dissects, interprets, analyzes, and totally entertains us with his comprehensive, fascinating, informative, and intelligent look into this phenomenon. I highly recommend it - you will enjoy it!
By Floyd Turbo
Format:Hardcover
Not only is this book excellently researched, but it's also a fantastic read! It covers some of my favorite series, including Get Smart and Mission: Impossible and gives some excellent information, as well as a nice overview of the political climate that spawned these shows. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys spy TV shows and/or classic TV.
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