Review of the non-fiction book  The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms,  by David C. Tucker

Richards, William A.

English

DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University

Georgia Library QuarterlyVolume 44 | Issue 2 Article 20July 2007REVIEW: The Women Who Made TelevisionFunny: Ten Stars of 1950s SitcomsWilliam A. RichardsGeorgia College & State UniversityFollow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/glqPart of the Broadcast and Video Studies CommonsThis Review is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in GeorgiaLibrary Quarterly by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. For more information, please contactdigitalcommons@kennesaw.edu.Recommended CitationRichards, William A. (2007) "REVIEW: The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms," Georgia LibraryQuarterly: Vol. 44 : Iss. 2 , Article 20.Available at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/glq/vol44/iss2/20Georgia Library Quarterly   Summer 2007   29and “Love That Jill”), Donna Reed (“The Donna ReedShow”), Ann Sothern (“Private Secretary” and “The AnnSothern Show”), Gale Storm (“My Little  Margie” and“The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna”), and Betty White(“Life with Elizabeth” and “Date with the Angels”). Eachillustrated chapter traces the career of one star and placesher in the context of the development of TV as anentertainment medium. This last point is significant,because as Tucker points out, TV was in its infancy andtopics viewed as the least bit controversial were taboo.Imagine if, like the alien Thermians in “Galaxy Quest”, allyou knew about United States culture in the ‘50s camefrom the television sitcoms. You would know nothing ofthe Cold War jitters that had school children diving undertheir desks, the Korean War, the national fear ofCommunism, the national shame of racism. Most of all,you would wonder how in the world these earthlingsprocreate, since males and females don’t even mentionS-E-X, let alone sleep in the same beds. Yet despite theconstraints of censorship and the social mores of the ‘50s,these women made sitcoms if not exactly an art form, atleast an artful and humorous rendering of somewhatidyllic, white middle-class culture. “Unable to fall back onstrong language, racial or sexual epithets, or shockvalue,” as Tucker points out, “the shows of the 1950sentertained us because of the gifts of the actors, writers,and producers who created them…”  And in all cases,the women who starred in these shows were muchsavvier than the ditsy female characters that some ofthem played. Lucy Ricardo longed for a role in showbusiness whereas Lucille Ball was vice-president of thesuccessful production company she founded with herhusband. Author David C. Tucker is a freelance writer andpublic library administrator in DeKalb County, Georgia.His book is recommended for all public and academiclibraries. — Reviewed by William A. RichardsGeorgia College & State UniversityFICTIONThirteen Moons by Charles Frazier(Random House, 2006; ISNB 0-3755-0932-1, $26.95).Thirteen Moons is a fictionalbiography inspired by the life ofWilliam Holland Thomas ofprotagonist Will Cooper. As CharlesFrazier states in the Author’s Notes,Will Cooper “is not William Holland Thomas, though theyStates of America during the U.S. Civil War, by followingthe wartime adventures of one raider, the CSSShenandoah. Sea of Gray describes the mission of theShenandoah, its role in the naval front of the war, and itseventual search for a safe port upon the end of hostilities.In a manner reminiscent of Blackbeard or Henry Morgan,the mercenary ship Shenandoah was charged by the CSAto seek out Union merchant ships and destroy/plunderthem. Upon learning that the war had ended and that hiscrew would be considered pirates by the Union (ahangable offense), the captain of the Shenandoahcircumnavigated the globe in search of a safe port wherehe might surrender. During its tenure as a privateer, theShenandoah looted and sank 34 ships before surrenderingto the British in November of 1865, over six months afterthe conclusion of the war. Meticulously researched anddocumented, and written in an easy-to-read style, Sea ofGray serves as an excellent resource that explores thisinteresting chapter in the Civil War. The book containsseveral pages of photographs, an extensive bibliography,and other useful supplemental material.  Recommendedfor public libraries, high school media centers, andacademic libraries. Suitable for advanced high schoolstudents, undergraduates, and graduate students. — Reviewed by Elizabeth White University of Georgia LibrariesThe Women Who Made TelevisionFunny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcomsby David C. Tucker (McFarland & Co.,2007; ISBN 978-0786429004, $35.00).“Duck and cover.” “Are you now orhave you ever been a member of theCommunist Party?” “I will go toKorea.” Brown vs. the Board ofEducation of Topeka, Kansas. TheKinsey Reports. If you lived during the decade when thesetopics were in the news and your family owned a TV, thenyou will probably have a Lucy and Ethel flashback whenyou hear the phrase “Speed it up a little!” (Rememberthe candy factory episode?) Impressively researched andwritten with obvious affection for its subject, David C.Tucker’s book is filled with interesting details andanecdotes about some of the women who wereinstrumental in creating the TV sitcoms of the 50s. The 10women featured in Tucker’s book include Gracie Allen(“The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show”), Eve Arden(“Our Miss Brooks” and “The Eve Arden Show”), LucilleBall (“I Love Lucy”), Spring Byington (“December Bride”),Joan Davis (“I  Married Joan”), Anne Jeffreys (“Topper”1Richards: REVIEW: The Women Who Made Television FunnyPublished by DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University, 2007

REVIEW: The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms

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REVIEW: The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms

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