They'll Never Put That on the Air: The New Age of TV Comedy

by Allan Neuwirth

In the 1950s, Lucille Ball couldn't even say the word "pregnant" on TV. But by the 1990s, Carrie Bradshaw and her posse could say everything there is to say about sex--and demonstrate most of it. How... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1581154178
• ISBN13: 9781581154177
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: Allworth Press
• Length: 259 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

For all fans of comedy on television, this book is a must!

Allan Neuwirth has done a fantastic job with this book. If you think you know all there is to know about some of the greatest shows that have ever hit the TV airwaves, Neuwirth has packed this book with info you didn't know! This book is rich with great stories from the stars, the studio execs and the censors. If you are a fan of MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, Seinfeld, Maude, Soap, Dick Van Dyke, Smothers Brothers - this book is a MUST read! I couldn't put it down.

How television history was made, straight from the mouths of those who were responsible!

Allan Neuwirth has done an outstanding job of assembling an amazing collection of the combined voices of those responsible for some of the more iconic shows in television history. Neuwirth does not do the reader this injustice of clouding those voices with too much of his own prose or commentary. Instead he has done a masterful job of interviewing and assembling the remarks of the creators, writers and producers, so that the finished product reads seamlessly like a well written narrative. Anyone who has ever enjoyed one episode of any of the television shows covered in this book would greatly enjoy exploring the backstory of how they came to the small screen, and learning of the bumps and hickups along the way that shaped and continue to shape even the shows we watch to this day. An utterly enjoyable read . . . BRAVO!

A fine survey for any interested in just how TV comedy has changed

American television has evolved over the years and censorship has changed the nature of what is acceptable and what is un-televised: They'll Never Put That On The Air: An Oral History Of Taboo-Breaking TV Comedy comes from writer/director Neuwirth's fascination with television content from the 1960s to modern times, and comes packed with firsthand accounts from TV comedy writers and creators who tell their behind-the-scenes stories. An engrossing blend of television history and oral history provides a fine survey for any interested in just how TV comedy has changed.

Thoughtful and intelligently done

Like his previous work, "Makin' Toons", Neuwirth's new book takes a unique look at the television industry by examining the lives, intentions, and minds of the people who created groundbreaking shows. Presented in an interview format (though not structured as actual interviews) "They'll Never Put That on the Air" follows the evolution of the half hour sitcom, from its early days in the fifties through the dense, complex, and controversial shows that appeared in the nineties. The approach is unusual: the growth of an industry seen through the filter of the censors at "standards and practices" whose often archaic rules and regulations forced writers and performers from the "Golden Age" to be even more creative. The result, according to Neuwirth, was elegant innuendo, clever misdirection...and better television. Later, as these restrictions were relaxed, television became more "realistic", but somehow less craftily subversive: shows like "Seinfeld", with its ferocious sense of the absurd, are the exception, not the rule. Neuwirth traces this journey through an admittedly subjective list of breakout hits: The Smothers Brothers, Mary Tyler Moore, All in the Family, Maude, and of course M*A*S*H and Seinfeld. Using these seminal shows as a barometer of public tastes and private genius, Neuwirth offers a cultural cross section of the past fifty years, and the result is informative and addictive. Thankfully it's not catty and dishy as well, though there are certainly angry and disgruntled voices along the way. A fine job of television scholarship: the only thing I might suggest is that the second edition be longer. This is a case where more information would have been welcome. Some elegant caricatures by noted cartoonist Glen Hanson add to the polish of this thoughtful work, and elevate it above the pack.

Fine Tuned TV History at your Fingertips

This is an indispensable treasury of quotes, insights, and verbal lessons in television's rich history...all the good stuff you wanted to know. An essential volume for any serious TV collector. Some of the funniest and most interesting quotes come from TV veterans like Carl Reiner, Paul Junger Witt, Larry Gelbart, Dick Martin, among others. What a wonderful assemblage of insights into the world of breaking TV's patterns and taboos throughout the decades. Highly recommended.