Lou Grant

The Making of Tv's Top Newspaper Drama

By: Douglass Daniel

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Paperback | 1 January 1996

At a Glance

Paperback
288 Pages

Edition Type
Media tie-in

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 15.88 x 1.91

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When Lou Grant premiered in the fall of 1977, it quickly became a symbol of television drama at its best. During its five years on the air, Lou Grant earned critical acclaim as an entertaining yet thoughtful drama about important social and political issues, a rarity for episodic television in the late 1970s.

Douglass K. Daniel reveals how the creators of Lou Grant investigated journalism in the post-Watergate era to present a modem-day portrayal of the profession. They based characters, dialogue, and plots on the experiences of dozens of professional journalists. By researching social problems, they developed relevant story lines that gave episodes unusual immediacy. The show won thirteen Emmy Awards, among them two for Best Drama, and a Peabody Award. Journalists hailed the series as television's most realistic newspaper drama.

The book describes the bitter controversy that erupted in 1982 when lead actor Edward Asner came under fire for his political beliefs regarding American involvement in El Salvador. Amid calls for advertiser boycotts, right-wing charges that Asner had aided the enemy, and falling ratings, CBS canceled the series. Daniel's intensive retrospect includes interviews with actors, producers, writers, directors, network censors, and journalists. He summarizes all 114 episodes. discusses original character sketches, and includes editorial cartoons.

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Non-Fiction Arts & Entertainment Film, TV & Radio Television Biographies & True Stories Biographies Arts & Entertainment Biographies

Illustrations
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Newspaper Drama on Television	p. 1
From Classic Comedy to Realistic Drama	p. 19
Characters and Casting	p. 32
Series Production and Censorship	p. 51
First Season, 1977-1978	p. 70
Second and Third Seasons, 1978-1980	p. 93
Fourth and Fifth Seasons, 1980-1982	p. 116
Controversy and Cancellation	p. 132
The Legacies of Lou Grant	p. 150
App. A. Newspaper Dramas on Television	p. 159
App. B. Character Sketches	p. 160
App. C. Major Awards	p. 167
App. D. Episode Synopses	p. 173
App. E. "Lou Grouch"	p. 218
Notes	p. 225
Bibliography	p. 253
Index	p. 261
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

Lou Grant

The Making of Tv's Top Newspaper Drama

At a Glance

Paperback

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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