Holiday specials on television, 1939-2021 / Vincent Terrace.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Terrace, Vincent, 1948- author.

Contributor:

Unger Gasser Family Endowment for the Study of Screenwriting, Television and New Media.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Holiday television programs--United States.

Holiday television programs.

Television specials--United States--History and criticism.

Television specials.

Holiday television programs--United States--History and criticism.

Genre:

Television criticism and reviews.

Physical Description:

v, 286 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, [2023]

Summary:

"In November 1939, NBC's fledgling television station (W2XBS) broadcast the first known holiday special, The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Despite its small viewership (very few TV sets existed at the time), the experimental telecast was a harbinger of a now-beloved American tradition: the holiday television special. This book offers a thorough account of holiday television specials in the United States from 1939 to 2021, highlighting variety shows, comedic performances, musical spectaculars and more. From familiar favorites (1964's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) to campy one-offs (1985's He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special), the 1140 programs are covered in an easy-to-use alphabetical arrangement featuring performance casts, production credits and storylines for each. Three appendices cover "lost" holiday specials, along with Christmas and Halloween-themed episodes of popular television series"-- Provided by publisher.

Notes:

Includes index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Unger Gasser Family Endowment for the Study of Screenwriting, Television and New Media.

ISBN:

9781476689692

1476689695

OCLC:

1334883107

Publisher Number:

99992878952