Selling Catholicism : Bishop Sheen and the power of television / Christopher Owen Lynch.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lynch, Christopher Owen, 1954-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Christianity and culture--United States--History--20th century.

Television in religion--United States--History.

Life is worth living (Television program).

Catholic Church--United States--History--20th century.

Sheen, Fulton J. (Fulton John), 1895-1979.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (216 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Lexington, Kentucky : The University Press of Kentucky, 1998.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

When the popularity of Milton Berle's television show began to slip, Berle quipped, ""At least I'm losing my ratings to God!"" He was referring to the popularity of ""Life Is Worth Living"" and its host, Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. The show aired from 1952 to 1957, and Sheen won an Emmy, beating competition that included Lucille Ball, Jimmy Durante, and Edward R. Murrow.What was the secret to Sheen's on-air success? Christopher Lynch examines how he reached a diverse audience by using television to synthesize traditional American Protestantism with a reassuring vision of Catholicism as patriotic a

Contents:

Cover; Half-title; Title; Copyright; Contents; Foreword; Preface; Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1 The Shaping of a Medieval Knight for a Modern World; 2 Quest for Stability in the Midst of Change; 3 The Medieval City and the Crusade for the American Ideal; 4 A Television Troubadour Sings His Medieval Lady's Praise; 5 Bishop Sheen's Role Negotiation from Ascetic Bishop to Television Celebrity; 6 Bishop Sheen as Harbinger of an American Camelot; Notes; Bibliography; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [178]-194) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780813189468

0813189462

9780813157092

0813157099

9780813170633

081317063X

OCLC:

47011391