Hitch Your Antenna to the Stars

by Susan Murray

First Published in 2005. In this engaging cultural and industrial history of early television, Susan Murray examines how and why the broadcasting industry gave birth to the idea of TV stars. Combining a sweeping view of the rise of the medium with profiles of Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Jackie Gleason, Lucille Ball, and other early television greats, Murray illuminates the central role played by television stars in the growth and development of American broadcasting.

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Susan Murray is Professor of Media, Culture and Communication at New York University. She writes about media history and contemporary television.

Reviews

[Katie Eskridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of the years of early television- Murray did some great research in the NBC archives and does a good job of making connections between the need to create a persona not only to connect with an audience, but also to sell washing machines and laundry soap. She shows what it looks like when the persona succeeds, and what happens when you allow cracks in the facade.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

More focused and analytical than most histories of early television.

[Amy]

Another "teaches at a program I applied to" book. I actually would like to read this one, as I've heard lots of good stuff about its author and think it looks interesting.