Beauty and the Beast Companion

by Edward Gross, Hal Schuster

Book by Gross, Edward

Genres: Reference

Paperback

First published March 1, 1989

About the author

Edward Gross is a veteran entertainment journalist who took his childhood passion for film and television and turned it into a career. As a student at Hofstra University, while most of the staff of The New Voice was interviewing the likes of student senators and faculty members, he was speaking to people like playwright Neil Simon (awarded an honorary degree by the school), Curtis Sliwa of New York’s Guardian Angels, Dr. Daniel Schwartz, the police psychiatrist who interviewed both David Berkowitz and Mark David Chapman; and James Bond director John Glen. Early on he sold pieces to New York Nightlife, Starlog and Filmfax magazines and was on his way.
Over the years he would not only become a correspondent for Starlog, but part of the editorial staff of Fangoria, Cinefantastique, SFX, Cinescape, Sci-Fi Now, Not of This Earth, RetroVision, Life Story, Movie Magic, Film Fantasy and TV Magic. Online he was Executive Editor, US for Empire Online, Film and TV Editor at Closer Weekly, Life & Style, and In Touch Weekly, and Nostalgia Editor for DoYouRemember? Currently he is senior editor at Geek magazine, and editor and podcast host for Voices from Krypton (devoted to the superhero genre), TV RetroVision (classic television) and Vampires and Slayers (the name says it all).
In addition to the oral history books he’s written with Mark A. Altman, Gross’ other titles include Secret File: The Making of a Wiseguy and The Unofficial 25th Anniversary Odd Couple Companion; X-Files Confidential; Spider-Man Confidential; Planet of the Apes Revisited with Joe Russo and Larry Landsman; Rocky: The Ultimate Guide; and Stargate: SG1 — In Their Own Words.

Reviews

[Autumn Kearney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back when this show first came out, in 1987, it was a runaway hit. What 1980’s girl wouldn't want a big strong man to defend and protect her, who has a soft and tender side? Vincent beat up the bad guys with one hand and held books of poetry and classic literature in the other hand.

The downfall to this book is that it only contains information about season one.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great fun to dive into this book and read through the episodes of the first season, hear the thoughts of the people that were a part of the show:cast and crew.

[Michelle Llewellyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I already own all three seasons of the show on DVD, all three paperback tie-in novels and five VHS copies of various episodes, purchasing this book from Amazon was a no-brainer. I'm glad I did. Aside from some spelling and grammatical errors due to low-grade, 1988 publishing, I really enjoyed reading this. A must have for any serious fan of the show.

This large paperback book includes a detailed synopsis of every episode from season one and the last three-part episode "arc" (as the fans refer to it) that wraps up season two.

Sprinkled throughout the text are exclusive interviews with Ron Pearlman, various directors from the show, and short profiles of the main cast. Black and white photos are also included. The behind-the-scenes info on how the show was brought together by creator Ron Koslow all proved for very interesting and informative reading. I feel very lucky to have gotten such a good deal on a rare used book that is no longer in print from a television show few remember today. They just don't make TV like this anymore.

[Leelan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missed this book when it first came out and always regretted it. Was lucky enough to catch it on eBay in February 2009 and snatched it up! This was a great series that never got its due from the network or the SciFi community. Thankfully it is now out on DVD and there are several fan groups to be found online.