Dashing, Daring, and Debonair: TV's Top Male Icons from the 50s, 60s, and 70s

by Herbie J Pilato writer, producer, and founder of The Classic TV Preservation Society, Adam West (Foreword by), Joel Eisenberg (Preface by)

Overview

Be they actors, comedians, singers, dancers, or talk show hosts and personalities, everyone from George Burns and Milton Berle to Jack Benny and Jackie Gleason to Sid Caesar and Caesar Romero ignited their own particular brand of “man-erisms.” In the process, they each inspired their own particular brand of audience to cheer them on—whatever their guise. This book will explore and celebrate the men who invented manliness, and became stars in the process.It also profiles such teenage heartthrobs as Leave it to Beaver's Tony Dow and The Partridge Family's David Cassidy, stars who left an indelible impression on a generation of young girls.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781630760533
Publisher:	Taylor Trade Publishing
Publication date:	07/20/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	23 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Writer/producer/actor Herbie J Pilato is the author of several books on media and celebrities, including The Essential Elizabeth Montgomery, The Bionic Book, and most notably, Twitch Upon a Star: The Bewitched Life and Career of Elizabeth Montgomery. He has served as a consultant on "Bewitched: The E! True Hollywood Story," the Elizabeth Montgomery episode of A&E's Biography, Bravo's hit five-part series The 100 Greatest TV Characters, and countless other productions. He lives in Burbank, California.

Table of Contents

Foreword Adam West xi

Preface Joel Eisenberg xiii

Introduction 1

Part I The Jacks of All Trades

1 (Dragnet/Adam-12/Emergency!) Jack Webb 13

2 (I Love Lucy/The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour/The Mothers-in-Law) Desi Arnaz 17

3 (The Nat King Cole Show) Nat King Cole 21

4 (Make Room for Daddy/The Danny Thomas Show/Make Room for Granddaddy/The Practice) Danny Thomas 24

5 (The Dick Van Dyke Show/The New Dick Van Dyke Show/Van Dyke & Company) Dick Van Dyke 29

6 (The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson) Johnny Carson 34

7 (The Twilight Zone/Night Gallery) Rod Serling 39

8 (Star Trek) Gene Roddenberry 44

9 (All in the Family/Maude/Good Times/The Jeffersons) Norman Lear 47

10 (The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour/The Sonny Comedy Hour) Sonny Bono 51

11 (The Andy Griffith Show/The Smith Family/Happy Days) Ron Howard 54

12 (The Waltons/Three's Company) John Ritter 58

13 (Mark & Mindy) Robin Williams 62

Part II Darrins, Dobies, Dons, and Bobs

14 (Hogan's Heroes/The Bob Crane Show) and Darren McGavin (Riverboat/Kolchak: The Night Stalker) Bob Crane 69

15 (The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis/Gilligan's Island) Dwayne Hickman Bob Denver 72

16 (The Andy Griffith Show) Andy Griffith Don Knotts 76

17 (Bewitched) Dick York Dick Sargent 80

18 (I Dream of Jeannie/Dallas) Larry Hagman 84

19 (Get Smart) Don Adams 87

20 (The Girl) Ted Bessell 90

21 (That's My Mama/The Jeffersons/Amen) Clifton Davis Sherman Hemsley 93

22 (The Bob Newhart Show) Bob Newhart 96

Part III The Johnny Angels

23 (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet) Ricky Nelson 103

24 (Father Knows Best) and Paul Petersen (The Donna Reed Show) Billy Gray 105

25 (Leave It to Beaver) Tony Dow Jerry Mathers 108

26 (My Three Sons) Tim Consldine Don Grady Stanley Livingston Barry Livingston 110

27 (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea) David Hedison 114

28 (Here's Lucy) Desi Arnaz Jr. 117

29 (Here Come the Brides/Getting Together) Bobby Sherman 120

30 (The Brady Bunch) Christopher Knight Barry Williams 123

31 (The Partridge Family) David Cassidy 127

32 (The Donny & Marie Show) Donny Osmond 130

33 (The Hardy Boys) Shaun Cassidy Parker Stevenson 133

Part IV Cowboys, Little Joes, John-Boys, and Jethros

34 (Gunsmoke/How the West Was Won) and Fess Parker (Davy Crockett/Daniel Boone) James Arness 139

35 (Bonanza/Little House on the Prairie) Michael Landon 142

36 (Maverick/Nichols/The Rockford Files) James Garner 146

37 (Rawhide) and Clint Walker (Cheyenne) Clint Eastwood 149

38 (The Beverly Hillbillies) Max Baer Jr. 152

39 (The Waltons) Richard Thomas 156

40 (The Dukes of Hazzard) John Schneider Tom Wopat 159

Part V The Bad Boys and Heavies

41 (Route 66/Adam-12) George Maharis Martin Milner 164

42 (Dark Shadows) Jonathan Frid David Selby 167

43 Henry Winkler:: (Happy Days) 174

44 (Welcome Back, Kotter) John Travolta 177

45 (The Mary Tyler Moore Show/Lou Grant), Carroll O'Connor (All in the Family), and William Conrad (Cannon) Ed Asner 180

Part VI The Supersleuths

46 (77 Sunset Strip/The FBI) Efrem Zimbalist Jr. 188

47 (Mission: Impossible) Peter Graves Martin Landau Greg Morris Peter Lupus 191

48 (The Man from U.NC.L.E.) and Patrick McGoohan (Secret Agent/The Prisoner) Robert Vaughn David McCallum 195

49 (The Mod Squad) Michael Cole Clarence Williams III 198

50 (Mannix) and Telly Savalas (Kojak) Mike Connors 203

51 (It Takes A Thief/Switch) Robert Wagner 208

52 (Dan August) and Rock Hudson (McMillan & Wife) Burt Reynolds 211

53 (Starsky & Hutch) David Soul Paul Michael Glaser 216

54 (CHiPs) Erik Estrada Larry Wilcox 220

Part VII The Super Men

55 (The Lone Ranger) Clayton Moore Jay Silverheels 227

56 (Adventures of Superman) George Reeves 229

57 (The Wild Wild West/Baa Baa Black Sheep/Black Sheep Squadron) Robert Conrad 233

58 Adam West Burt Ward (Batman) 236

59 Van Williams Bruce Lee (The Green Hornet) 241

60 (Star Trek) William Shatner Leonard Nimoy DeForcst Kelley 246

61 (My Favorite Martian/The Courtship of Eddie's Father/The Magician/The Incredible Hulk) and Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk) Bill Bixby 250

62 (Kung Fu) David Carradine Radames Pera 253

63 (The Six Million Dollar Man) Lee Majors 258

64 (Fantasy Island) Ricardo Montalban 264

Part VIII The Doctors, the Defenders, and the Dependables

65 (Dr. Kildare) and Vince Edwards (Ben Casey) Richard Chamberlain 271

66 (M*A*S*H) Alan Alda 275

67 (Marcus Welby, M.D.) and Chad Everett (Medical Center) James Brolin 279

68 (Perry Mason/Ironside) Raymond Burr 284

69 (Father Knows Best/Marcus Welby, M.D.) and Fred MacMurray (My Three Sons) Robert Young 287

70 (The Brady Bunch), Ralph Waite (The Waltons), and Dick Van Patten (Eight Is Enough) Robert Reed 292

Acknowledgments 297

Chapter Notes 299

Index 303

About the Author 305

Editorial Reviews

Herbie J Pilato gives a true voice to classic television in the same way historians give voice to classical music, poets, writers, filmmakers and creators of masterpieces in museums all over the world. Herbie J places television history as defining America where it needs to be...side by side with the greatest artists of all time.”

Pierre Patrick

What an exciting book! A must-have for any fan of television. Everyone from the baby boomer generation and all ages will remember these stars. Now the renowned television historian and author Herbie J Pilato has a present for us all: this amazing book. From Fonzie to Barbarino to Batman, Mr. Pilato gives us in-depth glimpses at our favorite male stars of the golden age of television. Kudos!

Rick Lertzman

"Well, here we all are! We got lucky, worked hard and did what we loved, and in return we found our places in the story - a story that Herbie J Pilato tells so well."

Richard Thomas

"Author Herbie J. Pilato takes us back in time yet again to remind us of the tremendous impact our favorite TV male icons have had on us as individuals as well as on society at large. From Desi to Van Dyke to Gleason to Serling, they are all here - each having fulfilled his own special Dashing, Daring, or Debonair niche in classic television history. Thumbs up to Herbie for another great read!"

David Van Deusen

I first went to the section about my Dad, and loved it. Then I jumped to Gene Roddenberry because I’m a Trekker – and then on to Christopher Knight because we’re friends on Facebook. After that…I was just plain hooked. I read it from cover to cover, enjoying every minute of this enlightening, entertaining, and revealing look at television’s glory days.”

Chris York

I've encountered the word 'scholar' more than once when associated with Mr. Pilato...first in print and recently spoken in front of me by Kung Fu's creator Ed Spielman. In this and others writings by Herbie J, one gets the distinct sense they are not reading an historian’s words about television, but those by one who deeply cares for and understands the milieu and the real people who inhabit that very special world.

Radames Pera

A unique reference text of TV’s male icons...an extraordinary review of these unique actors that we invited into our living rooms year after year as part of ‘our families’...not only ‘Dashing, Daring, and Debonair’ but ‘engaging, enjoyable and entertaining!’

William and Rose Narva

My friend Herbie J Pilato’s own personal panache shines like a diamond stick-pin in his new book Dashing, Daring and Debonair - a perfectly fun and extremely addictive read.”

Cindy Williams

"Herbie J Pilato has given us an encyclopedia of television’s iconic male stars. What a grand and impressive trip down memory lane!”

Gloria Loring

"No one is more passionate or informed about classic television than Herbie J Pilato. Here, Herbie J is at it again with a truly exhaustive survey of the most influential male stars...and producers...over three decades, from the sublime (Rod Serling) to the ridiculous (Red Skelton), and a slew of other icons in between. Dashing, Daring, and Debonair is comprehensive, enlightening, and a blast to read."

David Bushman

"Is there anything Herbie J Pilato doesn't know about pop culture, most specifically classic television? I love all his books and he's got the creds to write them because he personally knows many of these icons and can ferret out all the juicy, little known, behind-the-scenes anecdotes that make these tomes such gems. Great reading!"

Kathryn Leigh Scott

There is no one more knowledgeable or more passionate than Herbie J Pilato where classic TV is concerned. Dashing, Daring, and Debonair not only demonstrates his vast expertise in this realm, but also gives the reader a fresh perspective on the many pop culture icons profiled in this book. Great scholarship married to great fun!"

Bill Royce

What an informative tribute to the male icons whose talents helped shape classic television! The gang's all here: everyone from Desi Arnaz and Rod Serling to James Garner and William Shatner, from Ricky Nelson and Donny 'smond to Johnny Carson and Andy Griffith - and literally dozens of others! Herbie J, take a bow!”

Thomas J. Watson

Dashing, Daring, and Debonair gives fans an amazing look into Hollywood's most beloved male icons. Herbie J Pilato invites fans to explore the personal lives of their favorite male stars, and recounts vivid tales of their most thrilling experiences in the industry. It is the perfect follow up to Glamour, Gidgets And The Girl Next Door!

Katie Bruno

You’ve got male. In his new book, Herbie J Pilato dishes up short, snappy profiles on 70 of TV’s Top Male Icons of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Along the way, you’ll learn some fun facts about some of your favorite stars.

Daniel Bubbeo

Herbie J Pilato writes about classic television not only with a deep knowledge of his subject, but with an equally deep love and respect. If you know nothing about television and its greatest stars, read one of Herbie J's books. If you think you know everything about television and its greatest stars, read one of Herbie J's books. Either way, you will learn something new, fun, and fascinating. Dashing, Daring, and Debonair is a brilliant addition to his canon. It belongs in your collection!

Melissa Byers

Herbie J Pilato had me at Dashing, Daring and Debonair…a delicious, guilty pleasure written by one of today’s brightest chroniclers of yesterday. Herbie J is a gifted and talented man, whose love, respect, passion, and vast knowledge of classic TV shines through on every page of this fun, fabulous can't-put-it-down guide to TV’s finest male icons. I adore this book - and I adore Herbie J! Bravo to both!

Caryn Richman

"Dashing, Daring, and Debonair....is an impressive compendium of information on actors, comedians, singers, dancers, or talk show hosts and personalities...Inherently fascinating, informed and informative, Dashing, Daring, and Debonair will prove to be an endearingly popular addition to community and academic library Theater/Cinema/TV collections."

Midwest Book Review

Herbie J Pilato, Golden Age TV Expert Extraordinaire, has a new book for us to glom onto. Dashing, Daring and Debonair…[is] chock full of all that full-bodied, full-steam-ahead Herbie J flavor."

Larry Brody