Neuwirth, a prolific writer, producer, director, and syndicated cartoonist (Chelsea Boys), is clearly fascinated with American televisions contentious evolution from the 1960s to today, a time which took us from married couples shown sleeping in separate beds, and forbidden words like pregnant, to the nearly anything-goes-outrageousness of todays on-air antics. "It was just a small group of groundbreaking primetime comedy series that caused TV to grow up, with Norman Lears All in the Family (CBS, 1971) as the main dividing point," Neuwirth points out. "We really have to view television in terms of B.L. or A.L. Before Lear and After Lear." Or as the great comedy writer Larry Gelbart observes in the book, "With that first (toilet) flush, you know, all of televisions inhibitions and ridiculous rules went down the drain, literally."
While researching and writing Theyll Never Put That On The Air, the author quickly realized that it would be smarter to let the voices of the famed TV creators tell their behind-the-scenes stories themselves. So the book became an oral history, filled with firsthand tales of determination and defiance, legendary battles with censors, and great showbiz anecdotes. Still, Neuwirths wry voice and cogent observations are very much on hand to guide us throughout.
The voices of many of the brightest lights behind these landmark shows, like Lear, Reiner, Gelbart, Tom Smothers, George Schlatter, Dick Martin, Susan Harris, Allan Burns, Jay Sandrich, Valerie Harper, Carroll OConnor, Jean Stapleton, Grant Tinker, Fred Silverman, Larry Charles, and scores of othersas well as their then-adversaries, legendary chief censors Bill Tankersley and Alfred Schneiderare present and accounted for in the book. Filled with dozens of photos and distinctive black & white line drawings by artist Glen Hanson, Theyll Never Put That On The Air is both a visual and verbal treat, and reads as a terrific documentary on how TV grew up while making us laugh.
From the Author
At present, however, with a federal government in place that continues to push an aggressively conservative agenda, Neuwirth wonders which direction the medium is headed. "Much has changed since the 60s, of course... but theres no denying that we've been backsliding lately," he notes. "The sad truth is, many of TV's most daring showsand ultimately the greatest successeswould never make it today. Religious organizations lobby harder than ever, threatening boycotts which cause affiliates to turn away series like the recently cancelled The Book of Daniel because they perceive them as anti-Christianwithout even looking at them. All this chatter about red states vs. blue states... what's appropriate for audiences to view... whether conservative private interest groups are still using Janet Jacksons brief flashing of her nipple on national TV two years ago to further their own aims... the massive fines the FCC continues to levy against TV and radio networks for language and content deemed vulgarmost recently its the S-word on cable... well, the subject matter of Theyll Never Put That On The Air has never been more topical or relevant."
From the Inside Flap
Throughout these pages, you ll find tales of determination and defiance, battles with censors, great showbiz anecdotes, plus dozens of cast photos and stills from classic episodes. Whether you ve loved these shows since the episodes first aired or are just discovering them today, this book is a must-read!
About the Author
Allan Neuwirth is a producer, director, and comedy writer of TV shows, comic books, animation, and music videos. In addition to his award-winning work for Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Fox Family, his syndicated comic strip, Chelsea Boys, appears bi-weekly in dozens of publications across the US, Canada, and the UK. The author of Makini Toons (Allworth Press), he lives in New York City.
