When Women Invented Television : The Untold Story of the Female Powerhouses Who Pioneered the Way We Watch Today
Author(s): Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
New and Noteworthy —New York Times Book Review
Must-Read Book of March —Entertainment Weekly
Best Books of March —HelloGiggles
“Leaps at the throat of television history and takes down the patriarchy with its fervent, inspired prose. When Women Invented Television offers proof that what we watch is a reflection of who we are as a people.” —Nathalia Holt, New York Times bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls
New York Times bestselling author of Seinfeldia Jennifer Keishin Armstrong tells the little-known story of four trailblazing women in the early days of television who laid the foundation of the industry we know today.
It was the Golden Age of Radio and powerful men were making millions in advertising dollars reaching thousands of listeners every day. When television arrived, few radio moguls were interested in the upstart industry and its tiny production budgets, and expensive television sets were out of reach for most families. But four women—each an independent visionary— saw an opportunity and carved their own paths, and in so doing invented the way we watch tv today.
Irna Phillips turned real-life tragedy into daytime serials featuring female dominated casts. Gertrude Berg turned her radio show into a Jewish family comedy that spawned a play, a musical, an advice column, a line of house dresses, and other products. Hazel Scott, already a renowned musician, was the first African American to host a national evening variety program. Betty White became a daytime talk show fan favorite and one of the first women to produce, write, and star in her own show.
Together, their stories chronicle a forgotten chapter in the history of television and popular culture.
But as the medium became more popular—and lucrative—in the wake of World War II, the House Un-American Activities Committee arose to threaten entertainers, blacklisting many as communist sympathizers. As politics, sexism, racism, anti-Semitism, and money collided, the women who invented television found themselves fighting from the margins, as men took control. But these women were true survivors who never gave up—and thus their legacies remain with us in our television-dominated era. It's time we reclaimed their forgotten histories and the work they did to pioneer the medium that now rules our lives.
This amazing and heartbreaking history, illustrated with photos, tells it all for the first time.
Review(s):
"Armstrong's depth of knowledge and easy command of the material make her subjects compelling from the first beat. Her writing—propulsive, and neatly scene-oriented—can feel almost like watching television....In prose as charming as the women she writes about, she makes her subjects feel knowable....makes you feel their genius and charisma, almost like you were there when they invented television."
"Armstrong uses her impressive analytic and research skills to unearth some much less-explored ground....Armstrong also makes strong statements about the fact that women were marking these accomplishments during a time when they were expected to stay home and care for their families....a definite step in the right direction toward giving just some of these forgotten women their due.”
"Catnip for TV fans and a welcome addition to the literature of television history."
"Keishin Armstrong always finds fresh relevance and excitement in pop culture, and she has really outdone herself here. Armstrong uncovers the hidden heroines of the TV world, and shows us how Betty White became one of TV's first female multi-hyphenate moguls; how Hazel Scott became the first Black person to host a primetime, network show before she stood up to McCarthyites; how Irna Phillips raised two children while creating the soap opera; and how Gertrude Berg ruled her production empire with precision and righteous ambition. An essential contribution toward a more complete, inclusive, and true history of television."
“When Women Invented Television turns a pivotal moment in history into a page-turner, with a depiction of four powerhouse talents that is so vivid and detailed, you feel like you’re riding their career ups and downs along with them. The kinescopes of their groundbreaking earliest work may be gone, but thanks to Armstrong’s clearly painstaking research, the world now has this wonderful, preserved record of the days when visionary women brought forth the medium which so influences our world today.”
“Armstrong's look into the powerhouses who shaped an industry reflects a respect and reverence for her subjects as much as her dedication to calling out the social norms that worked tirelessly to keep these pioneers down. Armstrong's research is thorough, her arguments thoughtful, and her responsibility to history unparalleled. Frankly, we're lucky to have Armstrong, an author who so eloquently constructs a picture we might otherwise have overlooked.”
"These profiles in creativity and courage amount to a feminist revelation, a pre-history of television that is as brightly written as the pioneers might wish--a prize of a book, intelligent, sobering, and a delight to read."
“These women not only ruled television -- their vision, skill, and talent shaped how the world's most influential contemporary form of media would function for the next century. They understood TV as a vector where creativity and entertainment could also inspire empathy and social change. Jennifer Keishin Armstrong has meticulously written these women back into TV history as the genre-defining, medium-morphing titans they were.”
“Just as they did in the early moving picture industry, women played key roles in the earliest days of television, although their roles as pioneers have largely been forgotten. Armstrong corrects the record to reclaim these women’s stories and document their influence. When Women Invented Television is rediscovered history at its finest."
“This book leaps at the throat of television history and takes down the patriarchy with its fervent, inspired prose. Armstrong reveals that while men may dominate TV today, they do so on the backs of women who invented and perfected the formats we love. With heart wrenching detail, When Women Invented Television offers proof that what we watch is a reflection of who we are as a people, a medium whose founders deserve our respect.”
ISBN: 9780062973306