What is it?
Garner, Joe. Stay Tuned: Television’s Unforgettable Moments. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2002.
Why should M*A*S*H fans care?
This book discusses roughly three dozen of the key moments in television history from the worlds of sports, news, and entertainment. The M*A*S*H finale, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen,” is one of the cultural moments discussed in detail.
As a M*A*S*H fan, what part(s) should I read?
Since this is a multimedia book, I recommend you read all of it and watch the entire DVD that covers the events from the book. I only intended to watch the M*A*S*H section for this review, but I ended up watching it all!
TL;DR Review
Multimedia books were popular in the early 2000s. They were books paired with DVDs and/or CDs that covered a number of topics from historical events, wars, musicians, movies, and television. In Stay Tuned: Television’s Unforgettable Moments, key moments in television news, sports, and entertainment are covered in chronological order. In addition to including photos and text for each event, there is a DVD and two CDs that discuss events in more detail. The DVD brings interviews and visuals to what is a visual medium, so it is a very well constructed book.
Full Review
As I continue my journey through the history of television, I decided to review a fun book from 2002. Stay Tuned: Television’s Unforgettable Moments is a multimedia book that covers key events in the history of television from I Love Lucy to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Since television is a visual medium, this multimedia book contains two CDs and a DVD that pair up with each event so after you read about the key event, you can watch it as well. The book is well put together, and the DVD is well produced.
I found this book at a used book store, and I was really excited to see that it discussed M*A*S*H and that it still contained both CDs and the DVD. There are 35 events covered in the book that played out on TV one way or another. They are presented in chronological order, but they largely fall into one of three categories: news, sports, and entertainment. Some of the moments featured in the book include the debut of I Love Lucy and The Dick Van Dyke Show, and their influence on the American sitcom. News events such as President Richard Nixon resigning, the moon landing, and the trail of O.J. Simpson. Then, there are sports moments like the introduction of Monday Night Football, the 1972 Munich Olympics, and Tiger Woods’ 1997 Master’s win. All of these moments took place in the age of television, so they played out on the small screen in everyone’s living rooms. What set television apart from other mediums at the time was that it was in the home. Newspapers and radio had cultural impacts, but television brought things to the public over the airwaves in a visual way. What makes this book unique is that after you’ve read the text by Joe Garner, you can watch the actual footage on the included DVD. The DVD is broken into three categories, and each is hosted by a relevant television figure. The topic of news is hosted by Walter Cronkite. Sports events are covered by analyst Bob Costas. And entertainment on television is reviewed by Dick Van Dyke.
No book about the history of television would be complete without mentioning the record breaking M*A*S*H finale. “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” broke all viewership records when it aired on February 28, 1983, and it was also one of the first scripted shows to have a true finale. M*A*S*H broke several molds over the course of its eleven year run, so it only seemed fitting that M*A*S*H also broke a few records as well. In the book, Garner discuses the finale in detail and includes several color photos. The six page write up is well written and well researched. The book is just the beginning. Pop in the DVD, and you can watch Dick Van Dyke discuss the M*A*S*H finale. There is an interview with producer Burt Metclafe, and he talks about how several of the stories in the finale were true. The most famous example was when a woman on the bus smothers her baby to keep the crying from giving away their position. This causes Hawkeye to end up in a mental hospital. The storyline has been criticized by critics and fans alike, but it was a true story. The DVD shows that scene and Metcalfe explains the story behind it. That scene is hard to illustrate in a book, but add a DVD, and it makes the point.
It’s hard to believe that television isn’t even 100 years old, but its impact on society has been profound. While television today has changed because of the internet and streaming, there are aspects of television that have not gone away. So while Stay Tuned: Television’s Unforgettable Moments may be over 20 years old, the moments that it highlights are still important, relevant historical events in the history of television, the United States, and the world. The decision to include a DVD and two CDs (the CDs are just audio version of what appears on the DVD) along side Garner’s writing was perfect. Television is a visual medium, and not including a visual aspect seems inappropriate. While there is more in this book than just M*A*S*H, I believe this is a great book for anyone who appreciates history or the history of television. There is something here for just about everyone. Pre-owned copies can also be found in independent used bookstores, in several online stores, and on Amazon. Just be sure the copy you purchase includes the DVD for your viewing pleasure!
The M*A*S*H Historian 