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9780062973306

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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. -- Sheila Weller, author of <em>Girls Like Us</em> 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. -- Jim Colucci, <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of <em>Golden Girls Forever: An Unauthorized Look Behind the Lanai</em> 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. -- Anne T. Donahue, author of<em> Nobody Cares</em> 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. -- Patrick McGilligan, author of <em>Funny Man: Mel Brooks</em> 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. -- Jennifer Pozner, author of <em>Breaking (the) News </em>and <em>Reality Bites Back,</em> and founder of Women In Media & News 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. -- William J. Mann, author of <em>Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood</em> and <em>The Contender: The Story of Marlon Brando</em>

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. -- Sheila Weller, author of <em>Girls Like Us</em>

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. -- Sheila Weller, <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of <em>Girls Like Us</em> 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. -- Jim Colucci, <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of <em>Golden Girls Forever: An Unauthorized Look Behind the Lanai</em> 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. -- Anne T. Donahue, author of<em> Nobody Cares</em> 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. -- Patrick McGilligan, author of <em>Funny Man: Mel Brooks</em> 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. -- Jennifer Pozner, author of <em>Breaking (the) News </em>and <em>Reality Bites Back,</em> and founder of Women In Media & News 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. -- William J. Mann, author of <em>Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood</em> and <em>The Contender: The Story of Marlon Brando</em> 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. -- <strong>Nathalia Holt,<em> New York Times </em>bestselling author of<em> The Queens of Animation </em>and<em> Rise of the Rocket Girls</em></strong> With crisp, electrifying prose, Armstrong recounts the hard work and struggles of four women trailblazers who shaped the dawn of television....Armstrong deftly illustrates how this quartet of women battled skepticism, sexism, and even the infamous Cold War blacklist to become vital players in the burgeoning days of the small screen. -- <em>Booklist </em><strong>(starred review)</strong> ....fresh and welcome.....Engaging and well-documented recognition of four women's significant impact on the emerging TV medium. -- <em>Kirkus Reviews</em> Television cultural critic Armstrong (Sex and the City and Us) reclaims in this enthusiastic outing the forgotten history of four women who shook up the staid ranks of mid-century television and set it on a course to become the medium it is today....This fast-paced and fascinating group biography will enthrall pop culture, television, and women's history buffs. -- <em>Publishers Weekly</em> In this compelling, well-researched work, Armstrong (Seinfeldia) uncovers the role women played in developing television, fighting for airtime as they launched sitcoms, soap operas, variety shows, and more....Armstrong preserves an important part of television's-and women's-history in this engaging book. -- <em>Library Journal</em>

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. -- Sheila Weller, author of <em>Girls Like Us</em> 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. -- Jim Colucci, <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of <em>Golden Girls Forever: An Unauthorized Look Behind the Lanai</em> 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. -- Anne T. Donahue, author of<em> Nobody Cares</em>

Author Information

Jennifer Armstrong is the award-winning author of such titles as Black-Eyed Susan, The Dreams of Mairhe Mehan, Mary Mehan Awake, and Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World.

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