Television Books

This book is subtitled "An Extravagant Life," and is available in hardcover. Laurence Bergreen also wrote "Louis Armstrong: An Extrodinary Life" Unfortunately I got the impression that Mr. Bergreen became a little disillusioned with his subject. He glosses over Armstrong's flaws. For instance, Bergreen seems to accept Louis' infidelities were the result of bad advice about women he received in his adolescence! His relationship and treatment of his mentor Joe Oliver is also rather quickly dismissed. I wish more time was spent on these parts of Armstrong's life. I can't fault the research and musical analysis, though.

This was one of the best biographies I have ever read. By far the best one of the life of Louis Armstrong. It took me only 2 days to read this book, I could hardly put it down. Not being much of a fan of Dixieland, New Orleans Jazz, etc...after reading this book I was hooked. I wanted to listen to every Louis recording available. Bergreen paints Armstrong as such an amazing character which he completely was. Even if you aren't a jazz fan this is just a great book about a great man.

You get not only a bio of a great musician & person, you get a detailed description how Blacks lived New Orleans through the turn of the century. From it you get a better understanding of how the pre-recording (and therefore unrecorded) sounds of untutored musicians became the roots of the New Orleans musical genre and how the odds were stacked against Louis. You come to understand his workaholism and his deference to his eventual agent, who probably exploited him.

As the book progresses, the historical descriptions are not as detailed but you feel the music and the person developing. Ironically, the two best known pieces "Hello Dolly" & "It's a Wonderful World", were late stage, not representative, but somehow routine work for the prolific Louis.

It's hard to imagine from the impoverished roots, the raw deals and the omnipresent daily racism (even to his death in 1971 segregation both de facto and Jim Crow continued), how Louis kept his optimism and exhuberance. It was not self deceptive, when the chips were down, he supported the Brown v Board of Ed decision, not just in his heart, but words and actions.

He was an unfaithful lover and husband. We don't know if he ever promised otherwise... all his wives but the first (who was common law married) knew he was a married man when they started "dating" him. The world owes Mrs. Armstong the 2nd (Lil) a debt. She gave him confidence and a platform to be the star he became.

In the Acknowledgments the author says this is the first bio he's written where his admiration for his subject grows.

Louis Armstrong blazed a trail. He was a tough cat, much tougher than all the supposedly macho dudes who posture now. He doesn't have to posture because he's dealt with the mob and prostitutes who slash with the knifes in their shoes, and somehow reminds us, that despite all this, it's a wonderful world.

This book was amazingly well written! It wonderfuly portrays the life of a very talented and amzing man. Please, for your own sake, read this book!

I believe I've read them all and nothing ever written about Louis Armstrong is as detailed as this book. Moreso than the "tired old stories" you see repeated in version after version of other tales of Armstrong, this one actually delves into the personal life as well as the persona of the man. Every Armstong fan needs to read this book - it's an awakening!

This was one of the first Marilyn books I owned and I have to say it still stands out as one of my very favorites because it is so intimate, and the pictures show a very down to earth Marilyn that you feel like you could reach out and touch. George Barris was actually a long time photographer of Monroe, he had the pleasure of catching some of her most iconic moments on camera such as the famous shirt blowing scene from THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH and many more. These are by far his best of her though and I personally favor pics from Marilyn's later years (60's). I love the stories that Barris tells and I am getting ready to reread this book as it has been a few years, I think it is the type of book one can read over and over anyhow. As I have said all the pics are amazing especially the ones of Marilyn on the beach. These however are not the very last pics taken of Marilyn, just the last photo session. The very last shots of her can be found in the book "Mr. S.: The Last Word on Frank Sinatra" when she was on a yacht with Sinatra and at the Cal-Neva Lodge & Casino shortly before her death. Over all though this book is HIGHLY recommended and is essential for any Marilyn fan!

I was surprised at this book in Marilyn's own words. This interview was only a few weeks before her death. The pictures were amazing and beautiful. She did not seem at all depressed and was looking forward to the future. Makes you wonder if she was murdered. Surely seems that way after I read the book and looked at those pictures. It almost seems to say "see I want to live" and little did she know that her life was in danger! Poor Marilyn. I hope wherever she is, she knows that some people believe that she did not kill herself. And I hope she is at peace.

This book is unique in that it comes from George Barris's last days spent with her. I love the photos because they are candid not posed. This bok also includes the last photo ever taken of her. I'm on my way to own almost every Marilyn book and Im am pleased with this one.

This was indeed a touching tribute. I felt very connected to Marilyn while reading her stories. The photos were just as gorgeous. I could have gone without George Barris' interjections as they usually just repeated what Marilyn said. But it was his book and she was apparently his friend, so I suppose he deserves some spotlight too.

Add this to your Monroe collections! It's a definite keeper.

I have to say that it is just amazing how after 44 years Marilyn Monroe is still considerd one of the most beautiful women to ever live. After seeing the photographs of Marilyn Monroe taken by Mr. Barris in this book I am not suprised that people are still captivated with the beauty of Marilyn Monroe. The pictures of Marilyn in this book are amazing and beautiful. Marilyn shows her true character in the most natural looking pictures I have ever seen of her. Each picture tells a story and shows you the woman Marilyn really was. Marilyn truely was a naturally beautiful woman and it shows in this book. This great book also lets you read and learn about the real person Marilyn Monroe was in her own words. Marilyn tells her life story in this book, taking you through her young years as Norma Jean to her Hollywood life as Marilyn Monroe. When you are reading this book it is very interesting to hear Marilyn talk about her life in her own words. Marilyn takes you along her life journey through the pages in this book. The only sad thing is when you are reading this book you wish Marilyn's life story would continue past the inevitable days of Marilyn's death on August 4-5,1962. I alreadly knew Marilyn was going to die before reading but it really made me sad because after reading this book it makes you feel like you actually knew Marilyn personally. That just goes to show how well written this book is. I have to say Mr. Barris you have done a great job writing this excellant book. Marilyn would truely have been happy with this book. Whether you are a Marilyn Monroe fan or you are just curious about this iconic Hollywood actress this book will definitely be intresting to read. Before I read this book I thought Marilyn Monroe was all Hollywood glitz and glamour. After reading this book however I found that Marilyn was a sweet down to earth woman who just wanted to be loved. I only hope Marilyn made it into heaven, because in her life most of the people that said they loved her and called themselves her friend only used and betrayed Marilyn. I hope that one day Marilyn's death will finally be proven as murder and this case of wrong doing can be closed so Marilyn can finally rest in peace.

This book is excellent for dog lovers. It spans the gambit from laughter to tears. A MUST READ!

In this condensed version of John Grogan's best-selling Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog, the author has written an adapted version of his life and times with his Labrador Retriever, Marley, that's perfect for younger readers.

Having read and fully enjoyed Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog when it was first released, I was a little anxious to see how Mr. Grogan would handle a shorter, easier-to-read version for the middle-grade set. Fortunately, MARLEY: A DOG LIKE NO OTHER is a fun, vibrant, and compelling read that even older elementary school students will enjoy.

When John and his wife, Jenny, first pick Marley out from a litter of pure-blood Labradors, they have no idea that their small bundle of fur with the big paws and blocky head will eventually turn into a 97-pound drool-machine full of nerves, excitement, and limitless energy. This short story (196 pages) is a testament to the trials, tribulations, and ultimate loyalty of a dog who ended up starring in a feature film.

Marley is the type of dog that you love, despite his flaws (and there are many!), and even the youngest of readers will be overjoyed to read about the trouble that he finds himself in on a daily basis. And, I admit, I shed a few tears towards the end of this book, but they were well worth it, because Marley was worth it.

One great benefit of this version of Marley's story are the numerous full-color photographs that the author has included. This addition alone makes MARLEY: A DOG LIKE NO OTHER an asset to your home library.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

Loved the book --it made me laugh, smile, cry. I bought three -- two were gifts and one for myself, which I also loaned to all my dog loving friends.

Purchased as a gift. Have received good feed-back from the recipient, who, by the way, is a Marley fan.

I bought this book for a co-worker who was getting a lab without realizing that it was the children's edition of the book (I had read and loved the original). Once I realized my mistake, I gave to my 12-year-old daughter who read it, laughed and cried and now says it was one of her favorite books.

Stadner's book is well written and fun. She tells her stories in writing even better than she delivers them in person, and this book is loaded with all kinds of memories, each one tugging at a different heart string. She hits home over and over, and that familiarity makes it even more entertaining. At times, I found myself agreeing with her out loud, or calling my sister to remind her of something I hadn't thought of in years. I laughed, I cried, I enjoyed every minute of it.

Great book! The stories you related, made me laugh and cry with you.It was truly a walk down memory lane. You have successfully memorialized Cote St Luc, forever.Sheila

I just finished your book I loved it so much that I just didn't want it to end.
I related to just about everything you went through. My parents also went through the war as Partisans in the woods of Poland and White Russia and then came to Montreal.
Thank you so much for writing this book. I must confess that
I laughed and cried but the last 100 pages of your book brought back so many memories for example singing to my father on his death bed \"OYFIN PRIPITCHEK BRENT A FAYERL, UN IN SHTUB IS HEYS. UN DER REBELY LERNT KLEYNE KINDERLEKH DEM ALDF-BEZ.\"
I saw you at Lynn University when you were in Boca Raton and had the
pleasure of meeting you and Fabrizio,gee I hope I remembered his name, but you know who I mean the cute Italian. You signed my book and I will cherish it forever.
Again, thank you so very much this book really made a difference to me.
Lots of Luck, from one survivor to another Sarah Johnson.

The title grabs you - humor? Holocaust? Then, you begin reading and Hanala grabs you- envelops you, fastens your seat belt for you and takes you on the ride that is her life. And what a ride.

For the general public, it is a story, written with wit, humor, turns of phrase, expressions which you know you have heard before and are comfortable with but which are neither trite nor cliche, in a style that holds your attention. It is the history of a little girl clamoring for something which is impossible to receive due to no fault of her own, a "normal" childhood, filled with love, affection, nurturing, complements, structure, safety, sibling support, reliable friends, - just like in the 50s and 60s TV families into which she delves for comfort; who, not surprisingly grows into a young adult with physical addictions and emotional insecurities - making bad choices, entering into troubled relationships and behaving in a self-destructive manner bringing her near death; and finally, just as you have almost had it with her and want to read her the riot act, but knowing that nothing you say could bring her out of her messed-up life, she surprises you and takes a small step which becomes a deep reach into herself and pulls herself out of the spiral - building inner strength and finally maturing into the positive, healthy person you would be thrilled to have in your life. Hanala lays open her soul to the core, describes behaviors and experiences that most would be embarrassed and ashamed to admit, and demonstrates that we have the ability to heal ourselves, with the help of others, if we only give ourselves the chance. You laugh, you laugh a lot, and you cry, you find yourself repeating statements out loud that you have just read which may well hit deep in your own soul. Frankly, you don't want the book to end and when it does, you are OK, because you know that Hanala's story is continuing and because it is a real life that you feel connected to.

And, for the readership which is made up of the children of Holocaust survivors/escapees, it is an even more special story. Hanala, through her experiences, and her insights gained through therapy, A.A. and Al-Anon programs, gives us answers as to why her parents, and so many other such parents just could not do a better parenting job - whether due to their guilt for not being able to save family or friends or for the simple fact that they survived, magnified by the relative comfort in which they are living; why they too were and are leading lives that are not filled with what many would consider "normal" actions and reactions - which behaviors many have unintentionally passed on to their children. "It is not because she won't, it is because she just can't." For Holocaust survivor/escapees' children, Hanala provides answers to questions we might not even know how to ask.

At first, it's hard to know what to make of Hanala Stadner, author of the My Parents Went Through the Holocaust and All I got Was This Lousy T-Shirt. Does she realize the title of her book is offensive to some people? Is she as superficial as her celebrity photos suggest? Is she making fun of Holocaust survivors?

I discovered the answers to those questions when I interviewed the personable, glamorous 51-year-old Stadner in a booth at the back of Corky and Lenny's last week, shortly before her booksigning at Barnes and Noble.

The answers are, respectively: yes, she realizes the title offends some people; no, she's not the walking Barbie doll she appears to be; and no, she is not making a joke at the expense of Holocaust survivors.

Beneath her polished surface, Stadner is a puzzle whose parts don't always seem to fit together. She's a popular L.A. fitness instructor, a television personality, a former alcoholic and drug abuser who has been sober more than 20 years, a chemical dependency counselor, a comedic writer, and a popular speaker on second generation Holocaust survivor lecture circuit. As Suzan Stadner, she hosted a popular long-running cable-access show which attracted a celebrity audience that included Marlon Brando.

Then (just to confuse things) she changed her name from Suzan to Hanala, the diminutive of her middle name, Hannah. Stadner's mother named her Hannah in honor of a sister (Stadner's aunt) who died in the Holocaust, along with most of Stadner's relatives.

The pieces fall into place when you hear Stadner speak or you read her book -- and the key to the entire puzzle lies in her childhood as a second generation survivor.

Stadner grew up before anyone had done studies or even spoke in whispers about the now well-documented syndrome that often occurs when survivors of trauma and loss become parents. "My parents survived Hitler. I survived my parents," Stadner explains in the book's opening.

As a child, Stadner assumed there was something wrong with her -- nothing she did or said or wanted had any significance in the face of her parents' history.

"I had a special form of childhood Attention Deficit Disorder," she notes wryly. "I can't hold Ma and Daddy's attention. The Holocaust, dancing a polka in their heads, distracts them."

In comparison to the trauma of the Holocaust, children's problems seem neglible. When Stadner confided to her mother that she was scared of school, her mother responded, "`You're scared? Vhat, is a Nazi chasing you? Do you live in a hole in da ground? Did your family die in da gas chambers?'"

(Looking back as an adult, Stadner quips, "Yes, technically. And the ones still alive are in no state to raise children.").

Later, Stadner understands that the shadow of the Holocaust looms over not only her parents' lives but hers as well. "I wasn't crammed in a boxcar headed for Auschwitz," she explains. "I came later. I grew up in a bungalow in Canada watching Captain Kangaroo and eating Alphabits. Yet, if you and I were to speak for five minutes, I'd work into the conversation that my parents are Holocaust survivors."

Stadner's parents spent several years on the run from Nazis. Newlyweds when the Nazis came to take their families away, they escaped to the woods, where for months on end they hid with other young adults they refer to as "da group." Those experiences were imprinted upon her parents' thoughts and personalities forever.

Although some survivors never speak of their experiences, Stadner's mother was a talker, burdening the young Hannah with tragic, ironic stories inevitably became imprinted on Stadner's thoughts and personality as well:

"'Oy... Hanala, you know da vay you love babies? Vell...' she sighs, needing strength to go on, 'I loved my brodder's children like dey vere my own, and because I couldn't save dem, dey got chapped up mit an ax, what can I tell you?'

"Ma gets up and starts with the dishes. Like a hit-and-run driver who doesn't realizes she's flattened someone, Ma hits and cleans. She's oblivious of the impact. She leave a head of emotional rubble without a speck of guilt. ... One minute her niece and nephew are being axed, the next, she's dashing off like the white knight from the Ajax commercial, brandishing a shmatteh. ... I'm frozen. I've been Mummy-fied. Can't talk."

Stadner is describing the "secondary traumatization" experienced by the children of Holocaust survivors. According to the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, children of Holocaust survivors are at higher risk for psychiatric symptoms, including depression, anxiety, nightmares, emotional numbing, irritability, and hypervigilance. The causal relationship between the Holocaust and these symptoms is so well documented that last summer thousands of Israel's second generation survivors sued Germany for reparation to pay for the psychiatric treatment they have required.

If you were to hold Stadner's book up against a clinical description of secondary trauma, you'd find a direct correspondence.

But Stadner's version would be funnier. She moves with mordant briskness through the symptoms and consequences of life with her parents, giving pithy accounts of her food addiction, agoraphobia, alcohol and drug addiction, and her predilection for men who belittle and lie to her -- without pitying herself or blaming others.

Even the event that propels her on the path to sobriety is funny, if painful. Drunk at a holiday party, she falls into the Christmas tree. When she calls the next day to apologize to the hostess, the hostess tells her it's OK, but was she aware that it was an AA party and she was the only person there who was drinking?

Stadner sees comedy as the antidote to trauma - particularly the secondary trauma which is inadvertently thrust upon you by the people who are supposed to care for and comfort you. ("Tragedy + time = comedy" declares her website, Traumedy Central, which is also the title of her new television show on the new Jewish Life TV network.)

Which brings us back to the title of the book - is it funny? Stadner says she didn't anticipate anyone would think the implied whine in the title was meant to be serious, but she has had interesting dialogues with people who do find the title disturbing.

"Once they begin reading the book, they understand" that the tone of the title isn't one of complaint but of self-deprecating, Stadner explains.

The book jacket blurbs certainly testify to how much other second generation survivors appreciate Stadner's candor and irreverence: after all, she's giving a voice to all those things that could never be talked about, the pink elephant no one was supposed to notice.

Long before the book's end, Stadner has accepted her mother's meshugas. As we sit in Corky and Lenny's, she recites some of her mother's funniest lines, until her sister, Akron resident Sylvia Levinson, is in stitches.

Levinson confesses to Hanala that reading the book helped her through the grief after their mother died. "Really?" asks Stadner, obviously touched.
"You describe exactly what Ma was really like," Sylvia replies. "It helped me remember."

(This review appeared in shortened form in the Cleveland Jewish News.)

The item showed up just as described and within a reasonable time. I was notified that it had shipped. Excellent transaction. Excellent item. I would order from this seller again.

I know that there is a collection of scripts from the first two season of "The West Wing," including the the Emmy Award-winning episode "In Excelsis Deo," but that only offers up a half dozen scripts. This volume is "The Official Companion" to the television series created by Aaron Sorkin and covers the first two seasons of the series in a rather interesting way. Each episode is given, on average, six pages, in which the episode is described in narrative format with choices quotations and exchanges of dialogue included. I have to admit I like this approach, because it saves fans of the show from going through dozens of pages of scripts to find their favorites lines (e.g., Sam's "This is bad on so many levels" from the Pilot episode).

These 44 episode summaries are enhanced in various ways throughout this volume. There are comments from Sorkin, the cast, and even a few real former West Wing staffers highlighted in the margins, usually talking specifically about the scene they appear next to on the page. You will also find references to alternate scenes that students of the show will find fascinating. There are even footnotes: Barlet might spare his senior staff list listing all fourteen of the punctuation marks in standard English grammar, but here they get named (along with the point that Toby only knew the last seven in the list). In between episodes at various points in the volume you will find profiles of the eight principle actors and insights into the show's creation and a photo tour of the West Wing. Consequently, "The West Wing" provides both a walk down memory lane and insights into the stories, characters, and actors.

"The West Wing" is a show where having all the scripts available in print might be a good thing, but it is not likely to happen. It took six volumes to put into print all of the scripts from the first two seasons of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and that was with 10 less episodes than on "The West Wing." The series will probably end up in syndication on cable channels for eternity so we might never get it released on DVD either. A series of volumes covering all of the episodes in this manner, printed in two season increments, would be an acceptable substitute.

I thumbed through this book in a bookstore and by the time I got home, I realized I had to own it and I was online ordering my own copy. This book is more than just a rehash of the first two seasons. We are treated to a real behind-the-scenes tour of what goes into filming the show. Talk about your West Wing trivia!

The asides from the actors on the characters they play are filled with gems of inside information. For instance, what do Brad Whitford and Janel Moloney think the roles of Josh and Donna are all about; how does Martin Sheen get the cast to treat him like the President and why is this adulation so important; and why is Allison Janney everyone's favorite? We are treated to a tour of the West Wing to fully understand the layout of the staff's offices and the dynamics of the characters in relationship to each other. Then, the decorations in the offices are explained, and nothing is so minor to be included by chance.

Sorkin claims he doesn't have a political agenda. He asks his staff to write a pro-con memo on each episode, and he is most comfortable when two people disagree. If the points are good, he incorporates them into the show's dialogue. You have to be a West Wing fan, and a pretty serious one at that, to fully appreciate this Official Companion, which brings to light the fine points of all that went into creating the first two seasons of this amazingly written and performed show.

Being a newly minted "Wingnut", I recently went out and purchased the first 3 seasons of The West Wing of DVD and then set about finding a good companion guide to go along with them. After sifting through the good, the bad, and the ugly, I settled on this excellent 342 page tome. While only covering the first 2 seasons, this 9" X 11" book is chock full of beautiful color pictures and enough extras to rival the DVDs themselves. Accept no substitutes and add this one to your TV library. I can only hope that a volume II (covering seasons 3 & 4) will be published when season 4 is shortly released on DVD. Plenty of time for us all to brush up on our Latin (post hoc, ergo propter hoc). R.I.P. John Spencer.

I have seen the "West Wing" books that feature scripts from selected episodes. But this book includes every episode from the first two seasons, told in story form. Plus chapters on each of the actors and their characters, the background on the making of the show -- if you're a fan, this is a "must have". I just hope that there will be, at some point, additional volumes to cover the third, fourth and fifth seasons -- and so on.

This is THE best scrapbook in the wooooooooorld!!! What can I say??!! I'm obsessed!!! Along with the two albums this is wicked...JUST BUY IT AND DROOL OVER NOAH aka CHAD!!!... R.I.P Michael Cuccione xXx

This is the ultimate book for the ultimate 2GE+HER fan! Although I got a book that only had 92 pages - and I think I'm missing the last 4 pages of the book because it suddenly ends. But anyways, this book is hilarious and is filled with various trivia about the guys! QT can't write, Jerry was born without a jaw, Mickey wasn't always a gangster, Chad's blue eyes hypnotize, and Doug wears a balding toupee! A book that's definitley worth your money.

I love this book but the person that I bought it from ripped me off. I am totally pissed about this. Someone took out 4 pages so now I have 92 pages. I was supposed to have 96! Damn con artist. I still love 2gether though but I need to know what I'm missing in those 4 pages.

2Gether is the best musical grop and will always be the best, there cd's are funny, and good, whenever I have a bad day I put in one of there albums and it makes me feel better. The guys of 2Gether are talented, cute, sweet, and adorable. Noah is my favorite member and he sings beautifully and I love him with all my heart. I would like to say R.I.P. to Michael Cuccione, he was a brave kid until the end, he's a great singer, actor, and he is defintly a role model to all people. I will always love you.

This is one of my favorite books! I do enjoy "real" literature, novels, and that sort of thing -- don't get me wrong. I just think that this is written very well and it's extremely hilarious. You find out stuff about these guys that you've never known before. For example, did you know QT really couldn't write? He signs his name with an X! Never before seen pictures of all the guys (ever wonder what Doug's high school yearbook pic looked like?) are included, too. A little bit of old skool Whoa! is in here as well. If you ever watched 2Gether, this is a great book to have! Besides, it's cheap enough. Give it a shot. Or else Chad will cry.

Sweet sweet Bobby! This was such a pleasure to read. This book lets you see Bobby not just as the pop star that we all loved at age 12 but,human. It also tells me that he remained grounded and still is my sweet sweet Bobby. No wonder I loved him at 12 and years later I'm still in like with him.

If you have ever loved Bobby Sherman, you have to read this book! Great insights into his life, personally, and professionally. Throughout the whole thing, I kept trying to figure out how old I was when he was going through a particular experience , and what my personal opinion was at the time in terms of the stories he tells about his life, such as, how I felt seeing him on Here Comes The Brides, or the first time I heard a hit song of his, or when I heard he got married, etc. It was a wonderful trip down memory lane, and makes me love him now even more than I did as a kid because he has really made something of his life beyond stardom in terms of his work with the L.A. Police Department.I think you'll enjoy reading it. I know I sure did! And it makes a great gift for a Bobby Sherman fan in your life.

I recently purchased this wonderful book and am so delighted with it!!! It really does take you back in time to Bobby Sherman's early days - from babyhood on - in his own words - to his present life as an EMT instructor for the Los Angeles Police Department. It is filled with fabulous pictures, as well. He is as wonderful a man as I had always thought he was -kind, compassionate and GENUINE! Back in my teeny-bopper days, I, like so many young females, had a crush on him. I enjoyed listening to his songs, beginning with "Little Woman," and reading articles on him in the fan magazines. He was also a very good actor, as those of you who enjoyed viewing him on his TV classic, "Here Come the Brides", can testify. He is a man of many talents and, yet, has maintained a sweet, almost humble, personality through the years. That is amazing to me. Yet, he is very aware of the loyalty and love which his fans have kept for him through the years, and he admits he dearly cherishes those gifts. Bobby, we dearly cherish your gifts to us through the years, as well. You deserve to be recognized - and loved - for the very special person whom you have always been!!! For those of you who have had any kind of affection or admiration for Bobby Sherman - past or present - this book is guaranteed to warm your heart and soul!!! It is absolutely wonderful - just like him!! God bless you, Bobby!! I love you!

I purchased the book. I cannot wait to read it. It took me by surprise, he has a book. I know I will enjoy reading his book. The reviews were great by other readers. After reading it, I will write another review. Thanks for this opportunity to read about your favorite idol.

Nice, pleasant. Could have been longer but Bobby strikes me as a nice guy who may not be over-reflective or of the mind that there are limits to what anyone needs to know about his private life.

this book is fantastic. in a very beautiful and big format, it's complete with all the bondgirls in a great description. very good if you are a bond fan or at least a woman lover!

Overall the book is ok, however for a coffee table sized book (It's rather tall, which makes it awkward to store in a bookcase - well mine anyway) there's not enough photos, and a bit too much text. Almost all of the photos I'd seen before, so while most people new to the Bond world might be impressed, there's not enough unique content to make the book a must have. Actually come to think of it most of the text does seem like filler, too generic to be interesting. A book this size shouldn't be a novel, it should be mostly photos. With only one or two photos per actress there definitely needs to be a lot more photos.

great pictures and an in depth look at each girl and her relationship to the movie

Perhaps my expectations were too high, but when I had read other reviews I hoped for the best. This is not the best. So, what one is the best? It is the one yet to be published. yet I will admitt that this one is the best out there that I have seen. A book on Bond women should have a lot more pictures, and more inside stories would help as well; yes, more photos, that would do the trick.

If you are a James Bond lover...you will ENJOY this book!!! Great book!!!

I absolutely loved these stories and how they connect the dots between the two films. A lot of the things used in these stories are seen in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. When Jay and Silent Bob meet Suzanne the Orangutan in the comics, it plays just like the scene from the movie when they meet Suzanne, even the scenes of Jay's grim look into the future Planet of the Apes. There is another scene in here that was cut from J&SB strike back when they are kicked off the bus for smoking weed in the restroom on the bus.

What I love most about these stories is that it explains how Jay and Silent Bob ended up wearing the different clothes that they wear in Dogma. That was the coolest part of this, everthing about their clothes in Dogma is explained in these stories; from Jay's Forked Tongue T-Shirt to Silent Bob's Mooby's cap. Overall, these stories are a must have for any fan of Kevin Smith. They are funny and should be included as canon (except for the monkey scene that was later used in J/SB Strike Back). If you want to know what happened to the dynamic duo between films, get this

What happened to Jay and Silent Bob between "Chasing Amy" and "Dogma"? How did Jay get the idea of going to Shermer, Illinois? Where did he get that hat? And why were they hanging out in the parking lot of a birth control clinic?

This book WILL answer those questions...and make you laugh out loud in the process!

Not only does this tie Chasing Amy, Mallrats, and Dogma together, but it also sort of spoils J&SBSB.

So it's a must for a Kevin Smith fan with a broken VCR.

this can be described it two words hi-larious

I got this book to fill in the history between Chasing Amy and Dogma. I loved it! Loved the jokes! Loved the laughs! However, given that it was to fill a space, there was an awful lot of discontinuity between it and the later movie, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. It seemed almost like a first draft for that movie. But aside from that, I got a great many laughs.

Of course, Jay, the drawing, is not nearly so cute as Jay, the actor, but that's another story...

Well written, and chock full of excellent information on the making of Combat!, the stars (especially Vic Morrow, who WAS Sgt. Sanders), the story lines, directors, ground-breaking filming techniques, etc. For anyone who understands how far ahead of its time this program was when it aired, this book is a must.

This is everything you could want as a fan of the show. The author does a great job of giving us a reasonable amount of insight to move us from season to season. This blended nicely with the information about each episode.

I wish there had been a bit more room to expand the information about each episode, but, then again, I'd like to have had a bit more information about the participants lives outside of "Combat!". But I do understand the limitations publishers impose.

I would have preferred the author not to attempt to give each episode a rating (0-4 bayonets), or a least put this in an appendix. Critics can give ratings, but fans just really shouldn't try to tell another fan he's wrong (and charge them for it)!

There's nothing like an avid fan to author a great book to an already epic tv show. Jo's affection really lends itself nicely to the anecdotes given by the former cast members.
Also, if you're ever in the LA area, you can still visit Franklin Canyon where a lot of episodes were filmed. There's a road near the corner of Cold Water Canyon Dr. and Mulholland Dr. that takes you right there (can't remember the exact name,sorry). Anyway, the same trees and water still exist that were in the episodes (this is also the same place where the opening of The Andy Grifith Show was filmed, where Opie skips a rock across the water while the theme is playing). It's now a recreation area and is a nice place to hike and stow down a few beers...

This is a great book for all those fans of the "COMBAT!" TV show, produced in the 1960's. I highly recommend it if you have invested in the "COMBAT!" DVD's or if you just want to understand why this series was, and indeed still is, so popular. Ms. Davidsmeyer even included her hand written autograph in my copy!--A wonderful and unexpected surprise!!! Indeed, this entire book is "A wonderful and unexpected surprise! You'll enjoy it without a single doubt!

This publication is a must have for the discriminating fan of Combat! As the title states, it is a true "Viewer's Companion to the WWII TV Series". Author Jo Davidsmeyer provides an indepth and detailed look at what I consider one of THE best television series ever! A perfect addendum to Combat!, the complete series.