Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday! As of Friday, February 14 — the anniversary of Jack Benny’s birth — my first book, Great American Sitcoms of the 1950s, is now officially available. If you haven’t purchased a copy yet, you can buy from me directly here (with bonuses), or from anywhere books are sold, including the almighty Amazon. I hope you will!
Speaking of Amazon, if you’ve bought the book and like it (and particularly if you’ve bought it from Amazon), would you be so kind as to leave me a five-star rating and review there? A favorable rating is helpful when it comes to sales and I am very much in need of sales, especially because I am hoping to continue this as a series — with a 1960s book next on the horizon. In fact, let’s make this fun: once I get 30 five-star reviews on Amazon, I’ll share a clip I’ve got from a surviving 1949 episode of The Growing Paynes, an early family sitcom from DuMont starring Broadway’s Elaine Stritch. (I talk about it in Chapter Two of my book!)
Similarly, I would be grateful for any positive promotion you can extend — on social media or on any platform where you reach people. And by that same token, I am now also available for interviews of any kind — print, podcast, YouTube, etc. — so if you have an audience who you think will be interested in me or this material, please let me know; I’d love to come chat.
Additionally, I’m also bookable as a consultant — do you need my expert advice for a project on which you’re working? A book? A documentary? A script? I can give you invaluable research and insight on sitcom history with analysis and/or help with the development of your own efforts within the genre. Contact me at jacksonupperco.wordpress@gmail.com for more.
In the meantime, thanks to everyone who’s bought my book so far. I’m proud of it — it’s a huge accomplishment and I think, if you’re a fan of this blog, you’ll like it. Obviously, I’m a tough critic so there’s a million things I’d change if I could — I read it over and over and over again and I’m sure there are still errors and typos galore. There’s also stuff I wish I’d said, or said differently, and episodes I regret not including (like a few Burns And Allen entries from the third season that I wish I hadn’t excised from the “Other Notable Episodes” section). But, c’est la vie — it was an interesting process that I’m excited to improve upon next time. So, please keep buying, please post good reviews, and please spread the word — I need your help!
Oh, and as a “thank you,” I want to resurrect a 1950s treat that I shared here many years ago — it’s a script from a live 1952 episode of Burns And Allen typically called “Trip To Palm Springs,” which you can read, and read about, here… https://jacksonupperco.com/2021/02/16/we-interrupt-this-program-to-bring-you-a-special-sitcom-rarity-iii/
Come back next week for more 1950s sitcom fun! And thanks for all your continued support!