That’s right – about our longtime Contributing Editor, not by. Cuz we here at TVWriter™ aren’t the only ones who think Herbie J has something important to say:
THE WONDERFUL, MAGICAL WOMEN OF BLOOMING TELEVISION
I know I’m not alone in my childhood fantasy of being able to nod my head or twitch my nose to make things better. I wish I could say it ended with childhood, but truthfully, I still consider those options when things get tough for the ones I love. If I could, I would blink them into a shiny world with rainbows and puppies. But probably not until I blundered it somehow. That was the beauty of these paranormal “girl next door” lovelies—they taught me that nothing is un-fixable . . . with a little love and a smidge of magic.
Every week, I sat rapt as the ladies of blossoming television showed me how to navigate through life. I aimed to “borrow” something from each of them and incorporate it into my own life. I wanted Samantha’s nose, Jeannie’s hair and navel, Goldie Hawn’s giggly joy and innocence, That Girl’s drive and energy, and June Cleaver’s pearls and patience.
I am old enough to have experienced the unequaled pleasure of growing up with them, as the world went from black and white, with the national anthem signing me off for the day to full-technicolor, on-demand, streaming madness we watch today.
The smell and sound of the tubes warming up on the television set brought intense joy to my young soul as I waited breathlessly for the pictures to appear. The instant gratification we have now deprives us of that joy. Instead of allowing our imaginations to fill in the blanks, we are spoon-fed graphic images that rob us of the belief that every problem can be solved in 22-23 minutes, plus commercial sponsorship.
Enter Herbie J Pilato, a self-made savant and expert in the field of classic television, to the rescue!
My early TV role models, Elizabeth Montgomery, Barbara Eden, Marlo Thomas, Barbara Billingsley, and Goldie Hawn, are only a few of the subjects of his books and the life he is making to preserve the values represented in their programs.
Through his studio experience and exhaustive research, he has brought us a more intimate look at some of our favorite icons.
I was thrilled to be able to get to know him better through our correspondence and interview, which I present to you here: