This was a great exploration of an untold history of television! I loved learning about the women who shaped TV today.

A much needed work of history! Each one of these stories lets a new generation know who paved the way for their entertainment. Each and every woman has a screen-worthy story to tell!

If you are interested in the history of television, and if you assume men were behind the success, then this book will serve as an eye-opener for you. Even though this is a rather scholarly book, it is compelling for readers who understand or are curious about the early days of TV.

I have always loved learning the history of TV series, actors, behind the scenes info, but this book had so much information in it, my head almost exploded.

How did I not know that Betty White invented the format we use on daytime talk shows?

Who invented the daytime soap opera? (Irma Phillips)

Who was the woman who had the first Jewish family sitcom? (Gertrude Berg)

Who came up with the variety show setup? (Hazel Scott)

Truly amazing storytelling and information for lovers of TV and the entertainment industry. Now when I watch these different shows, I know the women to thank for it.

Loved this so much, I featured it on my TV segment (link added below).



I received an ARC for an honest review.

In the mid-1950s, Irna Philips, Hazel Scott, Gertrude Berg, and Betty White laid down the foundations of what television is today--and many people don't know who they are (aside from White, I sure didn't). From radio to television, these visionary women led the charge in entertainment and echoes of their impact are still present today: soap operas, sit-coms, late night, and talk-shows.

This was definitely an interesting read in the evolution of television and how these four women impacted entertainment without much interaction with each other and within their genre. Being the 1950s, sexism, racism, and McCarthyism affected the personal lives and careers of each woman in different ways. Hazel Scott was the first Black woman to host an evening variety show and, of course, was met with racism (Jim Crow, blackface, and racial stereotypes in entertainment were at their peak). Gertrude Berg, though successful in creating a sit-com highlighting a Jewish family, was also under scrutiny in the majority-Christian society and tried to fight for co-workers who were blacklisted as communists. Irna Philips used her hardships and experiences as material for her soaps, but was scrutinized for being a single mom of two adopted children and had her work criticized constantly. Betty White was also scrutinized for never marrying, was devoted to her work as writer, producer, and star, but was also undercut by TV production companies who wanted to change her.

It was fascinating learning more about these women who were so impactful and visionaries, but are not recognized enough in the modern entertainment industry. There were times in the book where the timeline and person emphasized got a bit muddled as Armstrong tells the histories of these women as a parallel line rather than sections with only one of the subjects at a time. However, this was a great read about the little known history of revolutionary women.

This is an absorbing multi-biography of gifted, hardworking, and enterprising women who created popular television content in the early days of the medium and were often innovators. Writing is fast paced with just the right amount of detail to bring these women, their lives, and those around them to life. Great narrative-nonfiction and book-club title.

Such an interesting book about early television. The author cleverly focuses on a few women and their impact on television. Armstrong has also woven in the background of the tumultuous post WWII years and the HUAC hearings.

I was totally fascinated by this book and I admire the authors discipline in limiting the focus to four women. Those are Hazel Scott, Irna Phillips, Gertrude Berg and Betty White. She has thrown in a bit about Lucille Ball. The anecdotal reportage is delightful.

I remember Gertrude Berg from my own childhood and certainly Betty White is still a national treasure. This is a historians’ dream, reading so much about the social and media history within a delightful framework.

The author has done a remarkable job and I highly recommend this to college classes interested in media history and women’s studies.

Bravo! A fine piece of scholarship wrapped in an easily read non-fiction book.

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I didn't know ANY of this, so from that angle, this book was a hit! However, it felt weirdly lopsided, and seemed to spend the most time on Gertrude Berg (who, admittedly, was a great subject!), and weirdly little time on Betty White by the end of the book.

But still, essential reading for anyone interested in the history of TV.

This new history of four women involved in the earliest days of television was absolutely fascinating. I loved learning about the lives of Gertrude Berg, Irna Phillips, and Hazel Scott, and to learn more about the early years of one of my favorites, Betty White. Armstrong did a wonderful job of weaving together the lives and experiences of the four women, from innovations within the new medium to the challenges of the blacklist to the legacies they created for those who followed. Anyone who loves learning about the untold histories of women will want to read this book!

I didn’t know the stories of these women, and I can’t believe how little I knew about them before this. For anyone who is interested in the history of television or the history of women in society, they will be interested in this one.