The Wonderful World
of Disney Television
A Complete History
by Bill Cotter
THIS FIRSTEVER HISTORY OF DISNEY
TELEVISION IS PERFECTLY TIMED TO COINCIDE WITH THE RETURN OF THE WONDERFUL
WORLD OF DISNEY TO SUNDAY NIGHT PRIME TIME ON ABC.
From the
muchbeloved Disneyland and Zorro to recent hits like Ellen and
Home Improvement, Disney television is a cultural institution that has
added joy and laughter to the lives of millions of Americans from the 1950s to
today. The Wonderful World of Disney Television is a fascinating,
comprehensive history of all the Disney television shows ever produced, from the
ones we loved to watch as children to today's toprated programming. Rich with
photographs, littleknown details, anecdotes, and vital statistics, this
fascinating collection fully describes each of the Walt Disney television shows,
including complete schedules of aired episodes, seasonal highlights, production
details, behindthescenes stories, full cast and crew listings, and plot
synopses - and shares important moments in Disney's television history such as
how Walt got into television in the first place!
A treasure trove of nostalgia - coinciding perfectly with
the primetime return of The Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights,
now on ABC The Wonderful World of Disney Television is the first book
of its kind and exactly what fans have been clamoring for.
Bill Cotter began compiling information on Disney's
television history when he worked for the Walt Disney Company between 1976 and
1982. The cocurator of the Chicago Museum's exhibit "The Genius of
Disney: The Television Years," he has written more than 200 magazine and
newspaper articles on the history of movies and television. He lives in Granada
Hills, California.
$24.95 - 7" x 10" hardcover with color dust
jacket
628pp. plus two blackandwhite photo inserts
$33.95 in Canada
ISBN 0786863595
That's how Hyperion, Disney's publishing division, described the book in their catalog to
bookstores.
|
The book is now out of
print and I no longer have copies available for sale. It can often be found
on eBay or at used book stores - happy hunting! |
Book status - updated February 3, 2001
"The Wonderful World of Disney
Television" went on sale in September, 1997. So far it has
sold more than 25,000 copies, so it was gratifying to learn that I am not the
only one with an interest in Disney television! I've had the
pleasure of appearing at several conventions, including the 1997 Disneyana show
in Orlando, the NFFC 1998 Kick-Off and the NFFC 2001 Convention. Perhaps the biggest thrill was appearing
on CNN to discuss the book and the return of the anthology series to ABC; they
sent a film crew to the Disney studios to interview me, which certainly
impressed my family! That has led to a number of projects for Disney,
including helping Michael Eisner's office with research for his opening
segments, and for some Disney Channel shows as well, and interviews in TV
Guide and quite a few newspapers. Additionally, I contributed to a
CD-ROM biography of Walt Disney sponsored by the Disney family, and had the
pleasure of speaking at Disneyland with Diane Disney Miller and several other
Disney historians.
 I was thrilled
at
being interviewed for "Walt: The
Man Behind the Myth", a documentary on Walt that aired on ABC on
September 16th, 2001 and later on A&E. I was asked to participate by
the Disney family, and I was honored to be represented. It was somewhat
intimidating being on the same program as some pretty famous contributors,
but it was a very special event for me and my family. The show has now
been released on VHS - just click on the cover picture to the left to
order it through Amazon.com, which helps support this web site. |
| |
 As
a result of this documentary, I was also included in the book "Inside the Dream : The Personal Story of Walt Disney",
which was based in large part on the interviews conducted for the
documentary. In addition to many quotes not used on the show due to time
constraints, the book includes some wonderful photos of Walt and his
family. As with the video, just
click on the cover picture to the left to order it through Amazon.com. |
2/2002 update: I just got home from
talking about Disney television as a guest aboard the Disney Magic cruise ship.
It was a real thrill - and a great vacation, one I highly recommend! It was also
nice to see the book selling well at the ship's store.
5/2004 update: I no longer have
copies available for sale through the web site. Happily the book sold better
than planned! Thanks to everyone who bought a copy, and for the many letters and
e-mails. My newest book, "Images of America: The 1964-1965 New York World's
Fair", will be published this summer by Arcadia Publishing.
Errata - updated February
6, 1999
Despite my best efforts to turn out as error-free a book
as possible, some mistakes snuck into the published version. While I'm glad that
most of them were problems with typesetting or editing, and not my research, the
gremlins were busier than I would have liked. Click here
for a list of known errors and additions.
Have a question on Disney television? Click here to send me an e-mail.