MR. NOVAK: AN ACCLAIMED TELEVISION SERIES (hardback)
ISBN 9781629331645
The Peabody Award-winning series(1963-1965) followed the experiences of a young, tough-minded, idealistic highschool English teacher on his first job, and featured stars James Franciscus,Dean Jagger, and Burgess Meredith. Guest stars included Richard Donner, ClaudeAkins, Eddie Albert, Ed Asner, Frankie Avalon, Diane Baker, Herschel Bernardi,Beau Bridges, Richard Chamberlain, Johnny Crawford, Pat Crowley, Robert Culp,Kim Darby, Tony Dow, Howard Duff, Lillian Gish, Don Grady, Joey Heatherton,Sherry Jackson, Walter Koenig, Marta Kristen, Martin Landau, Cloris Leachman,June Lockhart, Claudine Longet, Vera Miles, Lois Nettleton, E. Jack Neuman,Robert Walker, and Beverly Washburn.
The series’ hallmark were inspirationaltales of great integrity, but triumph turned to tragedy, when a chain ofdisastrous situations caused an abrupt cancellation. Learn how the series wasconceived, developed, broadcast, and received by both critics and viewers.
243 illustrations. Index. Includes acomplete episode guide with full credits, plot descriptions, vintage reviews,and appraisals by the author.
Appendices include:
- Novak TV Series Awards 1963-1965
- Jack Neuman’s Writers Guide
- Novak’s Graduation Advice: Think
- Principal Vane’s Speech to New Teachers
- James Franciscus’ Columns for ‘TEEN Magazine (1963-1965)
- Novelization of the Two-Part Novak/Dr. Kildare Rejected Script “The Rich Who Are Poor” by E. Jack Neuman
- The Novak Game
About the author: Chuck Harter is awriter and musician, and his previously published books include Superboy& Superpup: The Lost Videos; Superman on Broadway; JohnnieRay: 1952 The Year of theAtomic Ray; Little Elf: A Celebration ofHarry Langdon. He also wrote the television documentary Hey!Hey! We’re the Monkees, and has appeared as a commentator on many TVprograms including North Mission Road, Cops: America’s Most Wanted,Places of Infamy, A & E Biography, Mysteries and Scandals, and UnsolvedMysteries.
“I’m so pleased that Chuck Harter isbringing the Mr. Novak experience to a wider audience. Afteryou’ve read his detailed, behind-the-scenes account, I hope you’ll consideryourself part of the Novak family.” -Richard Donner
“Chuck Harter has produced a superlativebook that is both fascinating and informative. Long life to Mr. Novak!and three cheers for Chuck Harter!”-Martin Landau
“Reading this book by Chuck Harterbrought back many satisfying memories. You don’t have to have been an actor . .. just a student to appreciate the skillful way in which he unfolds the storiesbehind the cameras.” -Walter Koenig
Or buy from Amazon:
The Mr. Novak television series was a landmark in the development of dramatic television. It starred James Franciscus with Dean Jagger and featured cutting-edge scripts, first-class production values and exceptional acting. It was the first program to portray teachers and students realistically. "Mr. Novak: An Acclaimed Television Series" by author, musician and popular culture consultant Chuck Harter is a profusely illustrated study that features: Comprehensive coverage of the original filming and air dates; An episode guide with vintage reviews and fresh perspectives; Interviews with over 35 actors who appeared on the show including Walter Koenig, Martin Landau, Beau Bridges, Tony Dow, Ed Asner, June Lockhart, and Sherry Jackson; Archival interviews with the series' stars and producers; A complete list of the many awards the series received, and so much more. Exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented, "Mr. Novak" provides the reader with a complete and comprehensive profile of one of the finest TV series that ever aired. "Mr. Novak" is especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Television History collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Mr. Novak" is also available in a paperback edition (9781629331638, $30.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.95).
- Wisconsin Bookwatch
Chuck Harter's MR. NOVAK is a terrific book on the making of a short-lived, little-known (because it's hardly been rerun), but widely-acclaimed (in its time) TV series that starred James Franciscus as a teaher and Dean Jagger as his principal. MR. NOVAK followed the successful DR. KILDARE template, a series made by the same studio and developed by E. Jack Neuman, the writer/creator of this series, and it was undoubtedly an inspiration for the much-more sucessful ROOM 222, which came along years later. Harter's book benefits enormously from his extensive research and numerous interviews with the key players of the show, both behind the camera and in front of it (some interviews were conducted personally, others gleaned from press reports and other sources). In many ways, MR. NOVAK is a story of opportunity lost -- the series was a critical and popular hit in its first season, but then was sabotaged by financial and creative studio and network meddling in the second season, which included a misguided change in the writing and the loss of key cast members. You don't have to be a fan of MR. NOVAK to enjoy this book -- in fact, I've never seen a single frame of the program. But I found the book fascinating anyway. The book comes with a detailed episode guide and two great bonus features -- E. Jack Neuman's "bible" for writers on the series and the synopsis of a two-part cross-over episode with DR. KILDARE about VD that was nixed at the last second by skittish NBC (the synopsis is inexplicably titled "a novelization" by Harter, which it most certainly is not). There are a lot of valuable lessons that current TV professionals -- writers, producers, and executives -- could learn from reading this detailed examination/appreciation/
Review from Thrilling Days of Yesteryear
Review from FilmInt
“Alas, few people nowadays remember the NBC series MR. NOVAK. Centered around a high school teacher, it premiered in the Fall of 1963, ran for two years, then (except for an '80s, insomniacs' time-slot airing on TNT) totally vanished. So thank goodness for this comprehensive look into the making of that award-winning show. We begin with a career profile of creator/executive producer E. Jack Neuman, who spoke to educators and students in hopes of crafting a series that mirrored reality. And with handsome, 28-year-old James Franciscus cast as "practical idealist" John Novak, the series tackled such issues as disabilities, alcoholism, bullying, prejudice, cheating, and teen pregnancy in a remarkably unsensationalistic manner. Along the way, Harter also touches upon its enthusiastic fans, behind-the-scenes disputes, rejected scripts, Franciscus' disdain for catty gossip rags, and the show's cancellation (despite its 31.7 Nielsen share!), only to be replaced by the infamous flop MY MOTHER, THE CAR. Numerous guest stars are also interviewed - Kim Darby, Walter Koenig, Frankie Avalon, Tony Dow, Johnny Crawford, Beverly Washburn - along with cast-regular Marian Collier (who later wed Neuman), Franciscus' wife Kitty, plus a foreward penned by Martin Landau. Capped off with an episode guide that includes plot synopses, critical reaction and Harter's personal assessments, this outstanding tribute is generously peppered with photos, as well as such offbeat bonuses as images and instructions from Transogram's MR. NOVAK board game!" - Shock Cinema