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To Order Books Please Email HerbieJPilato@Outlook.com

THE BOOKS

 

Books signed by Herbie J Pilato

(Price includes shipping, handling, tax, and signature)

(International Orders Are Double Priced Due To Shipping costs. Please Use Amazon if this is an issue.)

Dashing, Daring, and Debonair: TV's Top Male Icons from the 50s, 60s, and 70s

ISBN-978-1630760526

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Be they actors, comedians, singers, dancers, or talk show hosts and personalities, everyone from George Burns and Milton Berle to Jack Benny and Jackie Gleason to Sid Caesar and Caesar Romero ignited their own particular brand of “man-erisms.” In the process, they each inspired their audience to cheer them on—whatever their guise. This book, with a foreword by Adam "Batman" West, will explore and celebrate the men who invented manliness and became stars in the process. It also profiles such teenage heartthrobs as Leave it to Beaver's Tony Dow and The Partridge Family's David Cassidy, stars who left an indelible impression on a generation of young girls.

Glamour, Gidgets, and the Girl Next Door: Television's Iconic Women from the 50s, 60s, and 70s

ISBN-978-1589799691

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Glamour, Gidgets, and the Girl Next Door is the latest creation from entertainment biographer and pop culture consultant Herbie J Pilato. Based on exclusive celebrity interviews, this book runs the gamut of female television legends, from the iconic Mary Tyler Moore to the stars of the original Charlie’s Angels. According to Pilato, “There are so many charismatic women who have made their ‘beauty-mark’ in television. I wanted to celebrate their contributions, not only with regard to aesthetic appeal but to honor the intelligence, individual wit, and unique talent and style that each of them have contributed to television—and how that great medium in particular was utilized to introduce and showcase so many amazing and wonderful women to the world.” Suffice it to say, for exclusive and key information on TV’s top leading ladies who shattered expectations and paved the way for successive generations, this book is the number one resource and go-to guide.

Twitch Upon a Star: The Bewitched Life and Career of Elizabeth Montgomery

ISBN-978-1589797499

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Based on author Herbie J Pilato’s exclusive interviews with Elizabeth Montgomery prior to her death in 1995, Twitch Upon a Star includes insider material and commentary from several individuals associated with her remarkable life and career before, during, and after Bewitched, including her classic feature films The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955), Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed? (1963), and Johnny Cool (1963). 

Two of Montgomery’s many popular TV movies, A Case of Rape (which remains one of the highest-rated TV-movies of all time) and The Legend of Lizzie Borden (which will soon be remade as a feature film), were groundbreaking and remain classics. But Twitch Upon a Star also goes behind the scenes to explore Montgomery’s political activism, including her early advocacy for AIDS sufferers and the peace movement; her support for all minorities, including the gay community and the disabled; and her controversial participation as narrator of the1988 feature film documentary Cover-Up and its 1991 Oscar-winning sequel, The Panama Deception (both of which chronicled the Iran/Contra scandal of the 1980s). The book also explores Montgomery's tumultuous relationships with her father, screen legend Robert Montgomery (she was a liberal; he was a staunch conservative), and her four husbands (including actor Gig Young, who later died in a murder/suicide). Through it all—and to family and friends such as fellow performers Ronny Cox, Sally Kemp, and Florence Henderson—she was just Lizzie: down-to-earth and unaffected, just like Samantha, the "witch-with-a-twitch" Stephens, her most famous role.

The Essential Elizabeth Montgomery: A Guide to Her Magical Performances

ISBN-978-1589798243

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Bewitched star Elizabeth Montgomery was one of the most prolific and popular actresses of the twentieth century. In her more than five hundred appearances on television, film and the stage, Elizabeth Montgomery’s talent, charisma, and personality have charmed millions for decades. 

This delightful new book delineates, dissects, and celebrates the diversity and minutia of Montgomery’s remarkable career, while chronicling just how much her real life spilled into her historic roles on stage and screen. The book is based on Pilato’s exclusive interviews with the actress and supplemented withcommentary provided by myriad entertainment professionals, journalists, and media and classic TV historians, including the Oscar-nominated actress Juanita Moore (Montgomery’s co-star from the historic “White Lie” episode of TV’s 77 Sunset Strip), and producer/writer/actor Jimmy Lydon (Elizabeth’s co-star from the Wagon Train episode “The Victorio Bottecelli Story.”)

Including plot summaries, airdates, release dates, and behind-the-scenes notes and anecdotes of select performances, The Essential Elizabeth Montgomery is the ultimate handy, entertaining, and informative reference to the on- and off-screen adventures of one of the world’s most beloved stars.

The Bionic Book

ISBN-978-1593930837

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Before Hiro on Heroes, there was Steve Austin - The Six Million Dollar Man. Before Buffy Summers on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, there was Jaime Sommers - The Bionic Woman. Now, television's classic wonder people of the 1970s are back and stronger than ever in - THE BIONIC BOOK: THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN AND THE BIONIC WOMAN RECONSTRUCTED, written by best-selling author Herbie J Pilato (Bewitched Forever, The Kung Fu Book of Caine). Co-billed as the Cybernetic Compendium To TV's Most Realistic Sci-Fi Superhero Shows, THE BIONIC BOOK is chuck full of commentary culled from Pilato's exclusive interviews with Bionic stars Lee Majors (who played half-superman/half-mechanical marvel Steve Austin), Lindsay Wagner (Jaime Sommers - Steve's female counter-part and one true love), series creator (and science fiction novel icon) Martin Caidin, executive producer Harve Bennett (who would later help to ignite the Star Trek feature film franchise), producer/director Kenneth Johnson (The Incredible Hulk and Alien Nation) and actor Richard Anderson, the latter of whom portrayed Oscar Goldman - Steve and Jaime's stoic but understanding super-viser on both shows (and who has penned the book's foreword). Much more than a mere TV trivia guide, THE BIONIC BOOK explores in-depth the social, psychological, medical and scientic influence, appeal and message behind two of the most popular and heroic science fiction television programs of all time.

Life Story – The Book of Life Goes On

ISBN-978-1593930851

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In the history of popular television, there are not many shows that have addressed the issues of adolescence, family values, diversity, prejudice, and physical and mental disabilities so directly and fully as Life Goes On. The unique flavor of this daring series (which debuted on ABC in 1989, and which has recently been released on DVD) went straight to the heart of the American-viewing public. Now, the creation, development, and ever-increasing popularity of this this ground-breaking and heartwarming small screen classic is explored in LIFE STORY - THE BOOK OF LIFE GOES ON: TV'S FIRST AND BEST FAMILY SHOW OF CHALLENGE, written by best-selling author Herbie J Pilato (Bewitched Forever, The Kung Fu Book of Caine). Inside the pages of LIFE STORY, the reader will find revealing commentary from Pilato's exclusive interviews with cast members such as the Golden-Globe-nominated Chris Burke (who played Corky Thacher, the high-school teen with Down syndrome, which Burke has in real life), the Emmy-winning Chad Lowe (who portrayed the AIDS-stricken Jesse McKenna), and the Family-Television-Award winning Kellie Martin (who was Becca Thacher, sister to Corky and loyal young love to Jesse, and who is now the star of the Hallmark Channel new hit series, Mystery Woman). Also interviewed for LIFE STORY, were pristine behind-the-scenes team players including director/producer Michael Nankin and creator/executive producer Michael Braverman (the latter of whom has penned the book's foreword). Life Goes On continues to inspire viewers, and reaches beyond the realm of average entertainment with superior production values and credible, yet compelling, universal stories, each delivered with a sincere dedication in presenting good television. LIFE STORY - THE BOOK OF LIFE GOES ON: TV'S FIRST AND BEST FAMILY SHOW OF CHALLENGE captures that same spirit and transfers it into literary form.

NBC & ME MY LIFE AS A PAGE IN A BOOK

ISBN-978-1593931315

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NBC & ME MY LIFE AS A PAGE IN A BOOK (A MOCK MEMOIR OF MY BIG '80s DAZE WITH THE PEACOCK NETWORK) From May 1984 to December 1985, actor/author/TV producer/singer Herbie J Pilato worked as a Page for NBC-TV in Burbank, California. Many Pages were excited by the frequent showbiz interactions that were accessible and provided by a major TV network facility. Some found work within and outside of the industry. Others found their job only uncovered a depressing, even insulting Hollywood experience. For Herbie J, it was da bomb, as he found himself on the set of Family Ties, The Golden Girls and Wheel of Fortune. He helped to coordinate an affiliates' convention, two press tours, five Bob Hope specials, An All-Star Salute To President Dutch Reagan, the 1984 Democratic Presidential Debates, and the 1984 Emmy Awards. He laughed with established comedians, lunched with network suits, hob-knobbed with celebrities, stuffed envelopes - and passed out tickets to Scrabble - all for a measly $5.20 an hour. It's an experience that he remembers in-depth - and with tongue-in-cheek - in NBC & ME: MY LIFE AS A PAGE IN A BOOK - A MOCK MEMOIR OF MY BIG '80s DAZE WITH THE PEACOCK NETWORK.

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