The Oxford Companion to the American Musical: Theatre, Film, and Television | 
| Author: Thomas S. Hischak
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
List Price: $39.95
Buy New: $23.32
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Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 26458
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 960
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.2
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.3 x 2.2
ISBN: 0195335333
Dewey Decimal Number: 782.14097303
EAN: 9780195335330
ASIN: 0195335333
Publication Date: June 2, 2008
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Condition: Brand new item. Over 3.5 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Order with confidence. Code: B20080718222140T
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Product Description
From the silver screen to the Great White Way, small community theatres to television sets, the musical has long held a special place in America's heart and history. Now, in The Oxford Companion to the American Musical, readers who flocked to the movies to see An American in Paris or Chicago, lined up for tickets to West Side Story or Rent, or crowded around their TVs to watch Cinderella or High School Musical can finally turn to a single book for details about them all. For the first time, this popular subject has an engaging and authoritative book as thrilling as the performances themselves.
With more than two thousand entries, this illustrated guide offers a wealth of information on musicals, performers, composers, lyricists, producers, choreographers, and much more. Biographical entries range from early stars Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Mary Martin, and Mae West to contemporary show-stoppers Nathan Lane, Savion Glover, and Kristin Chenoweth, while composers Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, and Andrew Lloyd Webber all have articles, and the choreography of Bob Fosse, Tommy Tune, and Debbie Allen receives due examination. The plays and films covered range from modern hits like Mamma Mia! and Moulin Rouge! to timeless classics such as Yankee Doodle Dandy and Show Boat. Also, numerous musicals written specifically for television appear throughout, and many entries follow a work-Babes in Toyland for example-as it moves across genres, from stage, to film, to television. The Companion also includes cross references, a comprehensive listing of recommended recordings and further reading, a useful chronology of all the musicals described in the book, plus a complete index of Tony Award and Academy Award winners.
Whether you are curious about Singin' in the Rain or Spamalot, or simply adore The Wizard of Oz or Grease, this well-researched and entertaining resource is the first place to turn for reliable information on virtually every aspect of the American musical.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Attention all lovers of musical productions June 29, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is the reference book all musical theater fans have been been waiting for. This all-inclusive guide to everything musical in film, theater and television is indispensable. If you love musicals this is THE show biz reference book!
Believe Marni! June 29, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Poor stupid me! After 60 years of seeing musicals on Broadway and myriad other theaters, in films, and on television, after directing many and even writing one, I derived infinite pleasure from wandering through the pages of Thomas Hischak's Oxford Companion. Little did I know that I should have been looking for omissions and confusions to carp about. I was just enjoying the fantastic feast of theatrical lore, trivia, and history spread out before me. I'd start reading one of the entries and find myself eagerly chasing down cross-references that usually fed me interesting facts I hadn't known or had long forgotten (and what a pleasure to have something long forgotten brought back to one's consciousness!).
For example, I had never known of Louise Beavers's career as a singer, having known her only as the perennial maid/cook roles that Hollywood put her great talent into. But I was looking at Holiday Inn, one of my favorite of all time Christmas treats, and came across that surprising cross-reference.
Oh, one could carp. Why is there no entry for James Jewel, the handsome tenor who toured the country with Nancy Walker in On the Town? Why doesn't the author list all the songs of the seminal Mask and Wig Club productions? Why doesn't he mention Richard Whiting's other daughter, Barbara?
Who cares? There is enough material there for a lifetime of pleasurable browsing. Take Marni Nixon's advice: "Simply enjoy it." I sure am.
Excellent Musical Theatre Reference June 28, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
THE OXFORD COMPANION TO THE AMERICAN MUSICAL by Thomas Hischak is a superior and up to date comprehensive reference book devoted to the American Musical Theatre, encompassing Film and Television as well. The research is solid, accurate and thorough; not surprising given Mr Hischak's previously published works in this area. He has become one of the foremost authorities on the American Musical experience, as this most recent volume ably demonstrates. Mr Hischak's book is a rock solid source for anyone in the profession, or any theatre lover in the audience, and a valuable addition to the bookshelf.
Sandra Zecchini PhD
Tennessee
New Hischak book a prodigious accomplishment June 28, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Hischak's new book is a tour de force. I own many books on the theater, including several others by Hischak. I bought this book (at a nice price through Amazon) and started flipping through, and couldn't put it down. Ronald Reagan as musical performer? Who would have guessed? The sheer ambition of this project, its extravagant cross-referencing, and wide-ranging coverage are deeply impressive. Among Hischak's many other books on the theater, this is his crown jewel.
The Book every musical fanatic needs! June 28, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
The Oxford Companion to the American Musical is a surprisingly detailed overview of the the American musicals of Broadway, film and television as witnessed/researched through author Thomas Hischak. The most exciting part of this book is its careful research of the television musical, until now all but glossed over in books on the subject of musical theatre. There was a point in time where television churned out musicals and it is nice to see them get their due. Holiday Specials by Rankin and Bass added much to our song lexicon and it is nice to see them so well represented.
Obviously, the book has its omissions, something that is inevitable when a book has this size and scope. But entries are lovingly chosen and carefully researched and those that are left out are judiciously put aside, or accounted for under other entries. For example: I am a big fan of the musical flop Nick and Nora. N&N does not have it's own entry, but it is mentioned in several other places such us under Joanna Gleason's entry.It is amazing, through cross referencing, just how much author Hischak has accounted for.
One special note: an earlier reviewer of this book makes mention of the musical Destry Rides Again as being named merely "Destry." This is false, as any student of Stanley Greene's Broadway Musicals: Show By Show will tell you. The musical was indeed called Destry Rides Again.
Any true fan of musical theatre will find minor quibbles with any book that may leave out the particular pieces of minutia that fascinate them. However, this book is one of the best of its kind and it is cram packed FULL of wonderful details and oft cast aside information. A must read.
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