When Women Invented Television: The Untold Story of the Female Powerhouses Who Pioneered the Way We Watch Today

Price: $17.99 - $0.99
(as of Aug 25, 2025 16:08:10 UTC – Details)

“Leaps at the throat of television history and takes down the patriarchy with its fervent, inspired prose,” a biography of four female television pioneers (Nathalia Holt, New York Times–bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls).

It was the Golden Age of Radio and powerful men were making millions in advertising dollars reaching thousands of listeners every day. When television arrived, few radio moguls were interested in the upstart industry. But four women saw an opportunity and carved their own paths.

Irna Phillips turned real-life tragedy into daytime serials featuring female dominated casts. Gertrude Berg turned her radio show into a Jewish family comedy. Hazel Scott was the first African American to host a national evening variety program. Betty White became a daytime talk show fan favorite and one of the first women to produce, write, and star in her own show. Together, their stories chronicle a forgotten chapter in the history of television and popular culture.

But as the medium became more popular—and lucrative—in the wake of World War II, and as politics, sexism, racism, anti-Semitism, and money collided, the women who invented television found themselves fighting from the margins, as men took control.

This amazing and heartbreaking history, illustrated with photos, tells it all for the first time.

“In prose as charming as the women she writes about, [Armstrong]. . . .makes you feel [her subjects’] genius and charisma, almost like you were there when they invented television.” — Boston Globe

“Catnip for TV fans.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune

“With crisp, electrifying prose. . . .Armstrong deftly illustrates how this quartet of women battled skepticism, sexism, and even the infamous Cold War blacklist to become vital players in the burgeoning days of the small screen.” — Booklist (starred review)

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08BLL95VQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper
Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 19, 2024
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 4.8 MB
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780062973337
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062973337
Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #95,643 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) #12 in Television History & Criticism #121 in Television Performer Biographies #187 in History eBooks of Women
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