Truth and Rumors: The Reality behind TV's Most Famous Myths (Praeger Television Collection Series) Book

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1 How False Was It? The Show That Spawned the Most Myths The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 1

2 Can We Talk? Other Famous Talk Show Rumors 9

3 Ward, I'm Worried about the Beaver: TV Rumors Involving Child Stars 21

4 Lucy, You've Got Some 'Splainin' to Do: A Couple of Persistent I Love Lucy Myths 33

5 Set Phasers for Stun: Some Enterprising Star Trek Legends 41

6 The Naked Truth: They Don't Call It the "Boob Tube" for Nothing 49

7 A Word from Our Sponsor: Rumors and Myths and Commercials 51

8 Would You Believe...?: Strange Stories from the '60s 61

9 That '70s Show: Growing up with The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family 69

10 Monkee Business: Are You a Believer? Check out These Monkee Myths 73

11 Final Jeopardy: Game Show Myths and Rumors 79

12 Too Much Drama: Urban Legends about Drama Series 91

13 Reality: What a Concept: Reality Show Rumors 101

14 So Not Dead: TV Stars Who Supposedly Died but Didn't 113

15 Didn't You Used to Be What's His Name?: A Few Cases of Mistaken Identity 121

16 Kids Say the Darndest Things: Rumors about Children's Shows 127

17 Tall 'Toon Tales: Urban Myths about Animated Series 135

18 Strikes, Spares, and Misses: TV's Most Enduring Sports Myths 141

19 This Just In: Urban Myths about Newscasts 149

20 Miscellaneous Myths: Items That Simply Defy Categorization 159

21 Smile When You Say That, Pardner: TV's Greatest Western Whoppers 163

22 Super Lie: A Rumor That Spread Faster Than a Speeding Bullet 171

23 Stars on Ice: Stars Who Supposedly Died on Television 175

Appendix Law and Order (terms anddefinitions) 181

Index 183