Cold War Children's Television

Vibiana Bowman Cvetkovic is librarian emerita of Rutgers University Libraries.

• Chapter One: Situating Children’s Programming in Television’s Golden AgeChapter Two: Sex, Sally Starr, and the Paradox of the American Cowgirl Chapter Three: Pixanne, Class, and the Cold War American ChildhoodChapter Four: Gene London, Cold War MasculinityChapter Five: Chief Halftown, Race, and Nostalgia Coda: The Demise of Hosted Shows

Smart and bold in its claims, Vibiana Cvetkovic's book invites us to view early children's tv hosts from the lens of today. Hosts at once conformed to familiar roles and troubled them. Neither completely male nor female, adult nor child, teacher nor entertainer, parent nor friend, counselor nor salesperson... hosts were rather like 'impossible burgers' today. People wanted them to pass for a suburban bbq, but they nevertheless gently transformed the midcentury landscape with new possibilities and appetites.