Many of us know Julie Adams as intrepid scientist Kay Lawrence in one of the most famous horror movies of all time, The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Yet Creature marks just one chapter in Julie’s life and career, which not only spans The Golden Age of Hollywood and The Golden Age of Television, but also saw her work with such legends as James Stewart, Rock Hudson, Tyrone Power, Andy Griffith, John Wayne, Milton Berle, Barbara Stanwyck, Angela Lansbury, Elvis Presley, Glenn Ford and Raymond Burr. And if you love film and TV history, you’ll love Julie’s new book, The Lucky Southern Star: Reflections from the Black Lagoon, which is filled with great stories that take you behind the scenes of Creature and many of her other stage, film and TV productions. You can order The Lucky Southern Star from Julie Adams’ website, www.JulieAdams.biz.
 

Speaking of The Golden Age of Hollywood, Paul Green has a new book out on another big star from the Golden Age: Jennifer Jones, the Academy Award-winning star of The Song of Bernadette, Since You Went Away, Duel in the Sun, Portrait of Jennie, Love is a Many Splendored Thing and other classic films. Paul’s book not only walks you through the film career of Jennifer Jones, but also her often turbulent personal life, including her marriages to Robert Walker Sr., Norton Simon and David O. Selznick. Jennifer Jones: The Life and Films is available at www.mcfarlandpub.com,  Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and wherever books are sold online.

Stephen Battaglio’s latest book, From Yesterday to Today: Six Decades of America’s Favorite Morning Show, not only provides a comprehensive history of The Today Show, but features a ton of photographs that introduce you to many of the people who helped shape The Today Show’s history, including Barbara Walters, Katie Couric, Jane Pauley, Tom Brokaw and Bryant Gumbel. From Yesterday to Today is available in bookstores everywhere, and will also be released as an e-Book in January. If you can, however, I heartily recommend getting the hardcover edition, because the photographs alone are fantastic.

Stephen’s book David Susskind: A Televised Life is now available in paperback. If you haven’t read it, it's well worth reading, too. 
Available online at DavidSusskindATelevisedLife.com.

Speaking of the Golden Age of Television, I also recommend Naked City: The Television Series and Adventures in Paradise: The Television Series, both by James Rosin.

Jim recently updated Adventures in Paradise: The Television Series with not only spectacular new photographs, but also detailed production information on several of the episodes. And as always, both Naked City: The Television Series and Adventures in Paradise: The Television Series feature insight and commentary from many of the actors, writers, producers and directors who made these shows possible.

To order Naked City: The Television Series and Adventures in Paradise: The Television Series, go to ClassicTVSeriesBooks.Com.

Speaking of classic TV shows from the Sixties, if you’re a fan of My Favorite Martian, you’ll be happy to know that Hermes Press has reissued the first seven issues of the Gold Key comic book based on the classic TV series starring Ray Walston and Bill Bixby. The stories in My Favorite Martian: Volume One feature digitally remastered artwork by Russ Manning, Dan Spiegle and Mike Arens (all artists from the Silver Age of comics), as well as scripts by Western Publishing mainstay Paul S. Newman. Extra features include supplementary essays photographs, show promotional material, classic cover art, and a whole lot more. My Favorite Martian: Volume One will be officially released on Dec. 27, but you can pre-order it now by going to Amazon.com.

Looking for a last-minute stocking stuffer for the Rod Serling fan in your life? Check out Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone, the definitive history of the Twilight Zone TV series, now available in paperback from Barricade Books. Co-written by Serling’s widow, Carol Serling, along with pop culture historian Douglas Brode, the book includes autobiographical anecdotes about Rod Serling with interpretations of many of his classic Twilight Zone episodes. For more information, check out BarricadeBooks.com, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.

If you’re a fan of John Astin, Marty Ingells and the genius of Leonard Stern, be sure to check out I’m Dickens, He’s Fenster, the long lost comedy classic that is now available to the public for the first time in 50 years as part of a Limited Collectors Edition DVD package that includes the first 16 episodes of the series, plus a ton of extra features, including audio commentary by John Astin, Marty Ingells, Yvonne Craig and Lee Meriwether, and a special tribute to series creator Leonard Stern. For more information, check out ImDickensHesFenster.com.

If you’re a fan of Charlie Sheen, and can’t wait for the premiere of his upcoming series Anger Management, Spin City: The Complete Sixth Season is now available through Shout! Factory. Season Six is the final season of Spin City, and among the surprises on tap is a multi-episode arc in which Michael J. Fox returns as Charlie’s predecessor, Mike Flaherty.

Also now available through Shout! Factory: Season Five of Designing Women, Season Four of Dennis the Menace, and Kojak: The Complete Movie Collection.

Finally, and if you really want to get into the holiday spirit, we invite you to join actor Robert Davi in his support of the Salvation Army’s annual Red Kettle campaign. Though many of us know Robert Davi from his roles in Profiler, Die Hard, License to Kill and other films and TV series, he is also an accomplished singer whose first album, Davi Sings Sinatra: On The Road to Romance, pays tribute to his friend and mentor, Frank Sinatra.

Robert Davi has also released as a single a cover version of “Mistletoe and Holly,” which is now available for purchase for just 99 cents through iTunes and Amazon.com. All proceeds (100 percent) from the sale of Mistletoe and Holly single will be donated to The Salvation Army’s 120th annual Red Kettle Campaign. So for just 99 cents, you get some great holiday music while helping millions of families who are in need this holiday season. For more information, go to DaviSingsSinatra.com.