bhowells

Does anyone remember the us movie refernce guide called Movies On Tv, edited by Steven H Scheur, dont think that is the correct spelling of the surname.
I remember buing this guide first when I was in London as a fourteen year old, I couldnt put it down.

I boought several subsequet editions some of them had the disapointing practice of not reviewing a film that had only one star. The title disapapeared sometime in the nineties not sure if the editior retired or passed on.

The Maltin guides are very similar but of course they are very much still with us.

dremble wedge

I've got the 1992-93 edition of Scheuer, I think it may be the last one. It was much quirkier than Maltin but not as extensive.

My personal favourite is The Sunday Times Guide to Movies on Television by Angela & Elkan Allan which only reviewed films up to 1975 and had a very idiosyncratic view of them. I don't know of any other film guide that includes the Alan Price sex comedy Alfie Darling but not Doctor Zhivago! Great stuff.

CaptainWaggett

Is that the one with the silver cover? If so, along with Richard Griffiths' huge book about movies, it was my entire film books library for several years. Very funny (though they rubbished The Red Shoes )

bhowells

You have jogged my memory there about the Elkan Allen guide, I didnt posess a copy but I remember the book becuase I read his column in the Sunday Times.

I have a film guide by David Shipman which I bought in the mid eighties, unfortuntately due to a pinting error the first portion of the book had been printed twice which meant that some pages were missing altogether.

A good guide but too comprehensive.

You have a point about the Maltin guides they were bette than the Movies On Tv guide.

bhowells

Sorry I meant to say that the Shipman guide was not very comprehensive.

dremble wedge

Sounds as if it could be although mine doesn't have a silver cover.

It has a three-ticks to three-crosses ratings system and no less a luminary than Alec Guinness declares on the cover that it is "the only guide to movies I possess and the only one I need" which provides a small insight into the life of an acting great...

CaptainWaggett

Definitely the same one - I remember the incredibly complicated system of ticks and crosses - reminded me of one of my English teachers who used to give marks like B++(-)

m35541

I used to have the Allan book which i found interesting as it had a load of obscure stuff that had been screened on UK TV in the previous 10 years but which weren't in any other books at the time (eg Caxambu with john ireland). however, its Hitchcock films criques seemed to be taken verbatum from Hitchcock's own opinions on them as expressed to Francois Trauffaut.

The Schauer book I thought was pretty poor and not as good as Maltin.

The Radio Times guide is very good - with much more detail about indiviudal films than Maltin etc. maltin has declined recently as about 10 years ago he decided there were too many films for one book and has removed hundreds of them (if not thousands) mostly dating from pre 1960. I bought his book on the older movies a few years ago (which you need to buy as well now) and comparing it to his current edition, was surprised how many were mssing. he's also removed many old 1970's US TV movies that used to be there - some of these now turn up on DVD.

wadsy

I had one that had a little black turkey next to the really bad films!!

Lord Brett

The Sunday Times one was the first film guide I ever bought, and I remember it covering far more obscure British films than comparable guides like Halliwells.

Old editions of the Maltin and Scheuer guides I keep in the loo (to read).

Anyone else remember the Simon Rose Classic Film Guide. Not exactly comprehensive, but quite in depth on the films it did cover.

dremble wedge

Oddest one I have is Cluck! The True Story of Chickens in the Cinema which only reviews films that have a strong chicken content...

CaptainWaggett

So that's Chicken Run and er...

dremble wedge

It was published in 1981 so that's right out

orpheum

I have the Halliwell Guide which has over 20000 entries and does include a lot of british films.

Welcome To Highbury The Home Of Football

bhowells

The Radio Times guide is very good. In some respects actor filmographies are better than Haliwells. I found a far more complete filmography for character actor Alan Read than I did in Haliwells.

That's bad news about Maltin removing all those films. It was always handy to look up entires for us tv movies.

Haliwells TV companion was a an inavaluable book to me as a teenager. It was great for finding out how many years us shows ran for. Not so good for uk programmes. Of course Haliwell used to buy imported series for the ITV network.

For shows like,"Alfred Hittchcock Prsents." he would provide complete episode guide.

The last editon I have dates from 1984, this was co edited by Phiip Purser.