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Just
as J.C. Leyendecker and Norman Rockwell did with their
covers for The Saturday Evening Post, Richard Amsel
established a lengthy and fruitful relationship with TV
Guide, illustrating more covers than any other artist.
Thirty-seven
of Amsel's covers were published,
while another
three were
unused. Amsel also contributed illustrations featured
inside
the
entertainment magazine.
For
more information on the art of TV Guide, check
out Jerry Alten's book (left), which includes information
on Amsel's contributions.
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Here is a full, verified list
of the 37 published Amsel
covers, all of which can be viewed here:
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1
16-Dec-72 Duke & Duchess of Windsor
2 19-May-73 Mary Tyler Moore
3 16-Mar-74 Carole Burnett & Vicki Lawrence
4 6-Jul-74 Lucille Ball
5 2-Aug-75 Mike Douglas
6 17-Jan-76 Angie Dickinson & Earl Holliman
7 6-Nov-76 Clark Gable & Vivien Leigh
8 11-Dec-76 Valerie Harper
9 8-Oct-77 Donny Osmond & Marie Osmond
10 19-Nov-77 Frank Sinatra
11 8-Apr-78 Alice
12 20-May-78 Three's Company
13 4-Nov-78 John Travolta
14 27-Jan-79 Katharine Hepburn
15 19-May-79 Cindy Williams & Penny Marshall
16 1-Sep-79 Miss America
17 10-May-80 One Day at a Time
18 21-Jun-80 Robert Wagner & Stephanie Powers
19 6-Sep-80 Richard Chamberlain / Shogun
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20
28-Mar-81 Johnny Carson
21
25-Jul-81 Prince Charles & Lady Diana
22 19-Sep-81 Kate Mulgrew
23 24-Apr-82 Ingrid Bergman
24 3-Jul-82 Ted Knight/Too Close for Comfort
25 5-Feb-83 Cheryl Ladd
26 9-Apr-83 Elvis Presley
27 30-Apr-83 Tom Selleck
28 21-May-83
Bob Hope
29 3-Sep-83 All in the Family
30 24-Sep-83 Three's Company
31 12-Nov-83 The Kennedys
32 21-Apr-84 The Far Pavillions
33 29-Sep-84 Mary Tyler Moore & James Garner
34 2-Feb-85 Sharon Gless & Tyne Daly
35 22-Jun-85 Nancy Reagan
36 27-Jul-85 Miami Vice
37 26-Oct-85 Brokaw, Jennings & Rather
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...and
to see one of Amsel's unpublished covers, CLICK
HERE.
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COVERS
1-15
All
images were scanned from TV Guide: The Official Collectors
Guide (5), except where noted.
Click on each image for enlarged version.
Dec. 16, 1972 |
May 19, 1973 |
March 16, 1974 |
July
6, 1974
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Aug. 2, 1975 |
Jan. 17, 1976 |
Nov. 6, 1976 |
Dec. 11, 1976 |
Oct. 8, 1977 |
Nov. 19, 1977 |
April 8, 1978 |
May 20, 1978 |
Nov. 4, 1978 |
Jan. 27, 1979 |
May 19, 1979 |
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BENEATH
THE COVERS...
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TV
Guide: July 6, 1974
Perhaps the most beloved of all his TV Guide covers,
Amsel's portrait of Lucille Ball heralded an article about
the comedienne's retirement from series television, and
a retrospective of her 23-year career on the small screen.
"I
did not want the portrait to be of Lucy Ricardo,"
Amsel explained, "but I didn't want a modern-day
Lucy Carter either. I wanted it to have the same timeless
sense of glamour that Lucy herself has. She is, after
all, a former Goldwyn Girl. I hoped to capture the essence
of all this."
Amsel's
work so impressed Ms. Ball that the artwork was later
prominently featured in the opening credits of a two-hour
television tribute, CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25
Years.
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Here
are Amsel's preliminary color studies for the above TV
Guide cover.
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Lucille
Ball (12)
1974
Pencils on glassine
Size unknown.
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Lucille
Ball (3)
1974
Colored pencils on glassine
11 x 14 1/2 in.
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TV
Guide: Nov. 6, 1976 (11)
The airing of GONE WITH THE WIND was a significant television
event in 1976. Notice the stark contrast in color tones
between Amsel's painting and the reproduced cover above.
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Dec. 11, 1976 |
Sketch
for the art at left. (12) |
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May 20, 1978 |
Preliminary
sketch. (12)
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The
final art. (12) |
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Nov. 4, 1978 |
TV Guide: Nov. 4, 1974 (3)
The original art. |
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TV
Guide: Jan. 27, 1979 (11)
Colored pencil, airbrush on paper
26.5 x 21 in.
This is one of my favorites of all Amsel's work -- and
seeing the original in person (as opposed to TV GUIDE's
reproduction) made me better appreciate the
softer, more delicate colors Amsel used.
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