johnpalmer

One of the old classics, that I saw once or twice, but never saw in a significant block.

I was so excited by the chance to see they have it in HD, and this was my first chance to watch it on a color screen and... right.

(I was born in 1966. Lots of people still had black-and-whites in the early 70s. They were cheaper!)

One of the things I like doing is seeing how they told stories, especially in a half-hour back then. And I got to see some of the good episodes.

There's one where a pitch man (a guy who sells sundries on the street by convincing people they need them) who makes a deal with Death - he's never made a really big pitch. Can he have an extension until he does? Well sure - and he plans never to make another. Well - if you haven't heard the plot, I'm sure you can almost guess it: he'll have to make that pitch to save someone else's life. It's silly and schmaltzy, and pretty darn good for a half hour story.

There's one that a friend of mine despised. This poor sorry guy can't just settle down and read - his wife even ruined some of his books because he wouldn't stop reading them when she couldn't control him! Then, because he hid in the bank vault and read during his lunch hour, he's the only one alive after a nuclear war. He's starts off lonely, and crazy with boredom, until he realizes there's an undamaged library, and... and his (extremely thick) glasses break, just as he has his books all piled up and planned out. He can't read at all.

It was a nasty, nasty episode, she said. And you know? I agree. But I'll give the writers this: they were making a world where a nuclear war was going to be a complete nightmare - even the tiny bits of joy you might find could be ruined!

So, while I agree it's a nasty episode, one I hate, it's also good art. (Not *great* art. But good.) It expresses what it wants to get across in an emotionally evocative way.

I bet fan-ficcers of the day tweeted their outrage and included Facebook links to alternate endings... what? Oh, okay, yes, it was *long* ago, so *LiveJournalers*, are you happy now? No?

Geez, no satisfying some people.

Anyway. If you're looking for a nostalgia binge, or want to see one of the classics, it's out there.

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From:

dubhain

Because of the upcoming surgery, I've acquired a television for the first time in ages. I'm actually enjoying the digital broadcast channels, which are filled with old programming from the '50s and '60s. Basically, if it's not in black-and-white, I'm not watching it much. (Yes, I also have a nifty Xtreamer Wonder as well, which allows for newer programming. I simply don't use it much.)

There's a lot of crap that's being aired, from that period, but there's a lot of thoughtful, just plain good art from that time, as well. Quality one doesn't see anymore. Everything from intelligent, thoughtful plots, to attention paid to cinematography — camera angels, lighting, and gods know there's some excellent, excellent quality acting, which, again, one doesn't see all that much of anymore.

I remember Time Enough at Last. Burgess Meredith (later famous for playing The Penguin in the '66 Batman series) starred as the man with the glasses. One of my favorite TZ episodes. It was a prime example of the "Be careful what you wish for" maxim, and a almost charmingly naive return to a time when it was believed that atomic wars were survivable. (I remember the fallout shelters in the basements of libraries and other public buildings, as well as the duck-and-cover drills in school. Of course, I'm a couple of years older than you, so....)

I'll agree that Meridith's performance would qualify as great art, but it's good, solid acting, especially given the material he had to work with. And, given the media environment of the time, it was very, very good material in that context. I very much miss the emphasis upon psychology and the psychological thriller that television and cinema had during that period. Ever since Rambo came out in '82, the emphasis has moved to overblown, contextless violence, as many massive firey explosions as possible, and as little dialogue as possible. The latter to make it easier and cheaper to dub said dialogue into other languages for export, where is where most films make their money now. And, of course, television follows cinema's lead.

But there's a great deal to be said for a slow build of tension and suspense, with a minimum of distraction from the actual plot. Not to mention good plotting in the first place. I may need cable for Internet access, but I surely do not need it for movies or television. Now, if I could just find a way to block all of the 'male enhancement,' 'latest new medicine,' and 'lawsuit eligibility' ads that constantly run on those channels, I'd be really happy. (Oh, and the one for Henry repeating rifles, as well. That shit just gets old.)

And Livejournalers? Heh. I remember fanzines. Mimeographed fanzines. Do you? *G.*