Re: [ARSCLIST] Half-vast wasteland--was: Slides and inconvenient media (was s

[Charles Lawson <clawson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List             
<ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx> writes:
From: "Robert Hodge" <rjhodge@xxxxxxx>
>
>
>> Obviously you never saw American television when at its' prime !
>
>> 
>From Steven Barr:
>When was THAT?! I

He is probably referring to prime time during the 1950s when some
astoundingly good performances from "Playhouse 90," "Studio One," etc.
could be found on American television.  Some of those live-to-TV
theatrical performances (authored by folks like Paddy Chayevsky and Rod
Serling) were very, very good...at a time when you really had to be an
actor (not just a pretty face) to get a starring role on TV.  (One could
also mention Sid Caesar and Ernie Kovacks for some pioneering comedy that
youngsters still find funny when they see it today.)  Unfortunately, most
of those performances are lost now owing to some managerial
short-sightedness that members of this list would surely deplore.

Having said all that, I should also mention that some of the best writing
ever for American television has been in the last decade or so on programs
like "Homicide," "The West Wing," and, yes, "The Simpsons."  All of those
programs feature(d) top-notch writers and truly talented actors who should
not be lumped together with the dreck that generally populates TV these
days.

Sorry to contribute to an off-topic thread, but I like to see quality
recognized and supported where possible.  (If I were to include some
British television, too, I could go on and on...  It's Sunday morning,
though, and my breakfast is almost ready.)

Cheers to all,

Chas.

--
Charles Lawson <clawson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Professional Audio for CD, DVD, Broadcast & Internet