EDITOR’S NOTE: Part 1 is HERE
Aspiring writers often wonder how the pros got where they are. The truth is, everyone’s story is different, but there are some common elements: dedication, persistence, hard work and not giving up.
All the elements of MAD MEN are here in Rod Serling’s 1955 drama, PATTERNS. For reals.
According to a recent report from Reuters of Rome, Oscar-winning director Bernardo Bertolucci, during a tribute in his honor by the American Academy, claimed disappointment with the Hollywood feature film world that once inspired him. Instead, he prefers to watch television shows like Mad Men, explaining that such programming offers superior casting and direction above and beyond movie-house productions.
Bertolucci, who guided classic cinema gems like Last Tango in Paris, The Last Emperor and Novecento, said his “generation had an affair with American culture, there’s no doubt about it. A street lamp and a fire hydrant made me sing in the rain….But the American films I like now do not come from Hollywood studios but from television series, like Mad Men,” among others.
by Theresa Wiza
When Alan Funt’s Candid Camera television program made its debut in 1948, Funt unknowingly created the reality TV genre. From that first hilarious peek into the human spirit came shows like America’s Funniest Videos, Ashton Kutcher’s Punk’d, and more.
The same year Funt debuted Candid Camera, Arthur Godfrey showcased struggling artists in his Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts.
My writing hero talked to Mike Wallace back in 1959, and Rod wasn’t exactly a happy camper:
Thanks, Robin!