NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Off-Topic: Get Smart, Death of Leonard Stern, Weekend YouTube Viewing
Off Topic: Get Smart, The Death of Leonard Stern, and Weekend
YouTube Viewing: Archive of American Television
http://j.mp/mAxnhj (This message on Google Buzz)
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Writer-Producer-Director Leonard Stern died a few days ago here in L.A.
While his career stretched back to the dawn of television, for persons
of my generation he'll arguably be most remembered for his key roles in
the creation and production of the TV classic "Get Smart."
I distinctly remember watching the original debut airing of the show
in 1965, and realizing immediately that this was going to be something
very special.
Ironically from today's standpoint, the opening shot of the show
involved secret agent Maxwell Smart's "shoe phone" ringing, disturbing
the rest of the audience at the symphony he was attending, decades
before the arrival of cell phones: http://j.mp/kGNjZW (YouTube)
Smart's organization -- CONTROL -- had their nemesis in the evil KAOS
("a Delaware Corporation" - they once noted at the end of a televised
threat in one episode). KAOS ran itself as a business, and in one
episode we even learned interesting details of their accounting
procedures (very similar to those of GE today, apparently):
http://j.mp/jfibnH (YouTube)
Without Leonard Stern, there likely would have been no Get Smart.
The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has a fantastic presence
on YouTube, where they've been making available literally thousands of
videos from long-form (in many cases, multiple hour) interviews with
an enormous list of important figures from television -- many you
probably know, and quite a few you probably have never heard of.
It's a tremendous resource.
The Academy's interview with Leonard Stern: http://j.mp/jK2IYa (Emmy
TV Legends) is online. Part 7 will be of particular interest to Get
Smart fans, where Stern discusses the genesis of the show:
http://j.mp/jKASI2 (YouTube).
Despite it being off-topic, I thought some of you might be interested
in this interview in particular, and in the YouTube-based resources of
the Academy's TV Legends interviews in general.
If not, as Maxwell Smart would say, "Sorry about that, Chief."
Take care, all.
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org
Founder:
- Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org
- Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org
- PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein
Google Buzz: http://j.mp/laurenbuzz
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com