Gary Chichester, an activist and former president of the Chicago Gay Alliance, is particularly moving, talking about the early days of the park as a meeting place for gay men and the beginnings of the pride movement. Mostly I ramble on about Terkel, who followed social historian and author Arthur Weinberg as emcee of the Bughouse Square Debates when they were resurrected in the 1980s, a chore that I have insufficiently handled since his death. ![]() I have a few things to say in the film, having written about the park since before these filmmakers were born. There is a welcome minimum of talking heads. I cannot imagine one watching this film not being drawn to the park for a walk. Using wonderful historical illustrations and photos, and contemporary video and drone shots, the park is vividly captured. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.The park is firmly the main character of the documentary and though the film is only 15 minutes long, it does a remarkably fine job of capturing the various “lives” of the park, as it reflected its surrounding neighborhood, which has gone from ritzy to seedy and notorious and back to ritzy now. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Nevertheless, The Magic Window is a welcome “lite” reference for those interested in the history of broadcasting.ĭisclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. Von Schilling keeps his entries brief, perhaps as a nod to the diminished attention span of a generation of readers raised in the TV era. With the emphasis on acceptable content, one wonders what the early television community would have thought of today’s product, which includes frank subject matter, partial nudity, suggestive dialogue, and language that would have those prim and proper mavens reaching for the smelling salts. Others were not used to having their material censored. Not all succeeded many stars of radio could not contend with the demands of performing live, unused to memorizing their lines. In the fledgling days, performers also had to learn how to adapt to television. Indeed, politicians found that they could no longer get away with giving a good speech-they now needed to be “telegenic” as well. ![]() Television showed us the American system at work, through broadcasting political conventions, Crime Commission meetings, and the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings. As dry as they might seem, technical matters, licensing, patent battles, and government involvement are all essential parts of the biography of television.Īs far as the on-screen story, it’s not only the entertainment value of such early performers as Milton Berle, Syd Caesar, Lucille Ball, and Howdy Doody that defined the medium. While early TV programs and stars may be of the most interest to readers, they are not necessarily the most important aspects of the evolution of the medium. The author, a professor of English and an expert in pop culture, covers the entire television spectrum, from its infancy through its adolescence. When television made its ballyhooed debut for the general public at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York, could anyone have dreamed how much it would grow in such a relatively short time? It quickly developed from a commodity that only few could afford or take advantage of (remember, some parts of the country weren’t even wired for electricity at the time), to a fixture in the world community.
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