During hard times, American families used to escape by gathering around the radio listening to Jack Benny and The Lone Ranger. These days we escape through TV, movies, and the Internet. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, entertainment and escape, from old time radio to the Star Wars myth.
Michael Bodnarchek, president of A Band Apart - a commercial production house - tells Jim Fleming why top notch actors and directors have started making commercials. Also, actor and director Christopher Guest makes TV spots and feature films. He explains to Steve Paulson how his ads for Frosted Flakes and the NHL subsidize work like "This is Spinal Tap" and "Waiting for Guffman."SEGMENT 2:
Mary Henderson was the curator of the Star Wars exhibit at the Smithsonian, and is the author of "Star Wars: The Magic of Myth." She talks with Jim Fleming about the spiritual and mythic sub-text of the Star Wars films and why their popularity has endured. Also, Kevin Rubio wrote and directed "Troops" — a "Cops" - style parody of Star Wars' Imperial Storm Troopers. The short film is all the rage on the internet. Rubio tells Steve Paulson why and how he made the film. Catch it at www.The Force.net.SEGMENT 3:
Cultural geographer Yi-Fu Tuan tells Steve Paulson that escapism is crucial for human beings, and that our whole culture is shaped by the endless imagining of more pleasant alternative realities. Yi-Fu Tuan calls his latest book "Escapism." Also, Gerald Nachman is the author of "Raised on Radio." He tells Jim Fleming about his childhood addiction to radio, and how radio has influenced the media that followed it.Cassette copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 99-03-21-A.
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